Answer:  Option B - Direct contact with infected bodily fluids

Explanation:

• The Marburg virus, recently reported in Rwanda, primarily spreads through direct contact with infected bodily fluids, including blood, saliva, and other secretions.
• This transmission route poses significant risks, particularly to healthcare workers who lack stringent infection control measures.
• Given the high case fatality rate of Marburg virus disease, understanding its transmission is crucial for implementing effective prevention strategies.
• Rwanda's health ministry is currently exploring experimental vaccines to protect frontline workers during this outbreak.

Answer:  Option A - microRNA (miRNA)

Explanation:

• The 2024 Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded to Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun for their groundbreaking discovery of microRNA (miRNA), which plays a crucial role in regulating gene activity.
• This finding challenged previous beliefs that gene expression was solely controlled during transcription.

miRNA ensures that specific genes are activated in different cell types, which is vital for the specialized functions of various cells, and has implications for understanding and treating diseases such as cancer

Answer:  Option B - Scholars at Risk

Explanation:

• The "Free to Think 2024" report by Scholars at Risk highlights a troubling decline in academic freedom in India over the past decade.
• The country’s score on the Academic Freedom Index plummeted from 0.6 to 0.2, marking a shift to a "completely restricted" status, the lowest level since the mid-1940s.
• Key issues include political control over universities and restrictions on student expression, particularly concerning protests within academic spaces, raising significant concerns about intellectual freedom.

Answer:  Option C - Article 14, and Article 17

Explanation:

• According to the Supreme Court, the casteist provisions in prison manuals violated Article 14 and Article 17.
• Article 14 guarantees equality before the law, ensuring that all individuals are treated equally without discrimination.
• Article 17 explicitly abolishes untouchability, prohibiting practices that discriminate against individuals based on their caste.
• The court ruled that these provisions reinforced caste-based discrimination and violated prisoners' fundamental rights, necessitating the amendment of state prison manuals to align with constitutional principles.

Answer:  Option C - CRISPR-Cas9

Explanation:

• CRISPR-Cas9 is a groundbreaking genome editing technique that utilises a guide RNA to direct the Cas9 nuclease to specific DNA sequences, enabling precise modifications.
• Unlike Zinc-finger nucleases and TALENs, which rely on protein-DNA interactions, CRISPR’s RNA-based targeting system makes it simpler and more versatile.
• This technology has revolutionised genetic research, allowing for applications in medicine, agriculture, and biotechnology, while also raising ethical concerns regarding its potential use in germline editing.