Science & Technology Current Affairs MCQs

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Kerala has become the first Indian state to officially declare a state microbe, selecting the bacterium Bacillus subtilis. The announcement was made during the inauguration of the Centre of Excellence in Microbiome (CoEM) in Thiruvananthapuram. Centre of Excellence in Microbiome (CoEM) operates under the motto “Microbes for Life” and focuses on how microbes impact sustainability, health, and the environment. It is the first Indian institute to unify microbiome-based translational research across humans, animals, plants, aquatic systems, and environmental media.

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Zimbabwe has started rolling out Lenacapavir for HIV prevention. It is the first twice-yearly injectable pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). PrEP is a medicine taken by HIV-negative individuals to reduce the risk of HIV infection. Clinical studies show it prevents about 99.9 percent of HIV transmission. It is developed by Gilead Sciences and marketed as Yeztugo. Lenacapavir is a capsid inhibitor that blocks the virus’s protein shell needed for replication.

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Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) and Satcom Industry Association of India released cyber security guidelines for India’s space ecosystem. The guidelines were unveiled at the DefSat Conference & Expo 2026 in New Delhi. The framework follows a “defense in depth, breadth and height” approach and integrates public-private perspectives. CERT-In operates under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, providing 24×7 incident response services. SIA-India represents India’s satellite sector, including operators, manufacturers, startups, academia, and legal firms, to shape policy and promote global collaboration.

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Under Swachh Bharat Mission–Urban 2.0, Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation deployed the AI-powered G-SPIDER robot for safe, human-free canal cleaning in high-risk areas. The robot was commissioned at the Amayizhanchan Canal near Thampanoor Railway Station, a stretch with restricted vertical clearance, continuous water flow, and unsafe human entry points. G-SPIDER is developed by Genrobotic Innovations, based on Cable-Driven Parallel Robotics (CDPR) architecture with AI-enabled vision and sensor intelligence. It autonomously detects, assesses, and removes mixed and hazardous waste using a five-degrees-of-freedom robotic mechanism with a biomimetic claw-type grabber.

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Researchers found that Deinococcus radiodurans can survive extremely high pressures of 14,000–24,000 Earth atmospheres, similar to pressures during planetary impacts. It is a bacterium famous for its extreme resistance to ionizing radiation, earning the nickname “Conan the Bacterium.” The organism is gram-positive, non-motile, and reddish in colour. It was first discovered in 1956 in radiation-treated canned meat. It can survive radiation doses thousands of times higher than those fatal to humans, making it one of the most radiation-resistant organisms on Earth.

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Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV) is a highly contagious respiratory virus spreading rapidly on the West Coast of the United States (US). It belongs to the Pneumoviridae family, which also includes Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV). It mainly causes common cold–like respiratory illness. The virus spreads through air via coughing and sneezing, close personal contact, and touching contaminated surfaces then touching face. Common symptoms include cough, fever, nasal congestion, and shortness of breath. In severe cases, it may lead to bronchitis or pneumonia. No vaccine or specific antiviral treatment; care focuses on symptom management and preventing complications.

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Researchers recently identified an unusual iron sulfate ferric hydroxysulfate in layered deposits near Valles Marineris using laboratory experiments and orbital data. Valles Marineris, also called Mariner Valley, is a vast system of interconnected canyons on Mars. It was discovered during the Mariner 9 mission in 1971. It is one of the largest canyon systems in the Solar System. Some canyon walls are fault scarps formed due to crustal movement linked to Tharsis Rise. Erosion also shaped the canyon, seen in deep gullies along the walls.

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U.S. drugmaker Pfizer and France’s Valneva reported that their experimental Lyme disease vaccine showed over 70% efficacy in a late-stage trial. Lyme disease, or Lyme borreliosis, is caused by the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi. It affects the skin, nervous system, heart, and joints. The disease is named after Lyme, Connecticut, United States, where it was first identified in children in 1976. Lyme disease is common in North America, Europe, and parts of Asia. It is transmitted to humans through deer ticks (black-legged ticks) found in grassy, wooded, or bushy areas. Not all tick bites cause Lyme disease, and it cannot spread between humans or from pets.

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Recently, India launched indigenously developed Silicon Photonics solutions at Indian Institute of Technology Madras, marking progress in technological self-reliance. The launch was led by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. Two key innovations were introduced: Silicon Photonics Process Design Kit (PDK) and Programmable Photonic Integrated Circuit (PPIC) Test Engine. These were developed at the Centre of Excellence for Compound Photonics and Photonic Integrated Circuits Systems (CoE-CPPICS). The initiative supports research, industry, startups, and defence sectors as a shared national facility.

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The Department of Telecommunications and National Disaster Management Authority are strengthening mobile-based disaster communication systems. The Integrated Alert System SACHET (System for Advanced Communication for Hazard Early-warning and Emergency Transmission) is operational across all States and Union Territories. It was developed by Centre for Development of Telematics and is based on the Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) recommended by the International Telecommunication Union. The system sends geo-targeted SMS alerts in multiple languages during disasters.