General Knowledge and Current Affairs Pack 2016-08-24 07:00

1. Rescue workers scrambled to reach survivors buried under rubble in isolated towns and villages across central Italy after a 6.2-magnitude earthquake and a series of strong aftershocks struck the region, collapsing homes and rattling buildings as far away as Rome and Venice.
2. Researchers at Emory University in the US ran a number of trials in which a group of 11 adult animals could either compete with each other or cooperate for a food reward (pictured).
3. Researchers at MIT believe their approach enables the cell's DNA to capture how long an event lasted for as well its intensity, which could shed light on disease and cell development.
4. Researchers at the University of Adelaide have provided evidence to support the theory that these stones were placed in relation to the movement of celestial bodies.
5. Researchers from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania made non-toxic edible batteries with melanin pigments, which are naturally found in the skin, hair and eyes.
6. Researchers from the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence in Seattle say that robots have the potential to break the law by gradually testing, and learning from their boundaries.
7. Researchers from the epicenter of the current Zika virus outbreak have released a report on imaging findings in babies and fetuses infected with the Zika virus. Zika virus is most dangerous when transmitted from a pregnant mother to her fetus, increasing the likelihood of severe brain defects in the baby. In addition to microcephaly, the report identifies a wide array of brain defects, visible on CT, MRI and ultrasound.
8. Researchers have created strands of synthetic DNA that, when mixed together in a test tube in the right concentrations, form an analog circuit that can add, subtract and multiply as the molecules form and break bonds. While most DNA circuits are digital, their device performs calculations in an analog fashion by measuring the varying concentrations of specific DNA molecules directly, without requiring special circuitry to convert them to zeroes and ones first.
9. Researchers have demonstrated a compact atomic gyroscope design that could, with further development, be portable, low power, and accurate enough to be used for navigation.
10. Researchers have demonstrated the 3-D printing of shape-shifting structures that can fold or unfold to reshape themselves when exposed to heat or electricity, an approach also known as '4-D printing.' The micro-architected structures, including boxes, conductive devices, and a stent, were fabricated from a conductive, environmentally responsive 'smart' ink.
11. Researchers have developed a novel approach to characterizing how atoms are arranged in materials, using Bayesian statistical methods to glean new insights into the structure of materials. The work should inform the development of new materials for use in a variety of applications.
12. Researchers have developed a smartphone app that could help improve adherence to medications -- such as antiretroviral therapy (ART) -- among people living with HIV by putting the prevention in their pocket.
13. Researchers have developed in collaboration with French colleagues a small device that both detects the initial signal of an epileptic attack and doses a substance that effectively stops it. All this takes place where the signal arises -- in an area of size 20chr('215')20 μm known as a 'neural pixel.'
14. Researchers have discovered a piece in the puzzle of how sleep deprivation negatively affects memory.
15. Researchers have found that communications links and other technical problems were the cause of most reported drone accidents. This has led to a call for increased airworthiness regulations for drone safety and better reporting of accidents. Their world-first analysis covered more than 150 incidents across the world over a 10-year period.
16. Researchers have seen significant increases in the number of Americans who can afford to fill prescriptions following implementation of the 2003 Medicare Modernization Act and the 2010 Affordable Care Act (also called Obamacare).
17. Researchers image roots in the ground
18. Researchers led by an Indian-origin scientist have designed a novel chip that can ward off hardware viruses from sabotaging healthcare devices, public infrastructure and financial, military or government electronics.
19. Researchers predict sudden cardiac death risk
20. Researchers reconstruct face of Egyptian mummy with a taste for honey
21. Researchers say general cognitive ability may be the result of a 'well-tuned brain network' - and may even be able to develop therapies to tune up the mind of those less intelligent.
22. Researchers show, for the first time, that the well-known mechanism of gene expression control -- dynamic changes in DNA methylation -- is also involved in changes to the excitability of neural cells. This suggests that DNA methylation changes that alter excitability may be a mechanism involved in neuropsychiatric disorders, and that the sites of such changes may offer a potential therapeutic target.
23. Researchers used biomechanical sensors to investigate exposure to head impacts during practice sessions and games in 9- to 11-year-olds engaged in a youth football program. A higher proportion of head impacts greater than 60g occurred in tackling drills than in games. The findings may influence the structure of training for youth football teams.
24. Researcher takes close look at 'inflamm-aging'
25. Researcher who led fight to eradicate smallpox dies at 87
26. Residents of Turkey's Karkamis evacuated their homes on Tuesday after two mortar shells fired from Syria hit the border town..It did not cause any casualities.
27. Retorting to former defence minister A.K. Antony's assertion that the Centre should not blame Pakistan every time for the unrest in Kashmir and initiate a political dialogue for a solution, Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas ...
28. Return by Sep 25 or make own arrangements: Swaraj to Indian workers
29. Revenue Minister Kagodu Thimmappa is slated to visit Kolar on Thursday.The Minister will participate in a review meeting at zilla panchayat premises, Deputy Commissioner K.V. Thrilokchandra said.Heal...
30. Revenue Minister Kagodu Thimmappa to visit Kolar
31. Review: Zero K
32. Richard Branson's Virgin Train released images to discredit a claim by U.K. Labor Leader Jeremy Corbyn, who said he had to sit on the floor of a "ram-packed" train.
33. Rich tributespaid to the freedom fighter and former CM at his native Vinodarayunipalem village in Prakasam district on his birth anniversary.
34. Ride service Uber has acquired self-driving trucks startup Otto and formed a $300 million alliance with Volvo Car Group to develop self-driving cars.
35. RIL has asked employees to port their existing phone numbers to Jio, a move that may open another front with the existing operators.
36. Rio 2016 Olympics bronze medalist wrestler Sakshi Malik was accorded a grand welcome by people and the state government as the motorcade carrying her entered Haryana on Wednesday.
37. Rio 2016 Olympics inspired mural sets new Guinness World Record
38. Rio and India
39. Rio apathy: Probe ordered into Jaisha's claims
40. Rio Games: Panel to probe Jaisha's charges
41. Rio has handed over the Olympic flag to Tokyo, but Japan has a tough job on its hands to make an economic success of the 2020 Games.<img
42. Rio medalist Sakshi Malik returns
43. Rio Olympic Bronze Medallist, Sakshi Malik gets warm welcome on homecoming
44. Rio Olympics bronze medalist wrestler Sakshi Malik has arrived at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi early this morning along with Haryana's Sports and....
45. Rio Paralympics 2016: Russia banned after losing appeal
46. Riri Williams, the black female character who will take over the superhero Iron Man in the new "Invincible Iron Man" comic book series, has been officially named Ironheart.
47. Rising temperatures could accelerate radiation induced DNA effects in marine mussels
48. River-basin degradation, ecological pollution, contaminant effect on ecosystem, solid and liquid waste pollution had killed Yamuna's aquatic life
49. Roadside bomb kills American soldier in Afghanistan
50. Roadside bomb kills U.S. soldier in Afghanistan, coalition says
51. Robot BROTHELS could be opening soon: Cyborg prostitutes will cut STIs and trafficking, says expert
52. Robots could become CRIMINALS: Police may not be able to stop AI breaking the law, warn experts
53. Robots could become CRIMINALS, warn experts
54. Romania champion of Moldova’s EU ambitions, premier says
55. Romania’s prime minister says his country is a champion of Moldova’s drive to join the European Union, in remarks before a visit to the ex-Soviet republic.
56. Roughly 80% of Iridium Communications’ 1990s-vintage satellites are operating without in-orbit spares, further raising the stakes for launching replacements on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket slated for the fall.
57. Row over selfie during national anthem
58. Royal Irish who held off Taliban against all odds 'should be honoured'
59. Rubber Board to encourage block production
60. Ruckus in Himachal Pradesh Assembly over CBI charge-sheet against CM
61. Russia has delivered more than 20 tons of humanitarian aid to the Syrian city of Deir ez-Zor.
62. Russia loses Rio Paralympics ban appeal
63. Russia might use Iran's Hamedan airbase again to carry out attacks on terror targets in Syria, authorities said on Wednesday.
64. Russian Air Force A-100 Premier to Make Maiden Flight in 2018
65. Russian Cat Adopts Abandoned Baby Squirrel Monkey
66. Russian cat adopts baby monkey
67. Russian cat adopts baby monkey as its own
68. Russian Foreign Ministry Confirms Lavrov-Kerry Talks on Syria on August 26
69. Russian Pensioners Get Little Relief
70. Russian President Vladimir Putin will arrive in Turkey to watch a football match between Russian and Turkish teams on August 31 in Antalya city, the media reported on Wednesday.
71. Russians suspected in hack of New York Times, other US media
72. Russian St. Petersburg Ballet Theatre Rehearses Ballet About Refugees
73. Russian weightlifters Dmitry Lapikov and Khadzhimurat Akkayev have tested positive for banned drugs in the latest retests of samples from the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the press service of the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) said on ...
74. Russia Opens Criminal Case Against Ukraine Defense Minister for Donbass Warfare
75. Russia plans to auction off a wide variety of military equipment and clothing, in a move aimed at liquidating mothballed army goods in a push to modernize, according to RIA Novosti.
76. Russia's Use of Iranian Airfield Prompts Opposition Response in Tehran
77. Russia to Deploy Hypersonic Cruise Missiles Sooner Than Expected
78. Russia-Ukraine Crisis Prompts Meeting With Putin at G-20 Summit
79. Russia will not compete at next month's Paralympic Games in Rio.
80. Rustom Movie Review
81. Ryan Lochte loses all four commercial sponsors after Rio Olympics incident
82. Ryan Lochte losing all his sponsors after Rio robbery lie
83. SAD seeks defence academy in Anandpur Sahib
84. SAI, NADA officials involved in Narsingh sabotage: WFI
85. Sakshi Malik: ‘Winning Olympic medal and running with Indian flag like a dream … those ten seconds changed everything’
86. Sakshi Malik named 'Beti Padhao-Beti Bachao' ambassador