Science & Technology Current Affairs MCQs

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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.

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A 3.5-billion-year-old crater on Mars is named after Indian geologist M. S. Krishnan. The naming was approved by the International Astronomical Union. The International Astronomical Union was founded in 1919. It promotes astronomy research, education, and global cooperation. It standardizes astronomical constants and naming of celestial bodies. It alone has the authority to name planets, craters, and space features. It holds a General Assembly every three years. Its headquarters is in Paris.

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Indian scientists developed a new Artificial Intelligence (AI) tool to improve cancer diagnosis and treatment at the molecular level. The tool, called OncoMark, was created by S. N. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences and Ashoka University under the Department of Science and Technology (DST). It studies cancer through biological “hallmarks” like metastasis, immune evasion, and genomic instability. It goes beyond Tumor–Node–Metastasis (TNM) staging, which often misses hidden tumor behavior. The model was trained on 3.1 million single cells from 14 cancer types. It achieved over 99% accuracy in internal testing and 96% accuracy on patient data.

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ISRO Chairman V Narayanan inaugurated Ananth Technologies’ Ananth Centre of Excellence for Navigation (ACEN) in Thiruvananthapuram. ACEN is India’s first private-sector navigation innovation hub. Ananth Technologies, founded in 1992, contributes to ISRO and Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) missions with expertise in precision sensors, airworthiness, and system integration. Navigation is crucial for missiles, aircraft, ships, and satellites; reliance on foreign GPS revealed strategic vulnerabilities. ACEN will handle Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) of navigation systems domestically.

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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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AIIMS, New Delhi has conducted India’s first clinical trial of an indigenously evaluated advanced stroke treatment device named the Supernova Stent, marking a major milestone in India’s medical research and device innovation. The Supernova Stent is specifically designed for India’s diverse patient population, where strokes tend to occur at a younger age compared to Western countries, making it more suitable for local clinical needs. AIIMS highlighted that this is India’s first stroke intervention device to receive clearance based entirely on a domestic clinical trial, strengthening confidence in indigenous clinical research capabilities.

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Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi have developed an ingestible device that can directly sample bacteria from the small intestine. The innovation helps overcome limitations of current methods like endoscopy or stool analysis, which do not accurately reflect upper gut conditions. The pill-sized device remains closed in the stomach and opens only in the intestine to collect bacterial samples, then reseals safely. It uses an enteric-coated gelatin cap that dissolves at intestinal pH, allowing fluid and microbes to enter sampling chambers. The study was conducted in collaboration with the All India Institute of Medical Sciences Delhi and funded by the Indian Council of Medical Research.

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Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) informed that CSIR–Central Food Technological Research Institute (CSIR–CFTRI), Mysuru worked on four Grant-in-Aid projects on annatto. Annatto is a natural food colour and flavour from seeds of the achiote tree (Bixa orellana), native to tropical Americas. Nearly 70% of natural food colours come from annatto, giving yellow-orange colour to cheese, butter, yogurt, sausages, smoked fish, ice cream, and baked goods. Colour comes from carotenoid pigments; seeds are ground into powder or paste or extracted as dye. It adds mild peppery, nutty and floral flavour; safe in normal amounts but may cause allergies.

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The first Param Rudra supercomputer in Bihar was inaugurated at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Patna. The facility has been established under the National Supercomputing Mission (NSM) and was launched by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). It is the first Param Rudra supercomputer set up in any institute or government office in Bihar. The supercomputer will enable students, faculty, and researchers to perform complex computing across multiple scientific fields.