Rapid Fire Current Affairs | 04 Sep 2023

Prayan Rover Completes Tasks and Enters Sleep Mode

Pragyan, part of Chandrayaan-3, has entered sleep mode for the lunar night, scheduled to awaken on September 22, 2023.
- One lunar day is equivalent to about 14 days on Earth.
- If the rover doesn't awaken, it will remain on the Moon as India's lunar ambassador.
The ISRO indicated that the process of putting the rover to sleep is to ensure its survival during the lunar night when temperatures can plummet below -200°C.
The lander and rover rely on a solar panel to generate power and charge the battery during the lunar day, while they must endure the harsh lunar night conditions.

Karnataka Takes Steps to Address Dementia

Karnataka is committed to prioritizing dementia as a health concern.
Dementia is an umbrella term encompassing diseases that affect memory, cognitive abilities, and behaviour, hindering daily activities. Alzheimer's disease is the most common type of dementia.
- Recent estimates indicate a 7.4% dementia prevalence rate among Indians aged 60 and above, totaling approximately 9 lakh individuals. This number is expected to surge from 88 lakh in 2016 to 1.7 crore by 2036.
Risk factors for dementia include smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, physical inactivity, social isolation, head injuries, and conditions like diabetes, hearing loss, depression, obesity, and hypertension.

Read more: Dementia , Alzheimer Disease

Significance of Cartesian Coordinates in Modern Geometry

The Cartesian coordinate system, introduced by the French philosopher and mathematician Rene Descartes, revolutionized the way we represent points in space.

This system utilizes sets of numbers to specify the location of a point in relation to perpendicular planes.
- In two dimensions, it relies on a pair of numbers (x and y) to pinpoint a specific location on a plane, akin to how latitude and longitude locate a city on Google Maps.
- For three-dimensional spaces, a third number (z) is added to determine the point's exact position.
It has not only bridged the gap between algebra and geometry but also gave birth to analytic geometry and found widespread applications in fields like astronomy, engineering, computer graphics, and spatial data representation.

Shared Neural Mechanisms in Spatial Navigation and Social Interaction in Bats

Recent research reveals the neural processes underlying both spatial navigation and social interaction in Egyptian fruit bats.

These mammals, along with humans and various other species, rely on the hippocampus (a part of the brain) to navigate their surroundings, forming a mental 'map.'
This study revealed that bats establish resting spots within their environment and follow very similar trajectories when traveling among them. The bats also displayed strong preferences for interacting with specific "friend" bats, highlighting the intriguing overlap between spatial navigation and social dynamics in these fascinating creatures.

Read more: Nipah virus and Fruit Bat