Science & Technology Current Affairs MCQs

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China’s newest aircraft carrier, Fujian, completed its maiden sea trial after six years of construction. Launched in 2022 as a Type 003 carrier, it boasts a displacement of nearly 80,000 metric tons, surpassing Shandong and Liaoning in size. Unlike its predecessors, Fujian features a Catapult Assisted Take-Off Barrier Arrested Recovery (CATOBAR) system. It’s expected to carry advanced aircraft like Shenyang J-15 fighters and JL-10 trainer jets, despite being conventionally powered.

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The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully tested a liquid rocket engine made via 3D printing. ISRO utilized the PS4 engine, employed in the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle’s fourth stage, for this advancement. 3D printing constructs objects layer by layer from computer-generated designs. It reduces components from 14 to one, eliminates 19 weld joints, saving 97% of raw material, and cuts production time by 60%.

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David Salvagnini, formerly NASA’s chief data officer, is appointed as the new chief artificial intelligence (AI) officer. His expanded role emphasizes responsible AI use. NASA leverages AI tools to support missions and research, analyze data, and develop autonomous systems for spacecraft and aircraft. According to NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, AI has long been safely utilized, accelerating discoveries. David will lead NASA’s efforts in responsible AI use, aligning with its mission to benefit humanity.

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Tele MANAS, an initiative of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, offers free tele-mental health services nationwide, with 23 centers of excellence. Calls from ages 15–30 have surged, citing sleep issues, stress, low mood, fear of failure, and parental concerns. Nodal center: National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), supported by International Institute of Information Technology-Bangalore (IIITB).

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Next month, on June 3, six planets—Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune—will align in the sky. This alignment, an optical illusion of perspective, will be visible from Earth. Mars and Saturn will be visible to the naked eye, though dimly, while Uranus and Neptune will require telescopes or binoculars. Mercury and Jupiter will be hard to see due to their proximity to the Sun. Planetary alignment refers to the illusion of planets forming a line in space when viewed from a specific vantage point, rather than being perfectly aligned. This optical phenomenon offers a unique celestial spectacle, highlighting the dynamic interactions within our solar system.

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Scientists from IIT Guwahati and Columbia University have developed a novel nanopatterning method using a tabletop IR laser. Led by Dr. Rishi Maiti from IIT Guwahati, the research was published in Science Advances. Nanopatterning, crucial for creating nano-scaled optical elements, significantly impacts advanced light detectors, solar cells, lasers, and LEDs. The technique manipulates materials at scales 100,000 times smaller than a human hair’s width.

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Twelve nations signed the Zero Debris Charter at the ESA/EU Space Council, committing to sustainable human activities in Earth orbit. The European Space Agency (ESA) initiated the Charter in November 2023. It aims to eliminate space debris by 2030 through ambitious technical targets and global cooperation. Although non-binding, it sets key goals like a debris generation probability below 1 in 1,000 per object and 99% post-mission disposal success.

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Researchers identified 40 novel Nidoviruses in vertebrates using AI. Nidoviruses are enveloped, positive-strand RNA viruses infecting both vertebrates and invertebrates. When hosts are co-infected with different viruses, gene recombination can occur, potentially creating new, more hazardous viruses.

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The James Webb Space Telescope set a new record by detecting the galaxy JADES-GS-z14-0, observed as it was 290 million years after the Big Bang. This surpasses the previous record of 325 million years. The galaxy’s unexpected brightness suggests rapid star formation or more luminous early stars. Webb’s observation of significant oxygen indicates the galaxy’s advanced maturity despite its young age.

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The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) developed PraVaHa, a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software, at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre. Parallel RANS Solver for Aerospace Vehicle Aero-thermo-dynamic Analysis (PraVaHa) simulates airflow for launch vehicles, crucial for designing their shape, structure, and thermal protection systems. It is used in the Gaganyaan program for analyzing human-rated launch vehicles. Currently, it simulates airflow for perfect and real gas conditions, with ongoing validations for chemical reactions in scramjet vehicles.