Science & Technology Current Affairs MCQs

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The MANI app, which stands for Mobile Aided Note Identifier Application, was launched by the Reserve Bank of India. It helps the visually challenged people to identify the denomination of the currency. The mobile’s camera scans the currency note and identifies the denomination through audio output.

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The first mission of the year of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is the communication satellite GSAT-30. It is scheduled for launch on January 17,2020 aboard the Ariane-5 launch vehicle (VA 251) from French Guiana.
The satellite will provide communication services from Geostationary orbit and is expected to serve as the replacement satellite to INSAT- 4 A with extended coverage. GSAT-30 would be beneficial in several ways including supporting VSAT networks, Cellular connectivity and DTH-Television services.

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The Artificial Intelligence (AI) department of the global tech-giant Google has recently developed a new model to protect the endangered species of killer whales.
The whales, which are also known as orcas are seen in very few numbers in the Salish Sea. Google has partnered with Fisheries and Oceans Canada to monitor their condition and alert experts in the event of sickness or accidents caused to the whales. The trained AI model uses underwater audio and labels to listen to the sounds of the whale and to display its location.

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Leading Indian fin-tech start-up company Paytm has recently launched a point-of-sale (POS) device for smaller merchants. The device would accept payments through cash, Paytm wallet, debit and credit cards and Unified Payments Interface (UPI) apps.
It is an android-based all-in-one device, which will help the smaller merchants, road-side shop-keepers in handling digital money. Good and Services Tax (GST) compliant bills can also be generated through the ‘Paytm for Business’ app. The device was launched jointly by the founder and CEO Vijay Shekhar Sharma and co-founder Nandan Nilekani.

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US-based social networking and microblogging service, Twitter recently announced that it would label the fake media shared on its platform.
From next month, Twitter will start labelling the photo or video, so that its users can identify that the media has been manipulated. It also announced that, the firm may remove some media, which are harmful to public safety. Twitter is proposed to use three tests by analysing whether the media is doctored by authenticity, source of sharing and its potential for harm.

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The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced that geo imaging satellite, GISAT-1 will be launched on March 5.
The Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-F10) will launch the satellite from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. The 2275-kg world-class earth observation satellite GISAT-1 will be placed in the geosynchronous transfer orbit.

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A genetic research project named ‘GenomeIndia: Cataloguing the Genetic Variation in Indians’ has been recently sanctioned by Department of Biotechnology (DBT) to 20 institutions for a period of 3 years.
Under GenomeIndia project, the ‘Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS)’, which analyses 10,000 individuals representing the country’s diverse population is to be carried out. The resultant information can enable future human genetics research and helps in developing precise diagnostics for major diseases.

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Scientists from the Institute of Nano Science and Technology (INST), an autonomous institute under the Department of Science & Technology, have developed a material called ‘Hemostat’.
It is a starch-based ‘hemostat’ developed to stop rapid blood loss during accidents, as it physically absorbs excess fluid and concentrates the natural clotting factors in blood. The product possesses increased absorption capacity, improved absorption, inexpensive and biodegradable.

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The Kusuma School of Biological Sciences (KSBS) of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi has developed a COVID-19 test kit and it has been approved by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), thereby becoming the first institute to be approved for a real-time kit.
The test kit, which tests the swab of the suspected patient is also claimed to be more affordable than the other kits available. Commercial production can be easily done as the kit does not require fluorescent probes, as per the researchers.

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A team of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) and Stanford alumni have developed a technology named “Airlens Minus Corona”. It has received certification from the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL).
It is an ‘intelligent robot’ machine that can travel to hospitals and other crowded public places and disinfect surfaces with a water-based technology. Unlike the alcohol-based or UV-based method, the technology works on the basis of ‘Water Electro Activation’ technique. Charged or ionised water droplets will kill the virus by destroying its proteins.