Science & Technology Current Affairs MCQs

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Scientists discovered new species on the seafloor exposed by the A-84 iceberg, which broke off the George VI Ice Shelf on January 13, 2025. An ice shelf is a floating mass of ice, fed by glaciers from land, extending over the sea. Antarctica and Greenland ice sheets hold two-thirds of Earth’s freshwater, with the West Antarctic Ice Sheet being one of the largest. When ice sheets gain mass, sea levels fall, and when they lose mass, sea levels rise. The discovery was part of the Challenger 150, a UNESCO-endorsed global deep-sea research initiative. Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) SuBastian explored the seabed 1,300 meters deep.

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The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) raised concerns over the economic viability of GSAT-18 due to underutilisation of six transponders until 2027. The committee recommended that the Department of Space exercise greater financial prudence in satellite projects using public funds. A revenue loss of ₹117 crore was reported due to idle transponders. GSAT-18 is a communication satellite launched by ISRO on October 5, 2016. It was launched using the Ariane-5 VA-231 rocket from Kourou, French Guiana, with a liftoff weight of 3,404 kg. The satellite has a 15-year mission life (until 2032) and was injected into Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO).

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Chandrayaan-3’s Surface Thermophysical Experiment (ChaSTE) became the first instrument to measure in situ temperatures near the Moon’s south pole. It successfully penetrated lunar soil and deployed a thermal probe, achieving what two previous missions—European Space Agency’s (ESA) Philae (2014) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) InSight Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package (HP3) (2018)—could not. This experiment provided crucial data on lunar surface temperatures, strengthening evidence of water ice deposits. ChaSTE’s thermal probe was integrated into the Vikram lander of Chandrayaan-3, which landed on August 23, 2023.

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POEM-4, or PSLV Orbital Experiment Module-4, recently re-entered Earth’s atmosphere and fell into the Indian Ocean, as tracked by ISRO’s IS4OM (System for Safe and Sustainable Space Operations Management). It is a space research platform developed by ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) using the spent fourth stage (PS4) of the PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle) rocket as an orbiting lab. POEM-4 is part of the SpaDeX (Space Docking Experiment) mission and is the fourth in the POEM series, after POEM-3. It has three times more payload capacity than POEM-3, showing major progress in reusing rocket stages for science.

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Bangladesh has become the 54th country to sign the Artemis Accords, a global agreement for safe and peaceful space exploration. The signing took place in Dhaka, where Secretary of Defense Ashraf Uddin represented Bangladesh. The Artemis Accords promote cooperation, transparency, and responsible behavior in space missions like those to the Moon and beyond. It was originally launched in 2020 by NASA and the US Department of State. They are based on the Outer Space Treaty and other agreements like the Rescue and Return Agreement. Bangladesh’s entry marks its growing role in global space efforts and strengthens ties with NASA and international partners.

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The Karlsruhe Tritium Neutrino (KATRIN) experiment in Germany has made a major advance in particle physics as of April 2025. Neutrinos are neutral subatomic particles formed in radioactive decay and nuclear reactions like those in the sun and stars. The KATRIN (Karlsruhe Tritium Neutrino) experiment, located in Karlsruhe, Germany, aims to measure the mass of the electron antineutrino, which is produced during beta decay. The latest results from KATRIN have reduced the upper limit of neutrino mass to less than 0.45 electron volts, marking a 50% improvement.

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Indian scientists have developed new ways to study and treat Signet Ring Cell Carcinoma (SRCC), a rare and aggressive form of Colorectal Cancer (CRC). Signet Ring Cell Carcinoma (SRCC) starts in the colon or rectum and gets its name from its ring-shaped cells, where mucus pushes the nucleus to one side. It spreads quickly, resists treatment, and is often detected late, making it deadly. Researchers created Patient-Derived Organoids (PDOs), which are 3D tumour models, and Patient-Derived Xenografts (PDXs), where tumour cells are grown in mice. These models mimic real tumours and help test treatments. Though SRCC is rare globally, in India, cases are almost 10 times higher, often affecting younger people.

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Startup QNu Labs has launched the world’s first unique platform called Q-Shield. Q-Shield allows smooth cryptography management across cloud, on-premises, and hybrid setups. It offers a full solution to secure sensitive data both while moving (in transit) and when stored (at rest). It helps enterprises safeguard their critical infrastructure. Critical Infrastructure includes key sectors like the Communications Sector and Energy Sector, where any threat or disruption can harm national security and the economy.

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The Bullseye Galaxy, officially named LEDA 1313424, was recently discovered by an international research team using the Hubble Space Telescope and the W. M. Keck Observatory. This galaxy has a unique ringed structure formed around 50 million years ago due to a head-on collision with a blue dwarf galaxy. The collision created rippling waves of gas, which triggered star formation in circular rings. The Hubble Space Telescope observed eight rings, while the W. M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii confirmed a ninth ring. The galaxy spans 250,000 light-years in diameter, nearly five times larger than the Milky Way. Despite being 130,000 light-years apart, a thin gas trail still links the Bullseye Galaxy to the dwarf galaxy. Scientists believe it may evolve into a Giant Low Surface Brightness Galaxy, which could offer insights into dark matter.

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China has officially launched the world’s first commercial 10 Gigabit per second (10G) broadband network, setting a new global standard for high-speed wired internet. This new 10G broadband offers speeds over 10 times faster than current fiber-optic networks used around the world. It allows ultra-fast downloads and uploads, very low latency, and high bandwidth capacity. It supports advanced applications like 8K video streaming, cloud gaming, smart cities powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI), and virtual reality.