Science & Technology Current Affairs MCQs

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The Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP) in Bengaluru unveils OptiDrop, a groundbreaking microfluidic chip-based platform. OptiDrop simplifies single-cell studies, cutting costs and enabling precise analysis within encapsulated droplets. Supported by BIRAC, DST, and MHRD, its features include live data visualization and a ‘closed’ system design. With applications spanning diagnostics, therapeutics, agriculture, and animal health, OptiDrop facilitates drug screening, water contamination monitoring, CAR-T cell sorting, CRISPR-modified cell selection, and single-cell genomics.

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Members of a Russian military intelligence unit are suspected of targeting US officials’ brains with directed energy weapons, leading to symptoms known as Havana syndrome. This condition, reported by US embassy officials in Cuba in 2016, involves migraines, fatigue, and cognitive impairment. India witnessed its first case in 2021 when a US intelligence officer traveling with CIA Director William Burns reported symptoms in New Delhi, raising concerns about similar incidents worldwide.

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Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) launched TSAT-1A, an optical sub-metre-resolution Earth observation satellite, with SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. Built in collaboration with Satellogic Inc., it offers military-grade imagery capabilities and multispectral/hyperspectral imaging. Deployed for Indian defense, it enhances preparedness and strategic decision-making. Assembled in Karnataka, it marks the private sector’s first foray into military satellite development, complementing India’s existing ISRO-built spy satellites.

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Researchers at IIT Jodhpur created a nanosensor for rapid Cytokine detection, crucial in cell regulation. It aims to reduce mortality by addressing delayed diagnoses. This technology promises rapid, point-of-care health monitoring, disease diagnosis, and immune response tracking. Prof. Ajay Agarwal stated the technique shows promise for key biomarkers like IL-6, IL-β, and TNF-α. Currently in development, clinical trials are imminent. This innovation could revolutionize healthcare diagnostics and patient management.

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Gopi Thotakura is set to make history as the first Indian space tourist on Blue Origin’s NS-25 mission, founded by Jeff Bezos. Space tourism offers recreational or business space travel. It’s divided into sub-orbital and orbital trips. Sub-orbital flights briefly breach the Kármán line (~100 km) before returning to Earth, like NS-25. Orbital trips go farther, allowing for stays of days to weeks at around 1.3 million feet altitude, exemplified by SpaceX’s 2021 mission.

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Astronomers have identified Gaia-BH3, the most massive known stellar black hole in the Milky Way. Discovered through data from the Gaia mission, it causes an unusual ‘wobbling’ of its companion star. Confirmed by ground-based observatories, it boasts a mass 33 times that of our sun, located 1,926 light-years away in Aquila. Gaia-BH1, another nearby black hole, has nearly 10 solar masses. Sagittarius A* remains the galaxy’s most massive black hole.

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NASA’s Voyager 1 probe, launched in 1977, is transmitting vital data after a period of malfunction, the agency announced. The spacecraft’s mission aims to explore the outer Solar System and beyond, conducting flybys of Jupiter and Saturn, discovering new moons and rings. It became the first human-made object to exit the Solar System in 2012, carrying a golden record depicting life on Earth. Voyager 1 is expected to remain operational until at least 2025, currently 13.8 billion miles away from the sun.

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Google’s DeepMind collaborated with Liverpool Football Club to develop TacticAI, an AI system focusing on corner kick tactics. This tool offers predictive and generative insights, aiding football managers in strategic decisions. It allows coaches to sample various player setups for corner kicks, selecting the most successful ones. TacticAI integrates both predictive and generative components, enhancing its effectiveness in tactical analysis.

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Google DeepMind unveils AlphaFold 3, an AI model co-developed with Isomorphic Labs. It accurately predicts molecular structures and interactions, including human DNA, aiding drug design and disease targeting. It models proteins, DNA, RNA, and small molecules, revealing their 3D structures and chemical modifications crucial for cellular functions. AlphaFold 3’s diffusion network assembly offers insights into biological complexities, aiding understanding of drug actions, hormone production, and DNA repair for improved medical research and treatment.

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The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has issued updated Dietary Guidelines for Indians in 2024, developed by researchers from the National Institute of Nutrition in Hyderabad. Emphasizing physical activity, regular exercise, and limitations on salt and high fat/sugar foods, the guidelines aim to combat obesity.