The Hindu Editorial (Seeds of hope) – Nov 03, 2022

After years of being in limbo, there is a surge of optimism around DMH-11, or Dhara Mustard Hybrid-11, a variety developed using genetic engineering techniques by Indian scientists and public funds. For further reading, visit “The Hindu”. Below is today’s word list-1 for The Hindu Editorial (Seeds of hope) – Nov 03, 2022.

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The Hindu Editorial (Seeds of hope) – Nov 03, 2022:

sow/plant the seeds of something (phrase) – to do something that makes sure a particular outcome in the future; bring about, trigger, develop.
of hope (phrase) – something that has the promise of hope; something that has the potential of hope (to achieve success).
genetically modified (GM) rice (noun) – rice strains (natural or cultured variety) that have been genetically modified.
crop (noun) – a plant that is grown in large quantities.
consent (noun) – approval, agreement, assent, concurrence, acceptance.
in limbo (phrase) – unresolved, in a state of/uncertainty/suspension, postponed.
limbo (noun) – uncertain situation or state; a state of uncertainty.
surge (noun) – sudden increase or rise of something.
optimism (noun) – hopefulness, hope, confidence, positive attitude, buoyancy.
Dhara Mustard Hybrid-11 (DMH-11) (noun) – a genetically-engineered variant of mustard. DMH-11 is a hybrid variant of mustard developed by researchers at The Centre for Genetic Manipulation of Crop Plants, at the University of Delhi. The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC), India’s apex regulator of genetically modified plants and food products, has approved the environmental release of Dhara Mustard Hybrid-11 (DMH-11)
environment release (noun) – In order to assess whether a genetically modified organism (GMO) will be safe for environment, most GMOs can reproduce, multiply, and spread in the environment after they are released. The genetic modification could give GM plants, animals, or microorganisms an advantage that would allow them to increase in numbers and spread in the environment.
Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) (noun) – the apex regulator of GM crops in India; India’s apex biotech regulatory committee, The Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) that functions as a statutory body under the Environment Protection Act 1986 of the Ministry of Environment & Forests (MoEF), has been changed to Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee through a Gazette Notification issued on July 22, 2010). GEAC is responsible for granting permits to conduct experimental and large-scale open field trials and also grant approval for commercial release of biotech crops.
apex (adjective) – top.
regulator (noun) – an association that supervises a particular business activity.
of its kind (phrase) – of the same type; the things of a specific type.
precursor (noun) – sign, signal, indication, portent.
employ (verb) – use, utilize, make use of.
bacterium (noun) – the singular form of the plural word “bacteria”.
soil bacterium (noun) – the most abundant microbes in the soil. They are single celled organisms, and there can be billions of bacteria in a single gram of soil.
microbe (noun) – microorganism/microbe is an organism that is so small & microscopic (invisible to the naked eye). (bacteria, fungi, viruses & etc).
pollination (noun) – the transfer of pollen from a male part of a plant to a female part of a plant, later enabling fertilisation and the production of seeds, most often by an animal or by wind.
self-pollination (noun) – a type of pollination in which the pollen from the anther (male part) of the flower is transferred to the stigma (female part) of the same flower.
amenable to (adjective) – cooperative, accommodating, flexible.
hybrid (adjective) – composed/combined of different elements.
vigorous (adjective) – strong, intense, powerful.
net oil importer (noun) – a country that buys more oil from other countries in terms of global trade than it sells to them over a given period of time.
due to (phrase) – because of, owing to, on account of, as a result of.
yield (noun) – production, produce, harvest, return, gain.
exacerbate (verb) – aggravate, worsen, make worse, intensify, heighten, increase.
trial (noun) – test, pilot study, experiment.
make it (phrase) – manage to arrive on time.
activist (noun) – a person who supports a political change or cause; (or societal change/cause).
cheer (verb) – encourage, motivate, give support to.
ought to (modal verb) – must, should.
mute (verb) – restrain, subdue, tone down.
backtrack (verb) – reconsideration, return, going back to the previous one (e.g. idea/opinion).
Bt Brinjal (noun) – genetically modified (GM) Brinjal.
transgenic (adjective) – genetically modified.
non-transgenic (adjective) – non-genetically modified.
overrule (verb) – cancel, abolish, invalidate, reverse, annul, nullify.
Concurrent List or List III (noun) – the list which includes the power to be considered by both the union and state government (as given in the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution of India).
State List or List II (noun) – it includes subjects that give powers to the state governments. (as given in the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution of India, the legislative section is divided into three lists: the Union List, State List and Concurrent List).
Union List or List I (noun) – it includes subjects that give powers to the union government. (as given in the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution of India, the legislative section is divided into three lists: the Union List, State List and Concurrent List).
merit (verb) – deserve, justify.
scrutiny (noun) – examination, inspection, investigation.
serve (verb) – provide, give out, present.
throttle (verb) – suppress, control/restrict, stifle.
so-called (adjective) – claimed, professed, purported, ostensible, apparent, reported.
moratorium (noun) – a temporary suspension/postponement/hold of activity (for example; payment of a debt).
persist (verb) – continue, carry on, go on, keep going.
in effect (phrase) – in fact, effectively, practically.
repetition (noun) – reiteration, repeating, restatement, retelling, iteration.
immediate (adjective) – not long past, occurring recently.
barnase-barstar system (noun) – The barnase-barstar transgene based hybrid seed production technology has been commercially deployed in crops like Brassica napus (Mariani et al. 1990; 1992). The system utilizes the expression of barnase gene, encoding cytotoxic RNase protein in the tapetum cells to make one of the combiner’s male sterile.
given (preposition) – considering, taking into account, bearing in mind.
promising (adjective) – good, encouraging, hopeful, full of promise, optimistic, positive, heartening, reassuring.
outdate (verb) – make obsolete; make out of date.
outdated (adjective) – old-fashioned, out of date, outmoded, out of fashion, unfashionable, out of style, old.
cutting-edge (adjective) – state-of-the-art, innovational, pioneering, revolutionary.
CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspersed Short Palindromic Repeats) (noun) -“CRISPR” (pronounced “crisper”) stands for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats, which are the hallmark of a bacterial defense system that forms the basis for CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing technology. It is a powerful tool for editing genomes, meaning it allows researchers to easily alter DNA sequences and modify gene function.
in vogue (phrase) – prevalent, popular, in favour, in demand, desired, sought-after.
panacea (noun) – a solution or remedy for all problems or difficulties; or diseases; answer, antidote, elixir, cure-all, nostrum, magic bullet, magic formula.
edible oil (noun) – cooking oil; fat of plant, animal or microbial origin, which is liquid at room temperature and is suitable for food use.
uncertainty (noun) – unpredictability, unreliability, riskiness/precariousness.
regulatory (adjective) – organizational, managerial, supervisory.
hinder (verb) – obstruct, impede, hamper, block, interrupt, thwart, stop, restrict.
second (verb) – formally support, back, approve, endorse, promote.
whereby (adverb) – by which.
rather than (phrase) – instead of.
consideration (noun) – factor, point, matter, element, aspect.