Science & Technology Current Affairs MCQs

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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.

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The World Health Organisation (WHO) launched its Pandemic Preparedness and Emergency Response site at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi. This site is part of a global WHO network being set up to conduct rapid investigations and studies during pandemics or epidemics. The goal is to ensure a timely and effective public health response to global health emergencies. The launch was attended by WHO Representative to India, Payden, and AIIMS Director, Dr. M. Srinivas. The site will also operate during non-pandemic periods to maintain continuous readiness and system strength.

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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.

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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.

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Blue Origin recently launched NASA’s ESCAPADE mission to Mars. ESCAPADE (Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers) is NASA’s first coordinated multi-spacecraft orbital science mission to Mars. It consists of twin orbiters named Blue and Gold that will observe Mars from different locations simultaneously. The mission is part of NASA’s SIMPLEx (Small Innovative Missions for Planetary Exploration) program.

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Researchers at Indian Institute of Technology Madras developed India’s first Indigenous Vessel Traffic Management System (VTMS) for ports. The system was built by the National Technology Centre for Ports, Waterways and Coasts (NTCPWC) as per guidelines of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoSPW), Government of India. It gives India full control over source code, data, and vessel movement information, ensuring high maritime security. The VTMS is cost-effective, secure, scalable, and easy to maintain.

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Ten blackbucks died in Jamshedpur Zoological Park, Jharkhand due to suspected Haemorrhagic Septicaemia (HS). Haemorrhagic Septicaemia (HS) is also called Pasteurellosis and is caused by Pasteurella multocida bacteria. It mainly affects cattle and buffaloes, with young animals more vulnerable. Bacteria survive longer in humid and waterlogged conditions. It spreads through contaminated food, water, air and direct contact.

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Aditya-L1, India’s first solar observatory, helped scientists understand why the May 2024 solar storm — the strongest in 20+ years — behaved unusually. A solar storm is a sudden burst of particles, energy, magnetic fields, and solar material ejected by the Sun. It is caused when the Sun’s twisted magnetic fields become overstretched and snap in a magnetic reconnection, releasing huge energy. Solar storms can produce a solar flare, radiation storm, or a coronal mass ejection (CME).

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A new study warns that heavy use of artemisinin and favourable conditions can create new hotspots of drug resistance, with resistance markers slowly rising in parts of Africa. Artemisinin is an antimalarial drug obtained from the sweet wormwood plant called Artemisia annua. It was discovered in the 1970s and became a major breakthrough when malaria parasites developed resistance to older drugs like chloroquine. It is effective against all malaria-causing parasites of the Plasmodium genus, mainly during the blood stage. Artemisinin quickly reduces parasites but stays in the body for a short time, so it is combined with other drugs. The World Health Organization recommends artemisinin-based combination therapies as the standard treatment for Plasmodium falciparum malaria.

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Kavach is an indigenously developed Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system designed to improve railway operational safety across the Indian Railways network. It was developed by the Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO) of Indian Railways. As of December 2025, the system has been commissioned on over 2,000 km of railway routes, with 7,129 km of Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) laid, 860 telecom towers installed, 767 stations connected, 3,413 km of trackside equipment deployed, and 4,154 locomotives fitted with Kavach. About 40,000 technicians and operators have been trained, reflecting the scale of operational readiness.