News in Shorts: 28 April 2026

India to bid for 2038 Asian Games

Context: Indian Olympic Association has submitted an Expression of Interest to the Olympic Council of Asia to host the 2038 Asian Games in Ahmedabad. 

About India’s Bid for Asian Games 2038

• Host City: Ahmedabad is being positioned as India’s multi-sport hub, also set to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games and bid for the 2036 Olympics.
• Initial Response: OCA leadership has shown supportive intent, with an evaluation committee expected to visit India.
• Historical Context: India previously hosted the Asian Games in 1951 and 1982 (New Delhi) and the Commonwealth Games in 2010.

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About the Asian Games

• Continental Multi-Sport Event: Asia’s largest sporting event, bringing together athletes from across the continent.
• Governing Body: Organised by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA).
• Frequency: Held every 4 years, similar to the Olympics.
• Origins & History: First held in 1951 in New Delhi, marking Asia’s post-colonial sporting unity.
• Future Competition: Upcoming Asian Games hosts include Nagoya (2026), Doha (2030), and Riyadh (2034).

Cyborg Botany

Context: Researchers are developing cyborg botany to monitor stress signals in real time for smarter agriculture. 

What is Cyborg Botany?

• Cyborg botany refers to integration of living plants with electronic components, creating hybrid systems that can sense and communicate biological signals.
• Concept Origin: Derived from the idea of a “cybernetic organism”, where biology and technology merge to function together.
• Interdisciplinary Field: Combines biology, materials science, nanotechnology, and engineering.
• Working Mechanism: 
• • Biochemical Signal Detection: Plants naturally generate internal signals in response to stress (water, pests, temperature), which are captured at the cellular level.
  • Embedded Electronics: Nanowires and conductive polymers (e.g., PEDOT) are integrated into plant tissues to act as biosensors and signal carriers.
  • Real-Time Communication: Detected signals are transmitted to external devices, enabling live monitoring of plant health and environmental conditions.
• Significance: Enables early detection of plant stress (drought, disease) at the cellular level, allowing timely intervention and improving crop productivity and sustainability.
• Applications: Used in precision agriculture and environmental monitoring, providing real-time alerts on crop health, soil conditions, and pollutants.

Mythos AI

Context: Anthropic has developed Claude Mythos, a highly advanced AI model but refused public release due to serious cybersecurity risks.

What is Mythos AI? 

• Developed by Anthropic, Mythos is a next-generation AI system designed to identify deep vulnerabilities across complex software ecosystems.
• Vulnerability Detection: It can discover previously unknown (“zero-day”) flaws in operating systems and applications, which developers have not yet identified or patched.
• Dynamic Analysis: Unlike traditional tools, Mythos actively interacts with software, testing inputs and responses to uncover hidden weaknesses.
• Multi-Step Attack Simulation:  The model is capable of planning and executing multi-stage cyberattack simulations, mimicking real-world hacker behaviour.
• Restricted Access: Due to its powerful capabilities and risks, Mythos is not publicly released and is limited to select organisations under controlled programmes.

Issues with Mythos AI

• Unauthorised Access Risk: Even restricted systems like Anthropic’s Mythos were accessed using leaked credentials, exposing weak security controls.
• Weaponisation of Vulnerabilities: Ability to identify and chain flaws creates a ready-to-use map for cyberattacks if accessed by malicious actors.
• Patch Backlog Problem: Less than 1% of discovered vulnerabilities are fixed, leaving a large pool of exploitable weaknesses.
• Speed Asymmetry: AI reduces attack timelines from months to minutes, while defenders remain constrained by slow patch cycles.
• Concentration of Power: Restricted access creates dependence on a few entities controlling critical cyber intelligence.
• Democratisation of Threats: Similar capabilities may soon be available through cheaper/open models, widening access to offensive cyber tools.

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Virli Khandar Megalithic Site

Context: A 2500 year old megalithic burial site has been discovered at Virli Khandar in Pauni tehsil of Bhandara district Maharashtra.

• It was first reported in 2008 by Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University.

Key Points about the Site

• Unique Burial Architecture:
  • The site has composite structures with stone circles and menhirs (upright stones) along with boulder circles.
  • This indicates a combination of two burial types, that is distinct from nearby sites such as Pimpalgaon Nipani and Tirota Kheri
• Artefacts Recovered:
  • Copper objects such as necklace and iron implements including axes, chisels, ladles and arrowheads.
  • Semi precious stones like etched carnelian beads, gold earring and fragmentary bone remains.
• Distinctive Pottery Arrangement:
  • Nearly 50 pots were found in one burial.
  • They were arranged systematically, along with red ware and black and red ware.
• Unique Pottery Feature:
  • Almost all pots were placed in inverted position with one pot covering another.
  • None of the pots were found upright.
• Burial Practices and Soil Context:
  • Pots likely contained food grains or liquids as grave goods.
  • Pots were laid over a prepared layer of black cotton soil above the lateritic base, which enhanced stability and preservation despite pressure from overlying soil
• Dating: Charcoal remains will be dated using Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) to establish chronology
  • Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS): A highly sensitive technique that directly measures rare isotopes such as Carbon 14 in small samples to accurately determine the age of archaeological remains.
• Significance: Provides key insights into megalithic funerary traditions, burial customs and regional cultural patterns in Vidarbha.

About Megalithic sites

• These are archaeological locations characterised by the use of large stone structures mainly associated with burial and funerary practices, reflecting beliefs in after-life and commemorative traditions.
• Chronology in India: Generally dated between the Iron Age period around 1500 BCE to 500 CE with regional variations.
• Types of Megaliths in India
  • Polylithic Type: Structures made of multiple stones.
  • Monolithic Type: Structures made of a single stone.

Vela Supercluster

Context: Astronomers have discovered the Vela Supercluster, also called Vela Banzi, a massive supercluster hidden behind the dust of the Milky Way. 

About Supercluster

• It is the largest known structure in the universe, consisting of groups and clusters of galaxies bound together by gravity.
  • Example: The Laniakea Supercluster includes the Milky Way and about 100,000 neighbouring galaxies.

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Key Points

• Discovery Method: Identified using hybrid mapping—combining galaxy redshift data with radio observations (MeerKAT telescope) to penetrate dust-obscured regions.
  • Galaxy Redshift: The phenomenon where light from distant galaxies shifts toward the red end of the spectrum due to the expansion of the universe; used to measure distance and velocity.
  • MeerKAT: It is a connected array of radio telescopes located in the Northern Cape province of South Africa.
• Location and Scale of the Vela Supercluster:
  • It is located about 800 million light years away from Earth.
  • It extends across nearly 300 million light years in size.
  • It lies in the Zone of Avoidance.
    • It is a large region of the night sky obscured by thick interstellar dust and dense star fields in the Milky Way.
    • It creates a significant blind spot for observations made using optical telescopes.
    • It accounts for nearly 20 percent of the observable sky, limiting our view of distant cosmic structures.
• Reason for Remaining Hidden Earlier: Thick interstellar dust and dense star fields in the Milky Way blocked optical observations, creating a cosmic “blind spot.”
• Significance: It acts as a major node in the cosmic web
  • Helps explain cosmic flows (large-scale movement of galaxies due to gravity)
  • Improves understanding of mass distribution in the local universe. 
    • Mass Distribution: The way matter (visible and dark matter) is spread across the universe, influencing gravitational interactions.
• Scientific Impact: Refines models of galaxy evolution and gravitational forces
  • Fills a major gap in mapping the large-scale structure of the universe
  • Highlights the critical role of radio astronomy in uncovering hidden cosmic structures beyond the limits of optical observations.

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