Science & Technology Current Affairs MCQs

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The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL)–Larsen & Toubro (L&T) consortium has indigenously built India’s first private Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). The PSLV is scheduled to launch the Oceansat satellite early next year. India’s Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) signed a 2022 contract with the HAL–L&T consortium for end-to-end production of five PSLV-XL rockets. This move shifts PSLV manufacturing from ISRO to industry partners while ISRO focuses on new missions and research. The consortium has faced production challenges, resolved with ISRO’s support. HAL also received technology for the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) to fully own and operate its production.

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Skyroot Aerospace inaugurated its Infinity Campus in Hyderabad and virtually unveiled Vikram-I, India’s first private commercial orbital rocket. Vikram-I is capable of placing satellites into Earth orbit. This launch marks a major milestone for India’s growing private space sector. The private space sector in India was opened to entrepreneurs three years ago. The development highlights rising startup participation in advanced space technology. It reflects India’s shift toward innovation-driven and private-led space missions.

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Researchers at Indian Institute of Technology Madras developed India’s first Indigenous Vessel Traffic Management System (VTMS) for ports. The system was built by the National Technology Centre for Ports, Waterways and Coasts (NTCPWC) as per guidelines of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoSPW), Government of India. It gives India full control over source code, data, and vessel movement information, ensuring high maritime security. The VTMS is cost-effective, secure, scalable, and easy to maintain.

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Indian scientists developed a new Artificial Intelligence (AI) tool to improve cancer diagnosis and treatment at the molecular level. The tool, called OncoMark, was created by S. N. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences and Ashoka University under the Department of Science and Technology (DST). It studies cancer through biological “hallmarks” like metastasis, immune evasion, and genomic instability. It goes beyond Tumor–Node–Metastasis (TNM) staging, which often misses hidden tumor behavior. The model was trained on 3.1 million single cells from 14 cancer types. It achieved over 99% accuracy in internal testing and 96% accuracy on patient data.

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Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology, Dr. Jitendra Singh, launched Hansa-3(NG), first indigenous all-composite two-seater trainer aircraft for Private Pilot License (PPL) and Commercial Pilot License (CPL) training at CSIR–National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL), Bengaluru. Hansa-3(NG) reduces foreign dependence and boosts aviation entrepreneurship. The aircraft will help flying clubs meet India’s growing demand for trained pilots.

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Ten blackbucks died in Jamshedpur Zoological Park, Jharkhand due to suspected Haemorrhagic Septicaemia (HS). Haemorrhagic Septicaemia (HS) is also called Pasteurellosis and is caused by Pasteurella multocida bacteria. It mainly affects cattle and buffaloes, with young animals more vulnerable. Bacteria survive longer in humid and waterlogged conditions. It spreads through contaminated food, water, air and direct contact.

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Recent re-analysis of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Cassini spacecraft data suggests that Saturn’s moon Titan may not have a subsurface ocean as earlier believed. Titan is the largest moon of Saturn and the second largest in the solar system after Ganymede. It was discovered by Dutch astronomer Christiaan Huygens. Titan has a radius of about 2,575 kilometres and is much wider than Earth’s Moon. It is the only moon with a dense atmosphere, mainly nitrogen with some methane. Titan is the only world besides Earth with rivers, lakes, and seas of liquid on its surface. It has an Earth-like methane cycle with rain, flow, and evaporation.

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Astronomers studied polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) around the young star T Chamaeleontis using archival data from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI). T Chamaeleontis is a young, Sun-like star located about 350 light-years away in the southern constellation Chamaeleon. The star is approximately 70% the size of the Sun, with a surface temperature of around 5,111 K (4,838 °C). It is surrounded by a planet-forming circumstellar disk that contains a wide gap, likely created by a forming protoplanet. Normally, the inner dense regions of such disks block ultraviolet light from reaching outer regions, but the gap exposes these areas.

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Candida auris is a multidrug-resistant fungal pathogen spreading globally and becoming more deadly. Indian researchers from Vallabhbhai Patel Chest Institute, University of Delhi, in collaboration with the US National Institutes of Health, led the study. The fungus can grow and persist on human skin, inside the body (e.g., gut), or in the environment. Invasive infections caused by C. auris affect about 6.5 million people annually. It can cause serious infections including bloodstream infections, meningitis, bone infections, burn/wound infections, and urinary tract infections. The pathogen is gaining virulence and poses a significant global health threat.

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A new study suggests ulcerative colitis may be triggered when a normally hidden protective layer of immune cells beneath the gut lining becomes thinner. Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) affecting the colon and rectum. It causes long-term inflammation and ulcers in the inner lining of the large intestine. Ulcerative colitis (UC) is an immune-mediated condition with cycles of flare-ups and remission.