Science & Technology Current Affairs MCQs

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In October 2025, GalaxEye Space, a space-tech startup, announced Mission Drishti, the world’s first multi-sensor Earth Observation (EO) satellite, to launch in Q1 (January–March) 2026. It will be launched aboard an Indian launch vehicle such as Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) of Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) or a SpaceX rocket. The 160-kilogram (kg) satellite features Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) and high-resolution optical and infrared sensors. It provides 1.5 metre (m) high-resolution, real-time Earth data, capable of night and bad weather imaging. Mission Drishti aligns with “Make in India” and “Atmanirbhar Bharat” initiatives of the Government of India (GOI).

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Researchers at Nagaland University discovered that Sinapic acid significantly accelerates wound healing in diabetic conditions. Sinapic acid is a natural phenolic acid derived from cinnamic acid. It has antioxidant, antitumor, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and neuroprotective properties. It is found in spices, citrus and berry fruits, vegetables, cereals, and oilseed crops. The compound activates the SIRT1 (Sirtuin 1) pathway, aiding tissue repair, angiogenesis, and inflammation control. This discovery could lead to safe, natural, and effective diabetic wound treatments. Diabetic wounds are slow-healing sores, mostly on the foot, increasing risk of neuropathy, poor circulation, infections, and amputation. Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disease causing high blood glucose levels and affects hundreds of millions globally.

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Kerala reported another death from Amoebic Meningoencephalitis (Primary Amebic Meningoencephalitis, PAM), raising the 2025 toll to 27 cases. Primary Amebic Meningoencephalitis is a rare, fatal brain infection caused by the free-living amoeba Naegleria fowleri, known as the “brain-eating amoeba.” Infection occurs when contaminated freshwater enters the nasal cavity, allowing the amoeba to reach the brain via the olfactory nerve. It is found in warm freshwater and soil, especially lakes, rivers, hot springs, and unchlorinated pools.

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More than 60 people, mostly children, were hospitalized in Bhopal due to injuries from makeshift “calcium carbide guns” during Diwali celebrations. Calcium carbide has the chemical formula CaC2. It appears as grayish-black lumps or crystalline powder with a garlic-like odor. It is made by heating a mixture of lime and carbon to 2000–2100°C in an electric arc furnace. Calcium carbide is used to produce acetylene gas through hydrolysis. Acetylene is a colourless, odourless, highly flammable gas. Calcium carbide is also used in steel manufacturing, metal cutting, and as an artificial ripening agent.

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Bangladesh became the 8th country in the world to introduce the Typhoid Conjugate Vaccine (TCV) in its routine immunisation programme. Around 50 million children aged 9 months to 15 years will receive the vaccine under a nationwide campaign. India is the major vaccine supplier for this drive but has not yet included TCV in its Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP). Typhoid fever is caused by the Salmonella typhi bacterium and spreads through contaminated food and water or vectors like flies. The disease can lead to fever lasting several weeks, and complications like intestinal perforation can cause death. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates 9–12 million global typhoid cases and over 1 lakh deaths annually — with India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan as hotspots

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In November 2025, Google announced ‘Project Suncatcher,’ a research initiative to create a solar-powered, space-based AI infrastructure system. The project aims to use Tensor Processing Units (TPUs) aboard satellites in low-Earth orbit (LEO) to explore machine learning scalability. It will use Trillium TPUs designed to withstand up to 15 krad(Si) radiation and advanced thermal radiators to manage heat. In partnership with Planet Labs, two prototype satellites will launch in 2027 to test AI performance and optical communication. Solar-powered satellites will operate in a sun-synchronous dawn-dusk orbit, generating up to 8 times the power of ground-based installations

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In a historic milestone, Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled NexCAR19, India’s first indigenous CAR-T Cell Therapy, at the Emerging Science, Technology & Innovation Conclave (ESTIC) 2025 in Delhi. It is developed by ImmunoACT, an IIT Bombay spin-off. It is supported by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC). NexCAR19 is the world’s first humanised CAR-T therapy, truly “Made in India, for the world.” CAR-T Cell Therapy is an immunotherapy that reprograms a patient’s immune cells to fight blood cancers like Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL).

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In November 2025, Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), a Joint Venture (JV) under the Ministry of Power (MoP), announced India’s largest Geothermal Energy Technology (GET) pilot project in Andhra Pradesh (AP). The project will be implemented at two tourism hubs — Araku Valley and Visakhapatnam (Vizag). It uses geothermal systems like Earth Air Tunnel (EAT) Systems and Ground Source Heat Pumps (GSHP). The system works by using the earth’s constant underground temperature at a depth of 7–8 meters (m) for eco-friendly heating and cooling. The technology has a short payback period of 3–4 years, ideal for hotels and tourism infrastructure.

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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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Scientists in Thailand have discovered a new spider species named Damarchus inazuma that is half male and half female. It was found by researchers from Chulalongkorn University in a forest near Nong Rong, Thailand. The spider’s body is perfectly split — left side female with larger fangs and orange colour, and right side male with smaller size and greyish tone. This condition is called gynandromorphism, where an organism has both male and female tissues and traits.