Science & Technology Current Affairs MCQs

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Diphtheria is re-emerging in parts of Australia despite being largely controlled earlier, raising public health concerns. It is a highly contagious bacterial infection caused by Corynebacterium diphtheriae, which produces a harmful toxin. The disease mainly affects the upper respiratory tract, especially the throat, nose, and tonsils, and sometimes the skin. It spreads through respiratory droplets or contact with infected wounds, and even asymptomatic individuals can transmit it.

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Scientists from Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences, Bengaluru, developed a smart material that can both store energy and indicate charge level through colour change. The material is an oxygen-deficient bimetallic oxide made of molybdenum and tungsten. It appears blue when charged and transparent when discharged, enabling real-time visual monitoring. The innovation uses oxygen vacancies to enhance ion movement and alter electronic structure. It was synthesised using the solvothermal method.

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Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu laid the foundation stone for the Google Cloud India AI Hub in Visakhapatnam. The project is part of a major collaboration involving Google Cloud, Adani Group, and Bharti Airtel. Google has committed an investment of USD 15 billion, making it one of India’s largest foreign direct investments. The AI data centre will have a capacity of 1 Gigawatt and will be built over 600 acres. It will enhance India’s artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and digital infrastructure.

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A tigress and four cubs died in Kanha Tiger Reserve, raising concern over Canine Distemper. It is a highly contagious disease caused by Canine Distemper Virus (CDV) affecting respiratory, gastrointestinal, and nervous systems. It mainly infects dogs, especially unvaccinated ones and puppies below four months. CDV is a multi-host pathogen affecting wildlife such as carnivores, big cats, marine mammals, and primates. Transmission occurs through direct contact or airborne exposure. Infected animals can shed the virus for months despite low environmental survival. There is no specific cure or antiviral treatment available. Vaccination is the most effective preventive measure.

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DAMPE Satellite has made observations on the acceleration of cosmic rays. The findings show that the intensity of cosmic radiation decreases sharply beyond a certain high-energy threshold. DAMPE stands for Dark Matter Particle Explorer and is also known as “Wukong.” It was developed by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). It is China’s first astronomical satellite designed for high-energy observations. The satellite was launched in 2015 into a polar sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of about 500 km. It detects high-energy gamma rays, electrons, and cosmic rays.

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ANEEL Fuel has successfully completed a high burnup irradiation test at the Advanced Test Reactor of Idaho National Laboratory. ANEEL stands for “Advanced Nuclear Energy for Enriched Life” and was developed by Clean Core Thorium Energy
, a Chicago-based nuclear fuel company. The fuel combines thorium and uranium to create a cleaner, safer, and more efficient nuclear energy source for Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs). ANEEL is named after Anil Kakodkar, former chairman of India’s Atomic Energy Commission. The fuel uses Thorium-232 as the fertile material and High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU) as the initiating fuel source to activate the thorium reaction cycle.

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A fresh outbreak of Ebola has been reported in the Ituri province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with dozens of deaths reported. Ebola is a severe viral hemorrhagic fever caused by orthoebolaviruses and affects humans as well as non-human primates. The disease was first identified in 1976 in Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. It spreads through direct contact with infected blood, body fluids, organs, or contaminated surfaces, but not through air transmission. Fruit bats are considered the natural hosts of the virus.

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Scientists from the Institute of Nano Science and Technology developed an ultrathin flexible film embedded with nano-gold particles that converts small temperature changes into electrical signals. The research was supported by the Department of Science and Technology. The film is based on polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), a flexible polymer used in sensing and electronics. Tiny hexagonal gold nanoparticles improved the material’s pyroelectric performance, enabling efficient thermal-to-electrical energy conversion. The technology could be used in wearable electronics, self-powered sensors, smart photodetectors, and low-power healthcare devices.

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Another tiger was recently found dead in Kanha Tiger Reserve, raising concerns over possible Canine Distemper infections among wild animals. Canine Distemper is a highly contagious viral disease caused by the Canine Distemper Virus (CDV), a single-stranded RNA virus of the Paramyxoviridae family. The disease affects dogs, foxes, wolves, raccoons, felines, and several wildlife species, but it does not infect humans. It spreads through droplets, direct contact, and infected body fluids such as saliva, urine, and feces. There is no specific cure for CDV; vaccination, hygiene, and isolation remain the best preventive measures.

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China successfully launched the Shenzhou 23 spacecraft on 25 May 2026 from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. The mission carried three astronauts to the Tiangong Space Station. A major objective of the mission is to study long-duration human survival in space through a planned one-year orbital stay. The mission will also conduct experiments in space biology, medicine, and materials science to support China’s future Moon and deep-space exploration plans.