Science & Technology Current Affairs MCQs

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A Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) outbreak has been reported in Neemuch district of Madhya Pradesh, with two deaths in Manasa town. Guillain-Barré Syndrome is a rare neurological disorder in which the body’s immune system attacks the peripheral nervous system. The peripheral nervous system is the network of nerves outside the brain and spinal cord that controls movement, pain, and sensations. Since the immune system causes the damage, it is an autoimmune disease, also called acute inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy.

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ExoMiner++ is a new deep learning software designed to discover exoplanets. It is developed by NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration). It analyses data from both the Kepler and TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) missions. The software scans stellar “light curves” for dips in brightness caused by planets transiting in front of their stars. Unlike standard black-box models, ExoMiner++ is an explainable AI, offering probability scores and reasoning to help astronomers verify and trust its findings.

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India recently confirmed two Nipah virus cases in West Bengal, with authorities containing the situation through surveillance and airport screenings. Nipah virus (NiV) is a zoonotic virus, meaning it spreads from animals to humans and also through contaminated food or human-to-human contact. Fruit bats of the Pteropodidae family are the natural hosts of Nipah virus. It is listed by the World Health Organization (WHO) under the Research and Development (R&D) Blueprint due to its epidemic potential.

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In January 2026, Microsoft launched its second-generation in-house artificial intelligence (AI) processor called Maia 200. It builds on the first Maia chip that was introduced by Microsoft in 2023. The Maia 200 chip is manufactured by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC). It uses advanced 3-nanometer (nm) process technology and includes high-bandwidth memory. The chip is currently operational at a Microsoft data centre in Iowa, marking its first live deployment. Microsoft plans to expand its deployment to other data centres. Maia 200 offers higher computing power, faster memory bandwidth, and better energy efficiency.

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A 29-year-old man in Karnataka died after contracting Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD), also called monkey fever. Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD) is a tick-borne viral haemorrhagic disease mostly found in southern India, first reported in 1957 from Kyasanur Forest, Karnataka. The virus belongs to the family Flaviviridae, genus Flavivirus, part of the tick-borne encephalitis complex. It is called monkey fever due to its association with monkey deaths.

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Three Indian space start-ups- Astrome Technologies (Bengaluru), Azista Industries (Hyderabad), and Dhruva Space (Hyderabad)- were selected by Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) to develop indigenous small satellite bus platforms. The selection was under Satellite Bus as a Service (SBaaS) initiative, announced in April 2025, inviting proposals from Indian Non-Governmental Entities (NGEs). 15 proposals were received by July 2025; the three selected companies underwent a rigorous, multi-stage evaluation process. Each selected firm will receive a ₹5 crore grant to develop a robust, modular, and scalable small satellite bus capable of hosting multiple customer payloads.

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Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google, announced the America-India Connect initiative at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi. The initiative is a major collaborative digital infrastructure project forming part of Google’s five-year billion-dollar investment in India. It involves the construction of multiple international subsea cables and the development of a new subsea cable landing gateway on India’s east coast. The project aims to provide high-speed, resilient, and low-latency connectivity to support AI and cloud-based workloads across regions.

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The Defence Research and Development Organisation conducted a qualification-level load test of the Gaganyaan drogue parachute at the Rail Track Rocket Sled facility in Chandigarh. This marks a major milestone in India’s human spaceflight mission, Gaganyaan. The drogue parachute is a key part of the Crew Module deceleration system. It deploys during atmospheric re-entry to stabilize the module and reduce speed before the main parachutes open. It was jointly developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation and the Defence Research and Development Organisation.

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Health and Family Welfare Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda launched indigenous Tetanus and Diphtheria vaccine at Central Research Institute, Kasauli in Solan district, Himachal Pradesh. Vaccine supports vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat in health sector. India is known as Pharmacy of the World. Universal Immunization Programme (UIP) is world’s largest immunization programme. Central Research Institute will supply 5.5 million vaccine doses by April 2026 to strengthen immunization coverage.

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On the 40th Foundation Day of the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Union Minister Jitendra Singh launched “SUJVIKA”, an AI-driven Biotech Product Data Portal. It has been developed by Department of Biotechnology (DBT) in collaboration with Association of Biotechnology Led Enterprises (ABLE). SUJVIKA is a Trade Statistics Digital Intelligence Platform that provides authenticated and structured data on biotechnology product imports, offering sector-wise insights into biochemical products, industrial enzymes and other biotech imports.