Science & Technology Current Affairs MCQs

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Sweden has joined Indian Space Research Organisation’s Shukrayaan, strengthening international cooperation in space exploration. Shukrayaan, also called the Venus Orbiter Mission (VOM), is India’s first scientific mission to study Venus. The mission was approved in 2024 and is scheduled for launch in March 2028. Its objective is to study Venus’s surface, subsurface, atmosphere, and the Sun’s influence on the planet’s atmospheric processes. ISRO will develop the spacecraft and conduct the launch.

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International Advanced Research Centre for Powder Metallurgy and New Materials under the Department of Science and Technology developed a cost-effective thermal energy storage material. The innovation can improve the efficiency of thermal batteries used in concentrated solar power plants and industrial waste heat recovery systems. Scientists developed a scalable process to produce spinel nano-composite Phase Change Material with enhanced thermal storage capacity.

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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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Researchers from Indian Institute of Technology Madras and Indian Institute of Science Bengaluru achieved a major chemistry breakthrough by creating a new carbon-free molecule with a “sandwich” structure similar to ferrocene. Ferrocene, discovered in the 1950s, consists of an iron atom sandwiched between two carbon-based rings and is widely used in medicines, batteries, electronics, and advanced materials. Scientists had tried for over 70 years to create a similar stable structure without carbon but had failed. The Indian researchers successfully synthesized a molecule using osmium at the centre and boron-based rings instead of carbon rings.

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Google introduced “information agents” that monitor the web on behalf of users. Information agents are AI-powered assistants integrated with search systems that continuously track websites, updates, listings, and user-defined tasks. These agents perform more effectively when provided with detailed personal information such as location, finances, and user preferences.

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Google’s biotechnology initiative Project Debug has applied to the United States Environmental Protection Agency to release sterile male mosquitoes in California and Florida. The project aims to biologically control disease-carrying mosquitoes using eco-friendly methods instead of chemical pesticides. The initiative mainly targets mosquito species such as Culex and Aedes aegypti, which spread diseases like West Nile virus, dengue, Zika, and St. Louis encephalitis.

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Scientists from the Agharkar Research Institute, Pune, have developed a gene-silencing strategy for effective tumor inhibition in breast cancer. The institute functions under the Department of Science and Technology (DST). Researchers developed a biodegradable nanocarrier platform for targeted gene therapy in breast cancer. The technology uses mesoporous silica nanoparticles to deliver small interfering RNA (siRNA) molecules that silence disease-causing genes. The nanocarrier is functionalized with a protamine biopolymer and an MUC1-specific aptamer for precise targeting of breast cancer cells.

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Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) has released a new green chilli variety called KAU Thejaswini. The variety has been developed to promote chemical-free backyard and kitchen gardening. It was developed by the Department of Vegetable Science, College of Agriculture, Vellayani. It starts yielding chillies within 2 months of sowing. The variety was approved by the 30th State Seed Sub-Committee.

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Recently, researchers from Mumbai, Kochi, and Japan used the GRAPES-3 telescope to study how the Earth’s upper atmosphere temperature and the Sun’s magnetic field influence muons, which are subatomic particles originating from space. The study helps improve understanding of how cosmic rays interact with the Earth’s atmosphere. The GRAPES-3 Telescope is designed to study the origin, acceleration, and propagation of cosmic rays. It detects extensive air showers produced when high-energy cosmic rays or gamma rays enter the Earth’s atmosphere. It is located in Ooty, Tamil Nadu, India, and operated by the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research.

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The WHO recently confirmed a case of Marburg Virus Disease (MVD) in Uganda. MVD is a severe, often fatal viral haemorrhagic disease caused by the Marburg virus. The virus belongs to the Filoviridae family, the same family as the Ebola virus. It is a zoonotic disease affecting humans and non-human primates. It was first identified in 1967 and is named after Marburg, Germany. The primary reservoir is the Egyptian fruit bat (Rousettus aegyptiacus). It spreads through direct contact with infected bodily fluids or contaminated objects; it is not airborne.