Science & Technology Current Affairs MCQs

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NASA’s Perseverance Rover recently detected electrical activity in the Martian atmosphere for the first time, marking a major scientific breakthrough. Perseverance, also called “Percy”, is part of the Mars 2020 Mission. It landed in 2021 inside the ancient river delta of Jezero Crater. Its main goal is to search for signs of past life and collect rock and soil samples for future return to Earth. It can detect organic matter, study minerals, map chemical composition, and closely observe distant terrain. It is the first rover to record sounds on Mars and send them back to Earth.

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The World Health Organization has issued the first global guidelines on Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 (GLP-1) drugs for weight loss. GLP-1 receptor agonists are synthetic medicines used to treat adult obesity and type-2 diabetes. These drugs are mainly injectable, while oral versions are under development. Leading examples are Semaglutide and Tirzepatide, now available in India. They increase insulin, reduce glucagon, slow stomach emptying, and suppress appetite, helping control blood sugar and body weight.

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Scientists at the Bose Institute, Kolkata have developed GlowCas9, a CRISPR protein that glows during gene editing. It is a bioluminescent Cas9, created by fusing Cas9 with a split nano-luciferase enzyme from deep-sea shrimp proteins. GlowCas9 is highly stable, retaining structure and activity even at higher temperatures. When Cas9 folds correctly, the luciferase pieces reconnect and produce light, enabling real-time, non-harmful tracking of gene editing in cells, tissues, and plant leaves. It improves the precision of Homology-Directed Repair (HDR), a key DNA repair process for genetic diseases like sickle cell anaemia and muscular dystrophy. GlowCas9 advances theratracking, the visual monitoring of molecular gene therapy in action.

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Scientists recently discovered a genetic process that could lead to new treatments for Candida auris (C. auris). Candida auris is a multi-drug-resistant fungal pathogen first identified in Japan in 2009. It can live on skin, inside the body (e.g., gut), or in the environment and cause invasive infections like bloodstream infections, meningitis, bone infections, wound infections, and urinary tract infections. Transmission mainly occurs in healthcare settings through contaminated surfaces or person-to-person contact. The fungus can cause asymptomatic colonization or enter the bloodstream/wounds causing severe infections.

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VoxelGrids, a Zoho-backed Indian start-up, has developed India’s first indigenous Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanner, marking a major milestone for Made-in-India medical technology. The MRI scanner has been deployed at Chandrapur Cancer Care Foundation near Nagpur, Maharashtra, after a 12-year development effort led by founder Arjun Arunachalam. It does not use liquid helium, making it around 40% cheaper to build and significantly reducing operating and power costs. VoxelGrids offers a pay-per-use model, helping smaller hospitals afford MRI services without high upfront costs.

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Kavach 4.0 has been commissioned on Gujarat’s first Bajwa (Vadodara)–Ahmedabad 96 km section. The section covers 17 stations with 23 towers, 20 Kavach huts, 192 km optical fibre cable and 2,872 Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags. Kavach is an indigenously developed Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system of Indian Railways. Kavach 4.0 prevents Signal Passed at Danger (SPAD) and head-on or rear-end collisions. It enforces automatic speed control and Permanent Speed Restrictions. Kavach is certified to Safety Integrity Level-4 (SIL-4) and approved by Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO)

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Army Hospital (Research and Referral), Delhi, performed India’s first 3D Flex Aqueous Angiography with iStent. The procedure combines advanced imaging with minimally invasive glaucoma surgery. Glaucoma is a leading cause of irreversible blindness with silent progression. The surgery used a stand-mounted Spectralis system and a 3D operating microscope. The breakthrough allows real-time visualization of aqueous outflow pathways. Surgeons can deliver precise, targeted interventions, improving patient outcomes. The procedure positions Armed Forces Medical Services at the forefront of global ophthalmic care.

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Researchers from Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research used supercomputers to create the first simulation proving the Mpemba effect. The Mpemba effect means hot water can freeze faster than cold water under certain conditions. The effect was first described by Aristotle in his book Meteorologica. It is named after Erasto Mpemba, a Tanzanian student who highlighted it in 1969. Heated water contains microbubbles that enhance convection and faster heat transfer. Warm water evaporates more, removing heat as evaporation is an endothermic process. Warm water is less dense, improving convection and cooling. Frost in cold water acts as an insulator and slows heat loss.

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ISRO’s maiden home-made dust detector, Dust EXperiment (DEX), detects interplanetary dust particles (IDPs) striking Earth roughly every 1,000 seconds. DEX is the first Indian-made instrument designed to study high-speed interplanetary dust particles (IDPs) . Interplanetary Dust Particles are microscopic fragments originating from comets and asteroids. The instrument was flown on the POEM (PSLV Orbital Experimental Module) of PSLV-C58. Dust EXperiment (DEX) was developed by the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), Ahmedabad.

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Scientists used first images from the Vera C. Rubin Observatory to discover the fastest-spinning asteroid of its size, named 2025 MN45. The Vera C. Rubin Observatory is located on Cerro Pachón in the Chilean Andes at 8,684 feet altitude. It is named after astronomer Vera C. Rubin, who provided early evidence for dark matter. It is jointly funded by the United States National Science Foundation (NSF) and the United States Department of Energy (DoE). Its goals include studying dark matter and dark energy, mapping the Milky Way, tracking asteroids and comets, and observing changing cosmic objects.