Science & Technology Current Affairs MCQs

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China has achieved the world’s first conversion of thorium into uranium fuel inside a Thorium Molten Salt Reactor (TMSR). It marks the first-ever experimental data on thorium operation from within a molten salt reactor. The 2 megawatt liquid-fuelled TMSR is currently the only operating reactor successfully using thorium fuel. A Molten Salt Reactor (MSR) is a fourth-generation nuclear reactor using molten salt as both coolant and fuel carrier instead of solid rods.

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On November 5, 2025, the Government of Maharashtra became the first Indian state to sign a Letter of Intent (LoI) with Starlink Satellite Communications Pvt. Ltd., a SpaceX subsidiary, to provide satellite-based internet. The partnership aims to deliver high-speed internet to remote districts like Gadchiroli, Nandurbar, Washim, and Dharashiv in Maharashtra. Satellite terminals will be installed in schools, health centres, disaster control rooms, and forest and coastal outposts, extending connectivity to ports, ferries, and coastal police networks. The initiative supports Digital Maharashtra and aligns with Digital India to connect terrain- or cost-challenged regions.

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Eli Lilly’s weight-loss drug Mounjaro became India’s top-selling drug by value in October 2025. It overtook GlaxoSmithKline’s (GSK) Augmentin, a widely used antibiotic. Mounjaro earned ₹1 billion ($11.38 million) in October, while Augmentin made ₹800 million. By volume, Augmentin sold 5,784 units, whereas Mounjaro sold only 85 units due to its high price. Mounjaro helps control blood sugar and slow digestion and belongs to the GLP-1 receptor agonist class used for obesity and diabetes. It was launched in India in March 2025 and has earned ₹3.33 billion till October. Mounjaro’s consumption was 10 times higher than rival Wegovy by Novo Nordisk, launched in June 2025. Eli Lilly sold 262,000 units, while Novo Nordisk sold 26,000 units in October.

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Recently, a scintillometer was installed at the Tamil Nadu Rice Research Institute (TRRI) in Aduthurai, Tamil Nadu. It is an optical instrument used to measure heat and moisture exchange between the land surface and the atmosphere. The device transmits a light beam between two fixed points to collect data. Turbulent air causes minute fluctuations in the beam, called scintillations, which are analysed to estimate heat transfer. It was installed as part of the TRRI Critical Zone Observatory (CZO) to enhance climate and crop research.

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In November 2025, scientists from the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) collaborated with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to estimate key parameters of a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME). They used data from the Visible Emission Line Coronagraph (VELC) payload onboard India’s Aditya-L1 mission. VELC is the main payload of Aditya-L1, India’s first solar observatory placed 1.5 million kilometres from Earth. It is an internally occulted solar coronagraph capable of imaging, spectroscopy, and spectro-polarimetry near the solar limb.

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In November 2025, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed an outbreak of Rift Valley Fever (RVF) in Mauritania and Senegal, Western Africa. Rift Valley Fever is caused by a Phlebovirus from the Phenuiviridae family. It mainly affects animals such as sheep, goats, cattle, and camels. Humans get infected through contact with infected animals or mosquito bites. It does not spread from person to person. The disease was first identified in Kenya’s Rift Valley in the 1930s. It later spread across sub-Saharan Africa, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen.

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Shri Manohar Lal, Minister of Power and Housing & Urban Affairs, inaugurated India’s first and largest Vanadium Redox Flow Battery (VRFB) system. The VRFB has a capacity of 3 Megawatt-hour (MWh) at NTPC’s NETRA Research & Development Centre in Greater Noida. This milestone advances India’s long-duration energy storage (LDES) solutions and strengthens renewable energy integration and national grid resilience. Vanadium Redox Flow Battery (VRFB) is a modern technology offering an alternative to lithium-ion batteries, expanding the pool of usable elements for battery systems.

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In November 2025, Union Minister of State Dr. Jitendra Singh launched India’s first indigenous high-precision compact diode laser at the Emerging Science, Technology and Innovation Conclave 2025 (ESTIC 2025) held at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. The laser enables quantum-encrypted communication using Quantum Key Distribution (QKD), strengthening cybersecurity for financial and banking transactions. It is developed by Prenishq Pvt. Ltd., a startup supported by the National Quantum Mission (NQM), along with contributions from IIT-Delhi. The system offers high beam quality, strong stability, long-term reliability, and easy integration with lab and industrial setups.

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Chinese researchers discovered tiny Iron oxide crystals (hematite and maghemite) in lunar soil for the first time using samples from China’s Chang’e-6 mission. The finding from the South Pole–Aitken (SPA) Basin challenges the old belief that the Moon’s reducing environment cannot form oxidized minerals. Chang’e-6 was the sixth robotic lunar exploration mission by the China National Space Administration (CNSA). The study in Science Advances confirms direct evidence of Iron oxide on the Moon. Scientists say massive ancient impacts created oxygen-rich vapour, leading to “vapour-phase deposition” of hematite crystals. These minerals, including maghemite, may explain magnetic anomalies in the SPA Basin. The breakthrough offers new insights into lunar history, composition, and future missions

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Samudrayaan is India’s first manned deep-ocean submersible mission to reach 6,000 metres depth. Testing is delayed due to late supply of syntactic foam from France, now expected by year-end after testing in Norway. The project is led by National Institute of Ocean Technology under the Ministry of Earth Sciences. A steel model has been tested up to 100 metres; a 500-metre trial is planned by April next year. The final titanium hull, built by Indian Space Research Organisation, will be tested in Russia. The mission will carry three crew members to collect seabed soil and rocks for future deep-sea mining.