Addapedia Odisha | Daily Current Affairs | 10 October 2024 | Download PDF

• The 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics has been awarded to John Hopfield and Geoffrey Hinton for their pioneering discoveries and inventions that have advanced machine learning through artificial neural networks.

About Machine Learning (ML):

• Machine Learning (ML) is a subset of Artificial Intelligence (AI) that focuses on enabling computer systems to learn and make decisions based on data, without being explicitly programmed for each task. 
• In ML, algorithms analyze large amounts of data, identify patterns, and use these patterns to make predictions, decisions, or generate outputs. 
• The more data these algorithms process, the better they get at making accurate decisions or predictions.
• Applications:
  • Healthcare: Assisting in diagnosis and personalized treatment plans.
  • E-commerce: Powering recommendation engines that suggest products or services.
  • Self-driving cars: Enabling safe navigation using computer vision and ML.
  • Finance: Fraud detection, risk assessment.
  • Business: Predictive maintenance, process automation.

• The Bihar government recently announced that the Centre has approved the establishment of a tiger reserve at the Kaimur Wildlife Sanctuary.

About Kaimur Wildlife Sanctuary:

• Location: Largest sanctuary in Kaimur District, Bihar, nestled in the Vindhyachal hill ranges.
• Rivers:
  • Acts as a vital catchment for Kav, Sone, and Durgawati river systems.
  • Connected to Chandraprabha Wildlife Sanctuary (UP), with links to Sanjay Dubri Tiger Reserve and Panna landscape (Madhya Pradesh) through stepping stone forests in the Marihan, Sukrit, Chunar ranges and the wildlife sanctuaries of Ranipur (UP).
• Vegetation: Mosaic prairie, tropical dry deciduous forests, and swampy bogs dominate the region.
• Fauna: Notable species include Bengal tigers, Indian leopards, Indian boars, sloth bears, sambar deers, chitals, four-horned antelope, and nilgais.
• Flora: Key plant species include Salai (Boswellia Serrata), Siddha, Indian Rosewood (Sheesham), Jamun, Teak, Koraiya, Saal, and Jheengar.

• Exercise Malabar 2024 was officially launched in Visakhapatnam, the headquarters of the Eastern Naval Command (ENC).

About Exercise Malabar 2024:

• Participants: Navies from India, Australia, Japan, and the United States are participating in this annual maritime exercise.
• Objective: The primary goal is to strengthen cooperation and enhance security in the Indo-Pacific region.
• Focus: Through various drills and exercises, the participating navies aim to improve collective capabilities and interoperability in the region.
• Malabar Exercise started in 1992 as a bilateral naval exercise between India and the US Navy.
• The first Malabar Exercise in the Bay of Bengal took place in 2007.
• It expanded into a trilateral format with the inclusion of Japan in 2015.
• In 2020, the Australian Navy joined, making it a quadrilateral naval exercise.

• The endangered Halari donkeys, native to Gujarat’s Halar region, are known for their intelligence and close cooperation with humans.

About Halari donkey:

• Native Region: Halari donkey is native to the Halar region of Gujarat, especially in the semi-arid areas of Jamnagar and Dwarka.
• Appearance: It is white in color, larger, and more resilient than other donkey breeds.
• Social Behavior: They are social animals, forming close bonds with people and used for transport needs.
• Uses:
  • Pastoralist Communities: The Bharwad and Rabari communities use the Halari donkey as a pack animal to carry luggage during migration with small ruminants.
  • Potter Community: The Kumbhar (potter) community in Dwarka uses the Halari donkey for pottery work.
  • Milk: Halari donkey milk is known for its sweetness. Milk powder made from it is sold internationally for ₹7,000 per kg and is used in cosmetic products.
• Conservation Status: The Halari donkey is endangered, with fewer than 500 individuals remaining.

• The MACE Observatory was recently inaugurated by the Secretary of the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) and the Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission.

About MACE Observatory:

• Location:
  • Situated at an altitude of ~4,300 meters in Hanle, Ladakh.
  • It is Asia’s largest and the world’s highest imaging Cherenkov telescope.
• Project Overview:
  • Developed indigenously by the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) with support from the Electronics Corporation of India (ECIL), Hyderabad, and other Indian industry partners.
  • Aims to foster international collaborations and enhance India’s contributions to space research.
• Scientific Goals: Observes high-energy gamma rays, contributing to global efforts to understand the universe’s most energetic phenomena, such as supernovae, black holes, and gamma-ray bursts.

• Daman was honored with the best Odia film award for the year 2022 at the 70th National Film Awards in New Delhi.
• The film, starring Babushaan Mohanty, impressed the jury with its powerful portrayal of a doctor’s fight against superstitions in Odisha’s Malkangiri district.
• The award included a Rajat Kamal and a cash prize of Rs 2 lakh.
• President Droupadi Murmu presented the award to the film’s producer and directors, Vishal Mourya and Debi Prasad Lenka.

• • Komal Panda, a young innovator from Odisha, has developed a groundbreaking solution to revolutionize diabetes care named Novocarry.  
  • Novocarry has now won the national award in the James Dyson Award 2024. 
• Her invention, Novocarry, is a portable cooling carrier designed to preserve insulin and other liquid medications at the desired temperature, even in areas with limited electricity.

• The Odisha government is planning to establish a black tiger safari in Baripada. 
• This initiative aims to promote wildlife conservation and boost tourism in the region. 
• The safari will feature black tigers, a rare subspecies found in the state’s forests. 
• The development of the safari is expected to create job opportunities and contribute to the local economy.

IUCN: Endangered.

• The Government of Odisha has announced plans to establish special courts in every district to handle wildlife crime cases. 
• This initiative aims to expedite the prosecution of offenders involved in illegal activities such as poaching, wildlife trafficking, and habitat destruction.
• The dedicated courts will have specialized judges and prosecutors with expertise in wildlife law, ensuring efficient and effective justice.

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