Science & Technology Current Affairs MCQs

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Banaras Hindu University (BHU) inaugurates North India’s first human DNA bank, equipped with an Automated DNA Extractor Machine developed indigenously under the ‘Make in India’ initiative. Installed at the Gnyaneshwar Lab in the Zoology Department on January 30, 2024, the machine minimizes plastic usage, ensuring environmental sustainability. It efficiently extracts DNA from various biological materials, accommodating 32 samples in 30 minutes. The initiative stemmed from a three-day conference on Personalized Medicine held in March 2023, where BHU expressed readiness to establish a genome bank inspired by Estonia.

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The Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram Thermal Power Plant, an 800 MW unit in Yamunanagar, Haryana, is set to be completed in 57 months. A Rs 6900 crore tender was awarded to Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited by Chief Minister Manohar Lal in a High Power Workers Purchase Committee meeting. The plant’s ultra-supercritical unit will increase capacity by 8%, reducing coal consumption and electricity costs. Aligned with ‘Make in India,’ it employs indigenous technology, ensuring uninterrupted power supply and featuring advanced, smaller-sized components for faster, eco-friendly electricity generation.

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NASA’s Cassini spacecraft, part of a joint mission with ESA and ASI, recently unveiled a vast ocean beneath the icy surface of Saturn’s moon Mimas. Launched in 1997, Cassini orbited Saturn from 2004 to 2017, contributing vital insights about the planet and its moons. Weighing 2,125 kg, it mapped Titan’s surface with radar and studied Saturn’s magnetic field. Cassini’s Huygens probe, weighing 349 kg, landed on Titan, discovering six moons and identifying Enceladus and Titan as potential locations for extraterrestrial life.

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The world is on the verge of eradicating Guinea worm disease, a neglected tropical disease caused by the Dracunculus medinensis parasite. According to the World Health Organization, cases dropped to 14 in 2021, 13 in 2022, and just 6 in 2023. The disease is contracted by consuming water contaminated with Guinea worm larvae, leading to painful blisters. Currently, there is no drug treatment or vaccine for Guinea worm disease.

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Solinas, a startup incubated at IIT Madras, developed India’s first septic tank cleaning robot, Homosep Atom, addressing manual scavenging issues. The DST-TBI-supported innovation reaches 16 cities, offering end-to-end solutions for sewer cleaning, reducing costs and promoting robotic cleaning. Solinas specializes in deep-tech, climate tech solutions, including miniature robots addressing water and sanitation challenges. Their technologies, like Endobot and Swasth AI, serve as diagnostic tools, identifying and mitigating water contamination, blockages, and sewer overflows, contributing to societal development and environmental sustainability.

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Hyderabad-based Raghu Vamsi Machine Tools Private Limited unveiled its indigenous Micro Turbojet Engine, “INDRA RV25: 240N.” Developed with support from IIT Hyderabad, this micro turbojet is designed for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), air taxis, jetpacks, and power generation. The engine, operating on the principle of accelerating air to produce thrust, offers applications in various sectors. The fully indigenous technology marks a significant milestone in India’s aerospace capabilities, showcasing the firm’s expertise in turbojet engine development.

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The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore to conduct joint research on blockchain and AI technology. The collaboration aims to find new solutions to complex technological and engineering problems.

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Inflection AI recently unveiled its upgraded LLM, Inflection 2.5, powering the Pi personal assistant chatbot. Positioned as a competitive in-house model, it showcases a uniquely empathetic fine-tuning, excelling in IQ areas like coding and mathematics. With real-time web search capabilities, Pi now provides up-to-date information on diverse topics. Pi, a humane AI companion, engages users in deep conversations, offering free access with six distinct voices. Its vast exposure to web text enables it to answer a wide array of questions.

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Kerala grapples with a mumps outbreak, impacting over 10,000 children in under 70 days. Mumps, caused by the contagious mumps virus, starts with mild symptoms like headache and fever, progressing to severe swelling in salivary glands. It primarily affects unvaccinated children aged 2 to 12, though vaccinated adolescents and adults can still contract it due to waning immunity. The virus spreads through direct contact or airborne droplets, with an average incubation period of 16 to 18 days.

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Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw revealed India’s fastest indigenous IP/MPLS router in Bengaluru, boasting a 2.4 tdps capacity. Collaboration between the Department of Telecom, CDOT, and Nivetti, the router signifies a major milestone in India’s technological progress, showcasing the nation’s prowess in innovation.