Science & Technology Current Affairs MCQs

Notes:
Recently, Japan successfully launched a climate monitoring satellite on its H-2A rocket, which made its final flight before retiring. The H-2A lifted off from Tanegashima Space Center carrying the Global Observing Satellite for Greenhouse gases and Water cycle (GOSAT-GW) to track carbon, methane, and water cycles. The launch faced delays due to electrical issues but succeeded, marking the 50th mission of H-2A since 2001 with a 98% success rate. GOSAT-GW will soon share high-resolution data globally, including with the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Notes:
Recently, India reached 50 percent enrolment in its Phase III clinical trial of the indigenous tetravalent dengue vaccine, DengiAll. DengiAll is developed by Panacea Biotec Limited under a licence from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), United States. It contains weakened forms of all four dengue virus subtypes, similar to the NIH vaccine except for inactive ingredients. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is evaluating its safety and effectiveness through multiple institutes.

Notes:
Scientists at the National Institute of Plant Genome Research (NIPGR), Delhi, have recently used CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing to boost phosphate uptake in japonica rice varieties. CRISPR-Cas9 is a modern gene-editing tool used to precisely modify plant traits. Japonica rice is one of the two major eco-geographical races of Oryza sativa, the other being Indica. It is mainly grown in northern and eastern China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, and Indonesia. Japonica has short to medium grains, which are thick, sticky, and harder than regular white rice.

Notes:
Recently, Microsoft introduced BioEmu, an advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) system for simulating protein motion to accelerate drug discovery. The system is officially named Biomolecular Emulator-1 (BioEmu-1). BioEmu-1 is a deep learning model that can generate thousands of protein structures per hour using a single Graphics Processing Unit (GPU). Proteins are vital for biological processes like muscle formation and disease protection. Earlier, predicting protein structures from amino acid sequences was difficult. BioEmu-1 offers deeper insights into protein behavior, which is crucial for developing effective medicines.

Notes:
Recently, Indian Railways signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited (DFCCIL) to install Machine Vision Based Inspection System (MVIS). Machine Vision Based Inspection System (MVIS) uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) to inspect trains in real time for better maintenance and safety. It is a wayside system that captures high-resolution images of moving train under-gear. It detects hanging, loose, or missing parts and sends real-time alerts for quick action.

Notes:
On July 14, 2025, Israel launched its first fully government-funded and domestically built communications satellite, Dror-1, from Cape Canaveral, Florida aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Dror-1 is Israel’s most advanced geostationary satellite, built 100% with local technologies to ensure strategic independence. It weighs 4.5 tonnes, spans 17.8 metres, and will serve Israel’s communication needs for the next 15 years. The satellite orbits 36,000 km above Earth, maintaining constant coverage over Israel and nearby regions.

Notes:
Researchers at Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST), Thiruvananthapuram recently detected circularly polarised radio emission near a young protostar about 4,500 light-years away. A protostar is the earliest stage in star formation, formed from a collapsing giant molecular cloud in the interstellar medium. As the cloud collapses, gravitational energy turns into heat, warming the forming protostar. The protostar stage lasts from 100,000 to 10 million years depending on the star’s mass. It begins with a dense molecular cloud core and ends with a pre-main-sequence star.

Notes:
Former U.S. President Donald Trump was recently diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency (CVI). CVI is a condition where leg veins cannot efficiently return blood to the heart, causing blood to pool in the legs. Normally, vein valves help blood flow upward, but in CVI, these valves don’t function properly. It can lead to symptoms like leg pain, swelling, cramps, skin changes, varicose veins, and leg ulcers. CVI is more common in people who are overweight, pregnant, have a family history, or had leg injuries, surgery, or blood clots.

Notes:
Recently, the Ministry of Health in China launched an emergency campaign to protect people at risk of Chikungunya fever. Chikungunya is a mosquito-borne viral disease caused by the Chikungunya virus (CHIKV). The name comes from the Makonde language, meaning “bent over in pain” due to joint pain. It is spread through bites of infected female mosquitoes, mainly Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. These mosquitoes also transmit dengue and Zika viruses. It is not contagious and cannot spread from person to person directly.

Notes:
Researchers at the S. N. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences (SNBNCBS) have developed a sustainable method to produce hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) using sunlight and water. The process uses a special material called Mo-DHTA COF, short for dimolybdenum paddlewheel-embedded covalent organic framework. It acts like a solar-powered molecular factory, absorbing sunlight and converting water and oxygen into hydrogen peroxide. Hydrogen peroxide is an eco-friendly chemical used in sterilization, wound cleaning, wastewater treatment, and fuel cells.