41. The Samriddh Gram Phygital Services Pilot Project was recently launched by which organization?
[A] Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI)
[B] Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL)
[C] Telecom Centres of Excellence (TCoE)
[D] Ministry of Power
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Telecom Centres of Excellence (TCoE)]
Notes:
The Telecom Centres of Excellence (TCoE) recently signed agreements with key partners to launch the Samriddh Gram Phygital Services Pilot Project. The project aims to transform rural India by combining physical and digital (phygital) services. It integrates on-ground service delivery with strong digital infrastructure to empower rural citizens. The initiative uses BharatNet connectivity to ensure smooth and sustainable access to essential services. Three villages have been selected for the pilot — Ari and Umri in Madhya Pradesh, Narakoduru in Andhra Pradesh, and Chaurawala in Uttar Pradesh. Each village will have a Samriddhi Kendra serving as an integrated digital service hub.
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. Batten disease, that was recently seen in news, primarily affects which part of the human body?
[A] Heart
[B] Lungs
[C] Kidneys
[D] Brain
Show Answer
Correct Answer: D [Brain]
Notes:
Recently, researchers found that male and female brains respond differently as Batten Disease progresses, opening new paths for treatment. Batten Disease is a rare genetic disorder affecting the brain and nervous system. It is congenital, progressive, and terminal, leading to steady decline in nervous system function. Symptoms include loss of vision and seizures, beginning in infancy, childhood, or rarely adulthood. Life expectancy varies from early childhood to the twenties depending on the form.
44. Motor Neuron Disease (MND), that was recently seen in news, primarily affects which part of the human body?
[A] Circulatory system
[B] Nervous system
[C] Digestive system
[D] Endocrine system
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Nervous system]
Notes:
Scientists have recently developed a breakthrough therapy that clears toxic proteins from nerve cells, offering new hope for treating Motor Neuron Disease (MND). Motor Neuron Disease (MND), also known as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) or Lou Gehrig’s Disease, is a rare condition that damages parts of the nervous system. It causes muscle weakness, wasting, and paralysis as motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord die prematurely, stopping signals between the brain and muscles. Around 20% of cases are genetic, mostly affecting people over 50 years old. There is currently no cure, but treatment helps manage symptoms.
45. What is the name of India’s first indigenous CRISPR-based gene therapy for Sickle Cell Disease?
[A] SCD-CURE
[B] GEN-EDIT 1
[C] BIRSA 101
[D] HematoGene
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [BIRSA 101]
Notes:
India’s first indigenous CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats)-based gene therapy for Sickle Cell Disease (SCD), named BIRSA 101, was recently launched by the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology. It is developed by CSIR (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research) – Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB). BIRSA 101 uses CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technology to precisely correct the genetic mutation causing SCD. The therapy is administered as a one-time infusion, after which the body produces normal red blood cells instead of sickle-shaped ones.
46. Google has inaugurated its biggest AI infrastructure hardware engineering centre outside the US in which country?
[A] Singapore
[B] Taiwan
[C] South Korea
[D] Japan
Show Answer
Correct Answer: B [Taiwan]
Notes:
Google inaugurated its largest Artificial Intelligence (AI) infrastructure hardware engineering centre outside the US in Taipei, Taiwan. The centre will focus on AI infrastructure hardware engineering for Google’s global operations. Technology developed and tested at the centre will be deployed across Google’s global data centres. These AI systems support billions of Google devices and services worldwide. The centre reinforces Taiwan’s role as a key hub for global AI innovation.
47. Where was India’s first single-use bioprocess design and scale-up facility inaugurated in November 2025?
[A] Bengaluru
[B] Kolkata
[C] Hyderabad
[D] Chennai
Show Answer
Correct Answer: C [Hyderabad]
Notes:
Telangana’s 1 Bio, India’s first single-use bioprocess design and scale-up facility, was inaugurated at Genome Valley, Hyderabad. It was created to solve the lack of affordable bioprocess scale-up infrastructure despite Telangana’s strong biotech talent. The facility supports start-ups and big companies with end-to-end process development and pilot validation. It was developed by the Government of Telangana, Telangana Lifesciences, Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Government of India, and Telangana Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TGIIC). It has 500-litre bioreactors, advanced processing systems, and analytical labs.
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.