Science & Technology Current Affairs MCQs

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The US Navy’s new AIM-174B missile aims to counter China’s aerial dominance. It’s an air-launched version of the SM-6 missile and was introduced in July 2024 by Raytheon. This long-range air-to-air missile can strike targets up to 400 km away, exceeding the range of China’s PL-15. Deployed in the Indo-Pacific, it supports US power projection amid rising regional tensions. The AIM-174B targets high-priority ground objects like air defense sites and warships, operating in a quasi-ballistic manner.

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The trial of four men accused of a record €58 million Captagon drug bust has begun in Germany. Captagon is a highly addictive amphetamine-type drug, mainly produced in Syria. It originally contained fenethylline, a synthetic drug similar to amphetamine. Captagon was sold commercially until the 1980s when it was banned due to addiction risks. Known as “poor man’s cocaine,” it is popular among young adults in the Middle East and North Africa. Originally manufactured in Germany in the 1960s and 70s for attention deficit disorders, it was banned in 1986 and is now a major concern in the Middle East.

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A vaccine-derived polio case was confirmed in a two-year-old in Tikrikilla, Meghalaya. This is not wild poliovirus but occurs in individuals with low immunity. India has been polio-free since 2014, with the last wild poliovirus case in 2011. Vaccine-derived polio (VDPV) occurs when the weakened virus in the Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) mutates in under-immunized populations. Since 2000, 24 VDPV outbreaks have occurred globally with fewer than 760 cases. WHO recommends multiple rounds of high-quality immunization campaigns to prevent VDPV transmission. Polio is a viral disease that can cause paralysis and death.

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India will train healthcare professionals to use the BPalM regimen for treating multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). The BPalM regimen includes bedaquiline, pretomanid, linezolid, and moxifloxacin. Recommended by WHO in 2022, it’s already available in nearly 40 countries. The BPalM regimen is more effective, has fewer side effects, and shortens treatment time from 18-24 months to six months. It also helps prevent TB transmission, making it crucial for India’s goal to eliminate TB by 2025, as the country has 27% of global TB cases.

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ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) has completed a unique lunar-Earth flyby to gain momentum for its journey to Venus and then Jupiter. The mission explores Jupiter and its moons: Callisto, Europa, and Ganymede, which might have conditions that support life. JUICE, launched in 2023 by the European Space Agency (ESA), is expected to reach Jupiter by 2031 after an eight-year journey. This mission marks the first-ever lunar-Earth flyby combined with a double gravity assist maneuver.

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Scientists have published a new paper on the interaction between diseased liver cells and macrophages. Macrophages are white blood cells crucial to the immune system. They engulf and digest microorganisms, clear debris, and stimulate other immune cells. The word “macrophage” comes from Greek terms meaning “big” and “eat.” Macrophages develop from monocytes, which are formed in the bone marrow. Monocytes circulate in the blood before becoming macrophages or dendritic cells in tissues. Macrophages are found in many organs, including the liver, brain, bones, lungs, and at infection sites.

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Solar Paraboloid technology is a promising advancement for improving solar energy efficiency. It is a type of Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) that uses a Parabolic Trough Collector (PTC). Parabolic mirrors focus sunlight onto a receiver tube at the focal line. This technology offers advantages over traditional photovoltaic (PV) systems, including higher operating temperatures, greater thermal efficiency, and reduced heat losses. However, it faces challenges like high upfront costs and significant infrastructure needs.

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The Union government has decided to establish foot-and-mouth disease-free zones in eight states: Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Maharashtra, and Gujarat. Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is a highly contagious viral illness affecting livestock such as cattle, swine, sheep, and goats, but not horses, dogs, or cats. It impacts livestock production and disrupts trade but poses no human health or food safety risk. FMD is caused by an aphthovirus and has seven strains. Immunity to one strain does not protect against others. The disease spreads through excretions and secretions, with high transmission rates in young animals but low fatality in adults.

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Researchers explored mitochondrial dynamics to treat Parkinson’s disease, a neurodegenerative disorder caused by brain cell death. Environmental toxins and toxic proteins, like those in Manganese-induced Parkinsonism, cause mitochondrial fragmentation and dysfunction. The study found that inhibiting Dynamin-related protein (Drp1) activity could restore mitochondrial function, offering a potential treatment. Drp1 is a protein that aids in mitochondrial division for better mobility and quality control. However, excessive Drp1 activity leads to too much division, resulting in fragmented and impaired mitochondria.

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Valley Fever, or coccidioidomycosis, is a fungal infection caused by the Coccidioides fungus. It is found in the soil of the southwestern U.S., south-central Washington, Mexico, and parts of Central and South America. People and animals can get infected by inhaling spores from dust or disturbed soil in these regions. Most people do not get sick, but some develop mild to severe symptoms. The disease rarely spreads from person to person or animals, except in rare cases like organ transplants or wound contact. Recently, California has seen a significant rise in Valley Fever cases, raising health concerns.