Science & Technology Current Affairs MCQs

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China has launched the “Three Gorges Antarctic Eye,” a 3.2-metre aperture radio and millimetre-wave telescope at Zhongshan Station in Antarctica. It is designed to study interstellar gas like hydrogen and ammonia and to explore star formation in deep space. The telescope can operate in Antarctica’s extreme cold and strong winds, making it a major engineering success. It builds on China’s earlier Antarctic Survey Telescopes (AST3) projects. The telescope was developed by China Three Gorges University and Shanghai Normal University to boost China’s space science research.

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Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur (IIT-Kgp) developed an energy-efficient graphene-based technology for oil-water separation to manage oil spills safely and effectively. Graphene is a single atomic layer of graphite, an allotrope of carbon with tightly bonded atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice. It is about 200 times stronger than steel, lightweight, transparent, and highly elastic with excellent thermal conductivity and flexibility. The new technology uses graphene’s unique properties to clean oil spills efficiently with less energy and no toxic residue. Graphene is also used in making microchips, batteries, and biomedical devices due to its versatile nature.

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China has unveiled the world’s first 16-barrel Anti-Drone Barrage Weapon System to counter drone swarms and missile threats. It uses a “wall of fire” approach instead of traditional point-to-point targeting, increasing chances of hitting fast and unpredictable aerial threats. The system fires dense barrages of projectiles to intercept drones, missiles, rockets, helicopters, and artillery shells. It addresses current air defence gaps against low-cost drone saturation attacks. China plans both domestic deployment and international exports amid rising drone threats near Taiwan.

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Startup QNu Labs has launched the world’s first unique platform called Q-Shield. Q-Shield allows smooth cryptography management across cloud, on-premises, and hybrid setups. It offers a full solution to secure sensitive data both while moving (in transit) and when stored (at rest). It helps enterprises safeguard their critical infrastructure. Critical Infrastructure includes key sectors like the Communications Sector and Energy Sector, where any threat or disruption can harm national security and the economy.

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NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) is a joint satellite mission by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). It is set to be launched in June 2025 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh using the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark II (GSLV Mk II). This is the first radar-based Earth observation mission jointly developed by India and the United States. NISAR will map the entire Earth’s surface every 12 days to provide frequent and accurate data. It will track ecosystem changes, ice movements, vegetation shifts, sea level rise, groundwater levels, and natural disasters like earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis, and landslides.

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The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is developing the first-ever space-based quantum sensor to measure gravity with high precision. Scientists are working on a Quantum Gravity Gradiometer (QGG) to be placed onboard a satellite in low Earth orbit. The QGG can detect the smallest gravitational changes by measuring differences in acceleration as tiny as 10⁻¹⁵ meters per second squared over a distance of 1 meter. In this system, atoms are cooled to near absolute zero, turning them into wave-like states inside a vacuum. Lasers manipulate these atoms, causing a phase shift that reveals the strength of gravitational forces. This technology helps estimate the mass of large structures like the Himalayas and track the movement of water, ice, and rocks from space. The recent development marks a big step in using quantum sensing for environmental monitoring and Earth sciences.

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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 recent study by the Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership (GARDP) showed that many multidrug-resistant infections in low- and middle-income countries, including India, are not being treated properly due to lack of access. GARDP is a not-for-profit organization that creates new antibiotic treatments for drug-resistant bacterial infections and ensures they reach people in need. It focuses on public health by developing antibiotics to fight the current antimicrobial resistance (AMR) crisis and protect future generations. GARDP was founded by the World Health Organization (WHO) and Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) under the Global Action Plan on AMR in 2015.

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A research team from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has made the first-ever experimental observation of a two-dimensional layered altermagnet at room temperature. Altermagnets are a new class of antiferromagnetic materials that show momentum-dependent spin splitting without needing spin–orbit coupling (SOC) or overall magnetization. This spin splitting is caused by exchange interactions between magnetic sublattices connected by crystal symmetry, known as C-paired spin-valley locking (SVL). Altermagnets combine the stable spin properties of antiferromagnets with spin-split energy bands, making them promising for next-generation spintronic devices.

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India has become the first country in the world to develop genome-edited rice varieties. The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has developed two such varieties named DRR Rice 100 (Kamla) and Pusa DST Rice. These rice varieties were developed using genome editing technology based on Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats-CRISPR Associated Protein (CRISPR-Cas). This technology allows precise changes in the genetic material without adding any foreign DNA. Genome editing targeted the Site Directed Nuclease 1 (SDN1) and SDN2 types of genes, which are approved under India’s biosafety rules. The development was supported by the National Agricultural Science Fund (NASF), which funds strategic agricultural research.