Science & Technology Current Affairs MCQs

Notes:
A former SpaceX employee has sued the company, claiming he was fired due to Crohn’s disease, a chronic health issue. Crohn’s disease is a type of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) that causes swelling and irritation in the digestive tract. It often affects the end of the small intestine and the start of the large intestine, but it can impact any part of the tract. The disease causes deep inflammation in the bowel walls, making it painful and hard to manage. Symptoms include diarrhea, stomach cramps, abdominal pain, and weight loss. There is no permanent cure, but treatment can ease symptoms, reduce flare-ups, and help patients live a normal life. This case has drawn attention to workplace rights for people living with chronic medical conditions like Crohn’s disease.

Notes:
A recent study in Nature Geoscience found that soil microbes, particularly fungi and bacteria, play a central role in regulating phosphorus availability and cycling over a span of 700,000 years in the Cooloola coastal dune system. These microbes manage the release and transformation of phosphorus in nutrient-poor soils, acting as crucial “gatekeepers” in ecosystem nutrient dynamics. These microbes adapt by replacing phospholipids with non-phosphorus lipids and storing fats to reduce phosphorus demand. They also improve phosphorus use efficiency in their metabolism to survive in low-phosphorus soils. Microbes both compete with plants for phosphorus and help them by recycling it and improving access.

Notes:
India has launched its first 3-nanometre (3nm) chip design centres in Noida and Bengaluru, marking a major step in advanced semiconductor development. These centres have been set up by Renesas Electronics India Private Limited, placing India among a few nations working on next-generation chip design. The initiative is part of a broader government plan to build a complete semiconductor ecosystem including design, fabrication, ATMP (Assembly, Testing, Marking, and Packaging), and supply chain support.

Notes:
The Union Cabinet recently approved a new semiconductor manufacturing unit in Uttar Pradesh, marking a significant step in India’s semiconductor ambitions. This facility is the sixth under the India Semiconductor Mission, a push for self-reliance in semiconductor technology. The unit is a joint venture between HCL and Foxconn and will be located near Jewar Airport in the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) region. It will manufacture display driver chips for devices like mobile phones, laptops, automobiles, and more. The plant will have a production capacity of 20,000 wafers per month, with a target output of 36 million chips monthly.

Notes:
Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay have developed a new high-efficiency tandem solar cell with nearly 30% power conversion efficiency compared to the current 20%. This innovation was developed at the National Centre for Photovoltaic Research and Education (NCPRE) and uses a four-terminal (4T) tandem structure. The top layer is made of semi-transparent halide perovskite, while the bottom layer uses traditional silicon, allowing both to work independently for better efficiency. Perovskite materials, known for excellent light absorption and low cost, now have improved durability of up to 10 years. The new design also works well in heat and low-light, making it ideal for India’s climate and helping reduce solar energy costs to ₹1 per kilowatt-hour (kWh). This breakthrough boosts India’s clean energy goals by enhancing output and land-use efficiency.

Notes:
Turkey’s Bayraktar TB2 drones suffered a reputational setback after Pakistan’s Turkish-origin drones failed during Operation Sindoor. Bayraktar TB2 is a Turkish-made Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). It is designed for Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance (ISR) and precision strike missions. It is Turkey’s first armed UAV developed domestically, showcasing its defence manufacturing capabilities.

Notes:
Recently, the Karlsruhe Tritium Neutrino (KATRIN) Experiment in Germany closely studied the disintegration of molecular tritium to estimate the mass of neutrinos. The KATRIN (Karlsruhe Tritium Neutrino) experiment, located in Karlsruhe, Germany, aims to find the absolute mass of neutrinos, which are among the most mysterious particles in the universe. This experiment marks a major step in understanding fundamental particle physics and the structure of the universe.

Notes:
China has launched the Zhangheng 1B satellite to strengthen early warning systems for natural disasters by monitoring Earth’s electromagnetic environment. It was launched aboard a Long March 2D rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert. Developed in partnership with Italy under a 2019 cooperation agreement, the satellite entered orbit as planned. Zhangheng 1B is China’s first satellite focused on studying geophysical fields from space and will work with Zhangheng 1A launched in 2018. It carries nine instruments, including an electric field detector and a high-energy particle sensor built by Italy.

Notes:
Researchers have recently introduced a new term called “Thirstwaves” to describe long periods of high atmospheric thirst. A Thirstwave occurs when the daily evaporative demand stays above the historical 90th percentile for at least three consecutive days. Evaporative demand means how thirsty the atmosphere is or how much water it wants to absorb from the ground or plants. It is influenced by temperature, wind speed, humidity, and sunshine. Understanding thirstwaves can help farmers manage water more efficiently and boost crop production. This concept is important for improving climate resilience in agriculture and water planning.

Notes:
Recently, in the ‘Mann Ki Baat’ programme, the Prime Minister of India announced that India has been declared free of Trachoma, a bacterial eye disease. Trachoma is caused by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis and spreads through contact with the eyes, eyelids, or throat secretions of infected people. The World Health Organization (WHO) calls it a neglected tropical disease, affecting around 150 million people worldwide. In 2017, India was declared free from infective Trachoma, with surveillance continuing until 2024.