41. Which country has achieved the world’s first conversion of thorium into uranium fuel inside a Thorium Molten Salt Reactor (TMSR)?
[A] Bangladesh
[B] China
[C] Japan
[D] India
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [China]
Notes:
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.
42. Scrub Typhus, that was recently seen in news, is caused by which microorganism?
[A] Bacteria
[B] Virus
[C] Fungus
[D] Protozoa
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Bacteria]
Notes:
A Gulf Keralite’s quick return home for fever treatment proved life-saving after he was diagnosed with scrub typhus. Scrub Typhus is an infectious disease caused by the bacteria Orientia tsutsugamushi. It spreads through bites of infected chiggers (young mites) and not from person to person. Its prevalence depends on factors like climate, vector abundance, farming, domestic animals, and sanitation. The disease is more common during cooler months.
43. Where is India’s first 3 Megawatt-hour (MWh) Vanadium Redox Flow Battery system installed?
[A] Greater Noida
[B] Chennai
[C] Hyderabad
[D] Bengaluru
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Greater Noida]
Notes:
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.
44. Which institute has developed India’s first Quantum Diamond Microscope under the National Quantum Mission?
[A] IIT Kanpur
[B] IIT Bombay
[C] IIT Ahmedabad
[D] IIT Roorkee
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [IIT Bombay]
Notes:
Recently, IIT Bombay developed India’s first Quantum Diamond Microscope under the National Quantum Mission. The microscope uses Nitrogen-Vacancy (NV) centres in diamond to image magnetic fields at nanoscale resolution at room temperature. It enables advanced research in neuroscience, materials science, and non-destructive semiconductor testing. This innovation marks India’s first patent in quantum sensing technology. The development strengthens India’s national capability in frontier quantum instrumentation and promotes technological self-reliance in advanced scientific research.
45. Which species is the natural host of the Marburg virus disease that was recently reported in Ethiopia?
[A] Aedes aegypti mosquito
[B] Fruit Bat
[C] Honeybee
[D] Rat
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Fruit Bat]
Notes:
Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed Ethiopia’s first-ever outbreak of Marburg Virus Disease (MVD). MVD is a severe and often fatal hemorrhagic fever caused by the Marburg virus. It was first identified in 1967 in Marburg, Germany. The causative agents are Marburg virus (MARV) and Ravn virus (RAVV) of the species Orthomarburgvirus marburgense. The natural host is the fruit bat Rousettus aegyptiacus of the Pteropodidae family. It spreads from infected bats to humans and then through contact with bodily fluids or contaminated surfaces.
46. Which state has launched KEO, a compact, affordable and AI-ready personal computer, in November 2025?
[A] Karnataka
[B] Kerala
[C] Maharashtra
[D] Gujarat
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Karnataka]
Notes:
On November 17, 2025, Karnataka’s Department of Electronics, IT & BT, with KEONICS, launched KEO, a compact, affordable and AI-ready personal computer designed entirely in Karnataka. KEO stands for Knowledge-driven, Economical, Open-source, built on an open-source RISC-V processor with a Linux-based OS. It features an on-device AI core that works without internet and includes BUDDH, an AI agent trained on the Karnataka DSERT syllabus to help students in low-connectivity areas. KEO will be deployed across schools, universities, businesses, homes and government offices, supporting locally adaptable, home-grown computing.
47. Which institution recently discovered a new deep-sea squid species named Taningia silasii?
[A] National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT)
[B] Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI), Kochi
[C] Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS)
[D] Zoological Survey of India (ZSI)
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI), Kochi]
Notes:
Recently, researchers from the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI), Kochi discovered a new deep-sea squid species in the Arabian Sea and named it Taningia silasii (Indian octopus squid). The species was found at a depth of nearly 390 metres off the Kollam coast. It belongs to the family Octopoteuthidae. It is only the second formally recognised species in the Taningia genus. The first species in this genus was Taningia danae, earlier found in the Atlantic Ocean.
48. Which space agency’s Perseverance rover recently detected electrical activity in Mars’ atmosphere for the first time?
[A] National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
[B] European Space Agency (ESA)
[C] Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
[D] Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)]
Notes:
NASA’s Perseverance Rover recently detected electrical activity in the Martian atmosphere for the first time, marking a major scientific breakthrough. Perseverance, also called “Percy”, is part of the Mars 2020 Mission. It landed in 2021 inside the ancient river delta of Jezero Crater. Its main goal is to search for signs of past life and collect rock and soil samples for future return to Earth. It can detect organic matter, study minerals, map chemical composition, and closely observe distant terrain. It is the first rover to record sounds on Mars and send them back to Earth.
49. Which telescope was used to discover the spiral galaxy “Alaknanda” ?
[A] Hubble Space Telescope
[B] Spitzer Space Telescope
[C] Chandra X-ray Observatory
[D] James Webb Space Telescope
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [James Webb Space Telescope]
Notes:
Researchers at National Centre for Radio Astrophysics – Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (NCRA–TIFR), Pune, discovered a new spiral galaxy named Alaknanda. It lies 12 billion light years away and shows a perfect spiral structure. The name comes from the Alaknanda River and the Hindi word for the Milky Way. The galaxy spans 30,000 light years, with two clear spiral arms around a bright central bulge. It forms stars rapidly, producing 60 solar masses per year. It resembles a young Milky Way, formed when our galaxy was only 10% of its current age. The discovery was made using National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).
50. Tensor Processing Unit (TPU) is developed by which organization?
[A] Google
[B] Microsoft
[C] Meta
[D] Amazon
Show Answer
Correct Answer: A [Google]
Notes:
Meta is reportedly in advanced talks with Google to use its Tensor Processing Units (TPUs). A Tensor Processing Unit (TPU) is a special chip made to speed up Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) tasks. TPUs, developed by Google in 2016, power applications like Google Search, Translate and Photos. They are now widely used in data centres and cloud computing for large AI workloads. TPUs work on tensor computations, which are multi-dimensional data arrays used in deep learning. They offer massive parallel processing, low power use and specialised circuits for AI tasks.