Science & Technology Current Affairs MCQs

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The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe) has invited applications for a new initiative called Satellite Bus as a Service (SBaaS). The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe has launched the ‘Satellite Bus as a Service’ (SBaaS) initiative. This initiative aims to help Indian private space companies design and develop small satellite bus platforms for hosted payload applications. A satellite bus is the main body and structural component of a satellite where scientific instruments and other payloads are housed. The SBaaS initiative will help democratize access to space technology in India and reduce the country’s reliance on imported satellite platforms.

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The National Supercomputing Mission (NSM) is a major initiative launched in 2015 by the Government of India to boost High-Performance Computing (HPC) power in the country. It focuses on building supercomputers in India to support research, science, industry, and education using local technology. NSM is jointly led by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). It is implemented by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Pune and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru. The mission aims to reduce dependence on foreign technology and place India among the world’s top supercomputing nations

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Researchers at the Institute of Nano Science and Technology (INST), Mohali, have found a new way to improve green hydrogen production. They created a special heterostructure using Copper Tungsten Oxide and Copper Oxide. This structure uses the Built-In Electric Field (BIEF) effect to boost the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction (HER). The Copper Tungsten Oxide nanoparticles are grown over a Cu(OH)₂ base, forming a p-n heterojunction with an uneven electronic setup. This BIEF helps in better proton adsorption and desorption. Green hydrogen, made from water using clean energy, is a pollution-free fuel of the future.

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A new non-contact wearable device developed by researchers from the United States and South Korea can monitor health by measuring skin flux without touching the skin. The device is about the size of a smartphone and tracks molecular movements like vapour leaving the body and chemicals entering through the skin. It was developed under the leadership of Professor John A. Rogers at Northwestern University, USA. It creates a small sealed microclimate next to the skin and uses wireless electronics and tiny sensors to detect water vapour, carbon dioxide (CO₂), and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). A remote-controlled valve adjusts the chamber’s openness for accurate comparisons.

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Scientists recently found signs of ancient wildfires, called palaeofires, from the Permian Period about 250 million years ago in the Godavari Basin. Palaeofires are wildfire events recorded in ancient rocks, helping us understand Earth’s past vegetation, climate changes, and coal formation. The study covered a long geological timescale, from the Late Silurian to the present Quaternary Period. Researchers used methods like Palynofacies analysis, Raman Spectroscopy, Rock-Eval Pyrolysis, and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy to study tiny fossils and charcoal. They clearly identified charcoal formed on-site (in situ) and transported charcoal (ex situ), solving a major geological debate. They also found that sea-level changes affected how fire residues were preserved—more intact during sea-level drops (regressive) and more scattered during sea-level rise (transgressive).

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Researchers have recently found that magnetar flares can create heavy elements like gold using a process called rapid neutron-capture or r-process nucleosynthesis. Magnetars are a special type of neutron star with extremely powerful magnetic fields—about a thousand times stronger than normal neutron stars. These stars sometimes release huge flares of energy, and one such giant flare in 2004 helped scientists make this discovery. The flare was observed by NASA’s Compton Gamma Ray Observatory, which recorded strange gamma-ray signals nearly a day later. These delayed signals did not match typical afterglows but showed signs of radioactive decay from neutron-rich elements. This proves that r-process nucleosynthesis, earlier linked mainly to neutron star mergers, can also happen in magnetar flares. This recent evidence changes our understanding of where rare elements like gold in the universe might come from.

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The MADMAX collaboration recently published the first results of its search for dark photons using a prototype detector. MADMAX stands for Magnetised Disk and Mirror Axion Experiment. It is a research project focused on detecting dark matter particles like axions and dark photons. The MADMAX detector uses a system made of sapphire disks and a mirror to form a resonator that enhances detection signals. Dark photons are theoretical particles similar to light particles (photons) but have mass. They are believed to be part of galactic dark matter and can turn into ordinary photons under special conditions.

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Chinese researchers have recently developed a high-resolution ocean simulation system called LICOMK++ to better study ocean and climate patterns. LICOMK++ stands for Laboratory for Atmospheric and Oceanic Modeling (LASG)/Institute of Atmospheric Physics (IAP) Climate Ocean Model with K++ high-performance computing upgrade. It is described as an ocean “microscope” because of its ultra-high-resolution abilities. This advanced system allows scientists to clearly observe complex ocean processes such as eddies and heat transport. It helps improve the understanding of how oceans influence climate. LICOMK++ can enhance forecasts of extreme weather events like typhoons, marine heatwaves, and floods.

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India will launch its first manned deep-ocean mission called Samudrayaan by 2026 to explore marine resources up to 6,000 metres deep. The mission is part of the Deep Ocean Mission and will use an indigenously developed submersible named MATSYA 6000. MATSYA 6000 is a 4th generation manned submersible vehicle designed by the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), Chennai. It can carry three people and operate for 12 hours, with an emergency endurance of 96 hours. The research vessel Sagar Nidhi will be used to deploy and recover MATSYA 6000 during the mission.

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A recent large-scale study from South Korea, published in the European Heart Journal, found that people vaccinated against shingles have a 23% lower risk of cardiovascular events like heart attacks and strokes. Shingles, or herpes zoster, is caused by the reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus, the same virus that causes chickenpox. The virus stays dormant in nerve cells and can reactivate later in life when the immune system weakens. Shingles appears as a painful rash with blisters, usually on one side of the body, and can cause symptoms like burning, headache, and fever. The most common complication is postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), a nerve pain that can last for months. Shingles is not directly contagious but the virus can infect someone who never had chickenpox. It mainly affects people over 50 or those with weak immune systems.