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- In a key step toward enhancing regional water sustainability, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to jointly develop the Tapti Basin Mega Recharge Project (TBMRP).
- This collaborative initiative, focused on the Tapti River—originating in Madhya Pradesh's Betul district and flowing through Maharashtra—aims to be the world’s largest groundwater recharge project.
- TBMRP seeks to ensure drinking water supply for northeastern Maharashtra, including Nagpur, and provide irrigation support to southern Madhya Pradesh, particularly Chhindwara.
- The total water allocation under the project is 31.13 TMC, with 11.76 TMC for Madhya Pradesh and 19.36 TMC for Maharashtra.
- It is expected to irrigate over 1.23 lakh hectares in MP and more than 2.34 lakh hectares in Maharashtra.
- Major infrastructure includes a weir at Kharia Gutighat, along with three canal systems on both riverbanks, significantly boosting irrigation and groundwater recharge capacity across both states.
- Researchers have found compelling evidence that magnetar flares can generate heavy elements like gold through a process called r-process nucleosynthesis—challenging the earlier belief that such elements mainly form during neutron star mergers.
- Magnetars are a rare type of neutron star with magnetic fields thousands of times stronger than typical neutron stars. These extreme stars occasionally release powerful flares.
- The breakthrough came from analyzing data from a giant flare in 2004, where gamma-ray emissions detected nearly a day after the initial burst by NASA’s Compton Gamma Ray Observatory showed unusual patterns.
- These signals matched those expected from the radioactive decay of neutron-rich isotopes, pointing to the presence of r-process nucleosynthesis.
- This rapid neutron-capture process forms heavy elements like gold, platinum, and uranium in highly energetic, neutron-rich environments.
- Scientists estimate around 1.9 septillion kilograms of material was expelled during the flare. The findings suggest magnetars may have played a crucial role in forming heavy elements early in the universe’s history.
- Researchers at Emory University and the University of Texas Health Science Center have discovered that genetic mutations causing brain disorders in humans also produce similar defects in budding yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), a simpler eukaryotic organism.
- These mutations impact the RNA exosome—a critical cellular complex responsible for RNA processing, surveillance, and degradation.
- This finding highlights yeast’s potential as a model for studying human neurological disorders, particularly RNA exosomopathies, such as Pontocerebellar Hypoplasia Type 1 (PCH1), which causes severe developmental impairments. The RNA exosome, first identified in yeast in 1997, ensures proper RNA maturation and eliminates faulty RNA. In one study, researchers introduced human disease mutations into yeast genes and observed defects in RNA surveillance, ribosome production, and protein synthesis.
- Another study created a “humanised” yeast model by replacing yeast exosome components with human or mouse genes, confirming that mutations directly impair RNA exosome function.
- Yeast offers a fast, affordable platform for exploring disease mechanisms and testing treatments.