26 June 2025
(Current Affairs Notes - Prelims)

Axiom-4 Mission

• A private astronaut mission to the International Space Station.

• The crew includes members from the USA, India, Poland, and Hungary.

• Shubhanshu Shukla becomes India’s second astronaut to go to space. Rakesh Sharma was the first Indian to go to space in 1984 onboard the erstwhile Soviet Union’s Soyuz spacecraft.

Salkhan Fossil Park

• One of the oldest fossil sites in the world.

• Recently, got included in UNESCO’s tentative list of World Heritage Sites.

• Located in Sonbhadra (Uttar Pradesh), in Kaimur Range (part of the Vindhya range) adjacent to Kaimur Wildlife Sanctuary.

• The site’s fossil assemblage features Stromatolites which are created by communities of Cyanobacteria or blue green algae.

• These fossilized microbial structures record the Great Oxidation Event, when oxygen first accumulated in the atmosphere.

International Potato Centre

• The South Asia Regional Centre of International Potato Centre is set to be established at Agra (Uttar Pradesh).

• Founded in 1971, the Int’l Potato Centre focuses on potato, sweetpotato and Andean roots and tubers.

• Headquarter: Lima, Peru

Enhanced Rock Weathering

• A carbon dioxide removal (CDR) strategy that accelerates the natural process of rock weathering to capture and store atmospheric CO₂.

• Grinding rocks into fine dust increases their surface area, helping them react faster with CO₂ in the air or water.

• When crushed volcanic rocks like basalt on land are spread, these naturally react with rainwater and carbon dioxide in the air, locking away CO₂ as harmless minerals.

• This process not only removes CO₂ from the atmosphere but can also help improve soil health for farming.

Brent Crude

• A light and sweet oil from the North Sea.

• The term "light" refers to its low density, while "sweet" indicates its low sulfur content, making it easier and cheaper to refine.

• Brent Crude is the pricing benchmark for oil markets in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.

• West Texas Intermediate (WTI) serves as the benchmark for the U.S. market.

• Recently, Brent crude prices fell due to reduced tensions in the Middle East and fewer concerns about global oil supply disruptions.

Wegovy

• A weight loss drug (generic name is semaglutide)

• Launched in India by Danish pharma company Novo Nordisk

• Other weight loss drugs include Mounjaro, which is made up of tirzepatide