In the Himalayas, the reliance of local communities on the trade and collection of Himalayan Gold, caterpillar fungus has become extremely popular in recent decades.
Caterpillar fungus (Ophiocordyceps Sinensis) is a fungal parasite of larvae (caterpillars) that belongs to the ghost moth.
It has been used in traditional Tibetan and Chinese medicine as a tonic, as a therapeutic medicine for lung, liver and kidney problems.
In the recent times, it has widely traded as an aphrodisiac (stimulating sexual desire) and a powerful tonic, often called the ‘Himalayan Viagra’.
It is endemic to the Tibetan Plateau, including the adjoining high Himalaya (3,200-4,500 metres above sea level).
It is locally known as Kira Jari (in India), Yartsagunbu (in Tibet) and Yarsagumba (in Nepal).
It has been found in alphine meadows of Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve, Askot Wildlife Sanctuary, Kanchendzonga Biosphere Reserve and Dehan-Debang Biosphere Reserve.
The harvesting of fungus starts at the beginning of May and lasts till the end of June.
It depends on factors such as weather, snow cover on the pasture and elevation of collection sites.
TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network reported that the illegal trading of it is also a significant issue
TRAFFIC
TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network, is a leading non-governmental organisation working globally on trade in wild animals and plants.
It is a strategic alliance of IUCN and World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).
Its mission is to ensure that trade in wild plants and animals is not a threat to the conservation of nature.
It plays a vital role in tackling illegal wildlife trade through conducting research and analysis, advocacy and awareness work and by supporting remedial action against illegal wildlife trade.
CHEOPS Satellite
CHEOPS – CHaracterising ExOplanet Satellite is a new telescope going to be launched by European Space Agency.
Unlike, NASA’s Kepler and TESS mission, it is a follow-up mission for the study of exoplanets rather than a discovery machine.
Thus, it will help in determining planet sizes and other information.
It will lift-off as a secondary passenger on a Soyuz-Fregat rocket.
Its aim is to measure size of known transiting exoplanets and search for transits of exoplanets previously discovered via radial velocity.
It is the first mission dedicated to searching for exoplanetary transits by performing ultra-high precision photometry on bright stars already known to host planets.
The Mission objectives are,
Use ultra-high precision photometry to measure accurate sizes of a large sample of Earth to Neptune sized planets,
Seeks to measure light curves of hot Jupiters to see how energy is transported in planetary atmospheres,
Combine CHEOPS size measurements with existing planet masses to constrain their composition and internal structures.
Identify prime targets to search for the fingerprints of key molecules in the planets’ atmospheres using future observatories on Earth.
Cyclones in Jupiter
NASA's Juno probe was launched in 2016 to reveal the story of Jupiter’s formation and evolution.
When Juno first arrived in Jupiter, it discovered giant cyclones encircling the planet’s poles (9 in the north and 6 in the south).
Each is nearly as wide as the continental US.
It was discovered using data from Jovian Infrared Auroral Mapper (JIRAM) instrument.
It has recently discovered a new cyclone on Jupiter’s South pole on its 22nd flyby of the planet. Now the South Pole has 7 cyclones.
It is a popular classical music festival in Madhya Pradesh.
It is a five-day festival celebrated every year in the memory of one of the most eminent singers of Indian history, ‘Mian Tansen’.
It begins with traditional style in Gwalior with the recitations of Harikatha and Milad.
It is organised by Ustad Alauddin Khan Kala Evam Sangeet Academy, under the Madhya Pradesh culture department.
Noted vocalist Pandit Vidyadhar Vyas will be presented the National Tansen Award for 2019 which is given to outstanding exponents of Hindustani classical music.
Tansen was one of the nine gems in the court of one of the greatest Mughal rulers of India, Emperor Akbar.
