Science & Technology Current Affairs MCQs

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Astronomers discovered a strange exoplanet named PSR J2322-2650b using the James Webb Space Telescope. The planet is nearly as massive as Jupiter and orbits a pulsar, a dead star emitting strong energy beams. This system is a “black widow pulsar” system, where the pulsar slowly damages the planet with radiation. PSR J2322-2650b has a lemon or football-like shape, stretched by the pulsar’s strong gravity, unlike normal round planets. Its atmosphere is mostly helium and carbon, with clouds of carbon soot that may form diamond rain. The planet orbits extremely close to the pulsar—about 1 million miles away, completing a full orbit in 8 hours.

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A new monoclonal antibody treatment shows promise for primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), a rare liver disease. Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC) is a long-term condition causing inflammation, scarring, and narrowing of bile ducts, leading to liver damage. Bile ducts carry bile from the liver to the gallbladder and small intestine for digestion. Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC) can cause liver failure and increase risk of cancers of the bile ducts, gallbladder, and colon.

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Recent re-analysis of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Cassini spacecraft data suggests that Saturn’s moon Titan may not have a subsurface ocean as earlier believed. Titan is the largest moon of Saturn and the second largest in the solar system after Ganymede. It was discovered by Dutch astronomer Christiaan Huygens. Titan has a radius of about 2,575 kilometres and is much wider than Earth’s Moon. It is the only moon with a dense atmosphere, mainly nitrogen with some methane. Titan is the only world besides Earth with rivers, lakes, and seas of liquid on its surface. It has an Earth-like methane cycle with rain, flow, and evaporation.

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Recently, an observational study on cellulitis was published in the International Journal of Lower Extremity Wounds. Cellulitis is a common skin infection caused mainly by Streptococcus and Staphylococcus bacteria. It usually affects the legs, feet, and toes but can also involve face, arms, hands, and fingers. The infection affects tissues beneath the skin. Risk factors include skin wounds or a weakened immune system, which allow bacteria to enter easily. Cellulitis is generally not contagious, except rarely through open-wound contact with an infected person.

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Scientists recently used drones to detect a dangerous Cetacean morbillivirus (CeMV) among whales in the Arctic. Cetacean morbillivirus is a viral infection affecting marine mammals, especially cetaceans like whales, dolphins, and porpoises. CeMV has caused multiple outbreaks worldwide, particularly in the North Atlantic and the Mediterranean. Transmission occurs through respiratory routes and direct contact, with the virus shed via ocular and respiratory secretions, urine, feces, and sloughed skin. The virus affects the respiratory and neurological systems, leading to mass strandings and deaths of marine mammals.

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Scientists at the Raman Research Institute (RRI), Bengaluru have developed a novel, non-invasive technique to measure the local density of cold atoms in real time without disturbing their quantum state. The method, called Raman Driven Spin Noise Spectroscopy (RDSNS), overcomes limitations of conventional atom-imaging methods used in cold atom experiments. Cold atoms, cooled near absolute zero, are crucial for quantum computing, quantum sensing, and precision measurement, but traditional detection methods like absorption and fluorescence imaging are often destructive or slow.

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Recently, phytoplasma-induced root wilt disease has severely damaged traditional coconut-growing areas in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala. It is caused by phytoplasma bacteria and is one of the most devastating coconut palm diseases. It was first identified over 150 years ago in Erattupetta, Kerala, it is classified as a non-fatal disease. The disease does not kill palms but drastically reduces their productivity. It spreads through insect vectors, wind movement, and continuous coconut plantations. Spread is faster in sandy, sandy loam, and alluvial soils and is worsened by erratic temperatures and whitefly pests.

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Recently, lunar regolith brought by China’s Chang’e-6 mission revealed that the Moon formed from the remains of an ancient collision with Earth. Chang’e-6 is China’s first human sampling and return mission from the Moon’s far side, part of the Chang’e lunar exploration program. It was launched on 3 May 2024 via Long March-5 rocket from Wenchang Space Launch Center, Hainan. The mission includes an orbiter, returner, lander, and ascender. The lander used sensors (microwave, laser, optical) and collected samples via drilling and a robotic arm. It is China’s second successful mission to the Moon’s far side after Chang’e-4 in 2019.

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Recently, a new microscopic crustacean named Indiaphonte bijoyi was discovered in the Kavaratti lagoon of the Lakshadweep islands. It is a tiny crustacean belonging to the family Laophontidae under the Copepoda class. The species lives within sediments of aquatic environments, making it a sediment-dwelling organism. It has a semi-cylindrical and slightly flattened body, broader at the centre and narrowing towards the rear end. It is classified as meiofauna, meaning very small invertebrate animals measuring less than one millimetre in size.

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According to the World Health Organization (WHO), scabies is among the most common skin diseases in developing countries. Scabies is a contagious parasitic skin infestation found worldwide. It is caused by the Sarcoptes scabiei mite, which burrows under the skin and causes an itchy rash. It is more common in hot and tropical regions like India. WHO classifies scabies as a Neglected Tropical Disease due to its impact on poor communities.