Science & Technology Current Affairs MCQs

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The Union Minister Shri Rajiv Ranjan Singh inaugurated India’s first commercial-scale tropical Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS)–based Rainbow Trout Aquaculture Farm & Research Institute on 5th January 2026 in Hyderabad, Telangana. The facility, established by Smart Green Aquaculture Limited at Kandukur Mandal, Ranga Reddy District, demonstrates year-round farming of high-value cold-water species like Rainbow Trout in tropical climates using precision engineering and advanced water recirculation technologies. The project serves as a live training and demonstration platform, providing youth hands-on experience in advanced aquaculture systems, automation, and biosecurity, strengthening human capital in the fisheries sector.

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Scientists recently used drones to detect a dangerous Cetacean morbillivirus (CeMV) among whales in the Arctic. Cetacean morbillivirus is a viral infection affecting marine mammals, especially cetaceans like whales, dolphins, and porpoises. CeMV has caused multiple outbreaks worldwide, particularly in the North Atlantic and the Mediterranean. Transmission occurs through respiratory routes and direct contact, with the virus shed via ocular and respiratory secretions, urine, feces, and sloughed skin. The virus affects the respiratory and neurological systems, leading to mass strandings and deaths of marine mammals.

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SpaceX successfully launched the COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation–Flight Model 3 (CSG-FM3) Earth Observation Satellite for the Italian Space Agency (ASI) and the Italian Ministry of Defence using a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California. This mission marked the third satellite in the COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation series, the first SpaceX launch of 2026, and the first orbital rocket launch globally in 2026. CSG-FM3 is part of Italy’s advanced COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation constellation, developed to strengthen global radar imaging and Earth observation capabilities.

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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.

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India will demonstrate in-orbit satellite refuelling for the first time with OrbitAid’s AyulSAT launched on ISRO’s PSLV-C62. AyulSAT is a 25-kg dedicated tanker and target satellite developed by Chennai-based OrbitAid Aerospace, founded by Sakthikumar Ramachandran. It is designed to demonstrate fuel, power, and data transfer in orbit using a standardized docking and refuelling interface. The satellite will first perform internal refuelling to study fluid behaviour in microgravity. It uses OrbitAid’s Standard Interface for Docking and Refuelling Port (SIDRP) for future spacecraft-to-spacecraft refuelling.

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Huntington’s disease (HD) is a rare hereditary brain disorder where specific neurons break down, leading to emotional problems, loss of thinking ability, and uncontrolled movements. Neuron damage occurs mainly in the basal ganglia (controls movement) and the cerebral cortex (controls thinking, memory, and decision‑making). Huntington’s disease (HD) is caused by a genetic mutation in the HTT (Huntingtin) gene, which produces the huntingtin protein essential for neuron function. Recent research is providing fresh hope by advancing understanding of the disease mechanisms and potential treatments, offering optimism for future therapies.

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Recently, researchers at the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Bengaluru, developed a deep-learning tool called Disobind. Disobind predicts how intrinsically disordered proteins (IDP) bind to their partner proteins. Intrinsically Disordered Proteins (IDPs) are shapeshifting proteins without fixed structure, crucial for cell signalling, gene regulation, and protein movement. Their flexibility makes them hard to study using traditional structural biology methods. Disobind uses protein language models trained on millions of protein sequences.

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NASA’s SPHEREx mission recently observed interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, the third such object discovered in our solar system. SPHEREx stands for Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer. It is a NASA Astrophysics mission launched on March 11, 2025. The telescope has a megaphone-shaped design and will conduct an all-sky spectral survey. It surveys the sky in optical and near-infrared light, which helps study cosmic phenomena invisible to the human eye.

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India launched iLive Connect, the world’s first doctor-led Artificial Intelligence (AI) healthcare ecosystem for continuous home-based clinical monitoring. It bridges gaps in chronic disease care and post-hospital recovery, especially for elderly and remote-area patients. The system uses medical-grade wearable biosensors, a chest patch and wristband, to track ECG, heart rate, respiration, oxygen saturation (SpO₂), temperature, blood pressure trends, activity, sleep, and heart rate variability. Data is sent in real time to a 24×7 medical command centre staffed by specialist doctors.

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Ministry of Science and Technology launched the BIRAC-Research, Development and Innovation Fund in New Delhi for biotechnology and related sectors. The fund aims to promote deep tech innovations and indigenous manufacturing with national impact. India’s bioeconomy has grown significantly over the past decade, from $8 billion in 2014. The launch reflects a government approach under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, positioning India for a global role in biotechnology. The number of biotechnology startups in India has increased to nearly 11,000 today.