Marrakesh Agreement

Why in news?

• The World Trade Organization (WTO) marks the 30th anniversary of the Marrakesh Agreement, a significant milestone in global trade cooperation.

Marrakesh Agreement

• It was signed on April 15, 1994, during the Uruguay Round of multilateral trade negotiations held in Marrakesh, Morocco.
• The agreement marked a significant milestone in global trade cooperation and set the framework for international trade relations among participating countries.
• The Marrakesh Agreement formally created the World Trade Organization, replacing the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)as the primary international body governing global trade.
• The WTO officially came into existence on January 1, 1995. 

Microbes Found Beneath Atacama Desert

Why in news?

• Researchers have found microbes thriving 13 feet beneath the scorched surface of Chile’s Atacama Desert.

About

• The newly discovered community inhabits soils between 6.6 feet (2 m) and at least 13 feet deep, it is dominated by Actinobacteria.
  • The bacteria belong to the phylum Firmicutes, which are resilient to high concentrations of salt and do not require oxygen to survive.

Atacama Desert

• The Atacama Desert is the driest hot desert in the world located in Chile, receiving as much sunshine as Venus.
  • Only a handful of animals survive the harsh conditions — including Darwin’s leaf-eared mouse and the South American gray fox — some bacteria thrive in the desert’s salty, mineral-rich soils.

• Significance:The Atacama desert is often used as an analog for studying the harsh conditions of Mars, where the surface is completely lifeless, but may hide evidence of microbial life below.
  • The new research could further inform the search for life on the Red Planet, as Mars also has gypsum deposits, which could potentially serve as a water source for extraterrestrial life.

Self-Bred Coral Reef

Why in news?

• Recently the self-bred corals from the World Coral Conservatory project were nestled in Europe’s largest coral reef at the Burgers’ Zoo in the Netherlands.

What are Corals?

• Corals are invertebrates that belong to a large group of animals called Cnidaria.
  • Corals are formed by multiple small, soft organisms known as polyps.
  • They secrete arocky chalk-like (calcium carbonate) exoskeleton around themselves for protection.
  • Coral reefsare therefore created by millions of tiny polyps forming large carbonate structures.
• Appearance: Corals range in color from red to purple and even blue,but are most commonly shades of brown and green.
  • They get most of their colors from themillions of microscopic algae that grow inside each polyp’s tissues.
• There are three types of coral reefs –fringing reefs, barrier reefs and atolls.
  • Fringing reefs form along shorelines, barrier reefs form in open water and atolls are circular reefs that have formed around sunken volcanoes.
• Significance:They provide food, shelter, resting and breeding grounds to a quarter of all marine life, acting as nurseries and refuges to protect critical biodiversity.
  • They also support more than 1 billion people living in coastal regions around the world by providing food, livelihoods and recreation.