Science & Technology Current Affairs MCQs

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Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu laid the foundation stone for the Google Cloud India AI Hub in Visakhapatnam. The project is part of a major collaboration involving Google Cloud, Adani Group, and Bharti Airtel. Google has committed an investment of USD 15 billion, making it one of India’s largest foreign direct investments. The AI data centre will have a capacity of 1 Gigawatt and will be built over 600 acres. It will enhance India’s artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and digital infrastructure.

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GalaxEye has successfully launched Mission Drishti, the world’s first OptoSAR satellite. The satellite was launched aboard Falcon 9 from California, United States. Mission Drishti weighs about 190 kilograms and is the largest Earth observation satellite built by a private Indian company. It combines optical and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) technology for all-weather, day-and-night imaging. The mission enhances India’s capabilities in Earth observation and strategic monitoring.

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The NISAR satellite detected rapid land subsidence in Mexico City caused by excessive groundwater extraction. NISAR stands for NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar, the first joint Earth observation mission between NASA and ISRO. It will be launched by the GSLV-F16 (GSLV Mk-II) launch vehicle into a sun-synchronous polar orbit. The mission life of the satellite is five years. NISAR is the first satellite to use both L-band and S-band Synthetic Aperture Radar from a single platform. It provides fully polarimetric and interferometric imaging with 240 km swath coverage and revisits Earth every 12 days using SweepSAR technology.

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Valley fever recently came into news after a 37-year-old Indian tech professional in California died due to severe lung complications and respiratory failure caused by the infection. Also known as acute coccidioidomycosis, it is a fungal disease caused by Coccidioides fungi found in dry, dusty soil of the southwestern United States, Mexico, and parts of Central and South America. Infection occurs by inhaling airborne fungal spores disturbed through farming, construction, or wind; it does not spread from person to person. Treatment involves antifungal medicines, while no vaccine is currently available.

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Researchers from China developed an Artificial Intelligence-driven method to convert nitrate-rich wastewater into ammonia for fertilisers. The technology uses a dual-atom catalyst discovered through machine learning to improve nitrate electroreduction efficiency. The new process achieves nearly three times higher conversion efficiency compared to earlier technologies. Unlike the energy-intensive Haber-Bosch process, this method works at room temperature, reducing energy consumption. The innovation helps address water pollution, reduces environmental dead zones, and supports a circular economy through sustainable fertiliser production.

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Indian Space Research Organisation developed the Environmental Control and Life Support System for the Gaganyaan mission. The ECLSS is a mission-critical system designed to recreate Earth-like sea-level conditions inside a spacecraft for astronauts in low Earth orbit. The system regulates cabin air composition, atmospheric pressure, temperature, humidity, and waste management to ensure astronaut safety and comfort.

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A recent study by All India Institute of Medical Sciences Bhopal highlighted the need for early and advanced health screening in children affected by Sickle Cell Disease. Sickle Cell Disease is a group of inherited blood disorders that affect haemoglobin in red blood cells. The most severe and common form of the disease is sickle cell anaemia. The disease is inherited genetically when a child receives sickle cell genes from both parents. Treatments include symptom management, bone marrow transplant, and emerging gene therapy approaches.

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New observations from the James Webb Space Telescope suggest that Nereid may not have originated from the Kuiper Belt as previously believed. Nereid is the third-largest moon of Neptune. It was discovered by Dutch astronomer Gerard Kuiper. The moon is named after the sea nymphs of Greek mythology. Nereid has one of the most eccentric orbits among moons in the Solar System.

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GigaAI, a robotics startup in China, has developed the SeeLight S1, described as one of the first commercial robotic butlers for household use. The robot was developed by GigaAI, a startup backed by Huawei’s investment arm. The humanoid robot can perform household tasks such as cooking, washing clothes, making beds, and opening curtains. China is promoting such robotics technologies to address labour shortages and demographic challenges.

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Ci2, developed by Fortytwo Labs, became India’s first cryptographic algorithm to receive C-SAFE recognition. Fortytwo Labs is a Pune-based deep-tech cybersecurity company. It is India’s first and only C-SAFE recognized organization. C-SAFE (Cryptographic Security Assessment and Functional Evaluation) is India’s first independent framework for evaluating and certifying cryptographic algorithms. It is awarded by the Data Security Council of India (DSCI).