News in Shorts 22 July 2026: Beta Pictoris, White-bellied Heron & Mission Golden Spice

New Planet Around Beta Pictoris

Context: Astronomers have discovered a faint gas-giant exoplanet around the young star Beta Pictoris after more than a decade of remaining hidden in observational data.

• An exoplanet is any planet that is located outside of our Solar System, primarily orbiting other stars, but sometimes wandering freely through space 

UPSC Online Courses

About the Discovery

• The newly discovered planet is a cold gas giant and is the dimmest planet ever directly imaged from Earth, according to the scientists involved.
• Discovered By: Two independent teams detected the planet within days of each other in late 2025 using different telescopes and both research teams published their findings in the Astrophysical Journal Letters in July 2026.
  • A Scottish-German-led team used the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile and confirmed the planet’s orbit using archival data.
  • A California-led team detected it using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).
• Location: The planet orbits Beta Pictoris, a young star located approximately 63 light-years from Earth.
  • Beta Pictoris lies in the southern constellation Pictor, named after the painter’s easel.
• Key Features:
  • Size: The planet is slightly larger than Jupiter and is approximately 100 times fainter than the previously studied planet in the system.
  • Orbital Period: It takes around 91 years to complete one orbit around its star, slightly longer than Uranus’ orbital period around the Sun.
  • Age: The planet belongs to a star system only about 20 million years old, making it a very young planetary system.
• Scientific Significance: Its direct imaging offers an opportunity to study the characteristics and evolution of a young Jupiter-like gas giant.

White-Bellied Heron (Ardea insignis)

Context: A proposed 1,200-MW hydropower project in the Lohit River basin has raised concerns over its potential impact on the critically endangered White-bellied Heron.

About White-bellied Heron (Ardea insignis)

• Introduction: The White-bellied Heron is one of the world’s rarest birds and the second-largest living heron species, with India’s remaining population concentrated in Arunachal Pradesh.
• Habitat and Distribution:
  • It inhabits undisturbed, fast-flowing rivers bordered by mature riparian forests and subtropical broadleaf forests.
  • Its present range includes Northeast India, Bhutan and northern Myanmar, with India’s population restricted mainly to Arunachal Pradesh.
• Key Features:
  • Diet and Foraging: It is primarily piscivorous, hunting fish in shallow, fast-flowing river waters by waiting for prey to approach before striking.
  • Nesting: Mature riparian trees are important for its roosting and nesting, while minimal human disturbance is essential for breeding.
• Threats:
  • Hydropower Projects: Dams can alter river flow and turbidity, submerge riparian forests and disrupt feeding and breeding habitats.
  • Habitat Degradation: Agricultural encroachment, sand extraction, removal of river boulders and pollution degrade its specialised riverine habitat.
  • Human Disturbance: Unregulated tourism, fish poisoning, forest fires and other anthropogenic activities threaten its survival.
• Conservation Status:
  • IUCN: Classified as Critically Endangered (CR) 
  • Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule I, .

About Lohit River

• Introduction: The Lohit is a major perennial and torrential river that forms an important eastern tributary of the Brahmaputra River.
• Course of Lohit :
  • Origin: It originates in the Zayal Chu range of Eastern Tibet and flows through the Mishmi Hills of Arunachal Pradesh.
  • Course: It enters Assam and joins the Siang and Dibang rivers near Sadiya, collectively forming the Brahmaputra.
• Associated Conservation Sites:
  • Kamlang Tiger Reserve in Arunachal Pradesh is named after the Kamlang River, which is a major tributary of the mighty Lohit River.
  • Chapories (Temporary river sand banks) of Lohit River is part of Key Biodiversity Area in Assam.

Mission Golden Spice

Context: The Union Minister for Communications and Development of North Eastern Region recently launched Mission Golden Spice to strengthen Meghalaya’s Lakadong turmeric value chain.

About Mission Golden Spice

• Mission Golden Spice is an integrated Lakadong Turmeric Value Chain Enhancement Project aimed at promoting turmeric cultivation 1and value-chain development in Meghalaya.
• Objective: To strengthen the entire Lakadong turmeric value chain, from cultivation and processing to branding and market access enhancing farmers’ incomes and establish Lakadong turmeric as a premium global brand.
• Nodal Body: Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (MDoNER) and the North Eastern Council (NEC).
• Time Period : It has a five-year roadmap from 2025 to 2030.
• Phases: It will be implemented in two phases; Value Chain Strengthening (2025–2028), followed by Expansion and Scale-up (2028–2030).
• Convergence: The initiative converges with interventions of the Ministries of Agriculture, Food Processing Industries and Commerce, along with APEDA, Spices Board, National Turmeric Board, ICAR, NABARD, SFAC and the Government of Meghalaya.
  • National Turmeric Board established by the Government of India in 2025 under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry headquartered in Nizamabad, Telangana, to comprehensively promote and regulate the cultivation, processing, research, and global trade of Indian turmeric

About Turmeric (Curcuma longa)

• Turmeric is a tropical perennial plant belonging to the ginger family (Zingiberaceae), whose underground rhizomes are harvested, boiled and dried to produce the popular golden-yellow spice.
• Growing Conditions:
• • Climate: It thrives in warm, humid conditions with temperatures of around 20–30°C and requires adequate moisture.
  • Rainfall: It generally requires 1,500–2,250 mm of annual rainfall or supplemental irrigation in drier regions.
  • Soil: It prefers fertile, well-drained, organic-rich loamy or sandy-loam soils and cannot tolerate prolonged waterlogging.

Click to Know UPSC Coaching Centres in India

About Lakadong Turmeric

• Lakadong turmeric is a premium turmeric variety mainly cultivated in the Jaintia Hills of Meghalaya and is known for its exceptionally high curcumin content.
• GI Tag: It received the Geographical Indication (GI) tag in 2024, recognising its distinctive regional identity and characteristics.
• Key Features:
• • High Curcumin: It contains around 7–12% curcumin, significantly higher than ordinary turmeric, enhancing its colour and potential health properties.
    • Curcumin is the main active compound found in turmeric, renowned for its powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that support joint, heart, and brain health.
  • Cultivation: It is traditionally grown by indigenous farmers in Meghalaya and is associated with organic cultivation practices.

Check Out UPSC CSE Books

Visit PW Store