Science & Technology Current Affairs MCQs

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In July 2024, Minghao Nie from the University of Tokyo, Japan showcased a robot face covered in human skin tissue. This research, led by Shoji Takeuchi, aims to enhance robotic realism by incorporating living tissue capable of expressing emotions. The breakthrough allows robots to make facial expressions, combining biological materials with robotics to create more human-like machines.

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A health alert has been issued in the United States after hantavirus, a rodent-borne disease, killed four people. Hantaviruses can cause severe lung (hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, HPS) or kidney (hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, HFRS) infections. Transmission occurs through inhalation of infected rodent urine, droppings, or saliva. Symptoms include sudden fever, headache, muscle aches, abdominal pain, cough, and shortness of breath. The infection can worsen quickly, leading to lung failure and death. There is no specific treatment, but early medical care can help manage severe cases. More than half of lung-infected patients die.

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Scientists have developed an advanced genome-editing tool called enhanced FnCas9, which provides more precise and efficient DNA modifications than current CRISPR technologies. It cuts DNA more effectively with fewer off-target effects and can correct single-nucleotide changes better. In tests, enhanced FnCas9 successfully corrected a mutation causing inherited blindness in stem cells, showing high efficiency and potential for improving genetic diagnostics and therapies.

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The Indian Army has approved the procurement of the Advanced Land Navigation System (ALNS) Mk-II for its Armoured Fighting Vehicles (AFVs). This Ring Laser Gyro-based system offers Inertial, GPS, and Hybrid navigation modes and is designed to be spoof-proof with high encryption. It is compatible with Indian and global navigation systems and Defence Series Maps, ensuring high accuracy. The system will be procured from Bharat Electronics Limited under the Buy Indian-IDDM category.

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World Organ Donation Day 2024 is celebrated on August 13 to raise awareness about organ donation. The theme for 2024 is “Be the Reason for Someone’s Smile Today.” Thousands of people worldwide await life-saving organ transplants each year. The day aims to promote the importance of organ donation and dispel related myths. It also honors organ donors who have saved lives and given others a chance at a healthy life.

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Sweden reported its first case of the dangerous Clade 1b variant of mpox, which has been causing a severe outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo since September 2023. The case was confirmed in Stockholm and contracted during a visit to Africa. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) assesses the risk of transmission in Sweden as very low due to the country’s high vaccination rate against mpox.

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India will train healthcare professionals to use the BPalM regimen for treating multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). The BPalM regimen includes bedaquiline, pretomanid, linezolid, and moxifloxacin. Recommended by WHO in 2022, it’s already available in nearly 40 countries. The BPalM regimen is more effective, has fewer side effects, and shortens treatment time from 18-24 months to six months. It also helps prevent TB transmission, making it crucial for India’s goal to eliminate TB by 2025, as the country has 27% of global TB cases.

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Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) astronomers developed a method to study the Sun’s magnetic fields using the Kodaikanal Tower Tunnel Telescope. The study focused on a sunspot region with complex features like multiple umbrae and a penumbra. Observations were made using Hydrogen-alpha and Calcium II spectral lines, revealing magnetic field differences at various atmospheric heights. The Tunnel Telescope’s 3-mirror Coelostat setup allowed precise Sun tracking and improved data accuracy. Solar magnetic fields are generated by the movement of electrically charged particles, affecting sunspots, prominences, and coronal loops.

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The Prime Minister will meet staff representatives in the national-level Joint Consultative Mechanism (JCM) for the first time in 10 years. The JCM is a platform for dialogue between government employees and officials to peacefully resolve disputes. Introduced in 1966, the JCM aims to promote harmonious relations and cooperation between the Central Government and its employees. The JCM is a non-statutory scheme based on mutual agreement between staff and officials.

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Recently, five people fell unconscious and were hospitalized in Visakhapatnam while shifting acetanilide bags between containers. Acetanilide is a synthetic organic compound with the formula C8H9NO, also known as N-phenylacetamide or acetanil. It is a white, odorless solid related to acetic acid and was first used as a fever-reducing drug in 1886.
Acetanilide was used for pain relief, including headaches and cramps, but has been largely replaced by acetaminophen (paracetamol) due to toxic side effects that affect hemoglobin function. It is still used as an intermediate in producing dyes, rubber, and other chemicals.