Science & Technology Current Affairs MCQs

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India has developed its first indigenous MRI machine to reduce import dependence and treatment costs. It will be installed at AIIMS Delhi by October for trials. Currently, 80-85% of medical equipment in India is imported. The indigenous MRI machine aims to boost India’s self-reliance in medical technology. An MoU was signed between AIIMS Delhi and SAMEER, an autonomous R&D lab under the Department of Electronics. The installation will be for a 1.5 Tesla MRI scanner.

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The Government of India will establish the Second National Gene Bank to conserve 10 lakh crop germplasm for future food and nutritional security. This initiative is part of the “Investing in Innovations” theme of Union Budget 2025-26. A Gene Bank stores seeds, pollen, and plant tissues to protect plant species, aid crop breeding, and ensure biodiversity conservation. India’s First National Gene Bank was established in 1996 by Indian Council of Agricultural Research – National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (ICAR-NBPGR), New Delhi. It is the second-largest Gene Bank globally, housing 4,71,561 accessions of 2,157 species.

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Dryad Networks, a Berlin-based environmental Internet of Things (IoT) startup, introduced the Silvaguard drone for ultra-early wildfire detection. The Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based drone enhances fire detection, location, and monitoring using infrared imaging. It works with Silvanet, a solar-powered gas sensor network, detecting fires at the smoldering stage. Each sensor protects an area equal to a football field and attaches to trees. Once Silvanet detects a fire, Silvaguard flies to the location, captures video and infrared images, and sends real-time data to firefighters.

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Researchers in China successfully transplanted a gene-modified pig liver into a human with brain death to evaluate its function. Xenotransplantation involves transplanting cells, tissues, or organs from non-human animals into humans. Early attempts at xenotransplantation began in the 1980s with heart transplants. Genetic modifications are necessary to prevent immune rejection of animal organs in humans. Post-transplant monitoring is essential to assess organ function and immune responses.

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SpaceX recently launched a private astronaut crew on a historic polar-orbiting mission from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard a Falcon 9 rocket. A Polar Orbit (PO) is a type of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) between 200 km and 1,000 km in altitude. Unlike equatorial orbits, satellites in a polar orbit travel from pole to pole. Polar orbits allow satellites to cover the entire Earth’s surface as the planet rotates. These orbits are crucial for Earth observation, climate monitoring, and reconnaissance. The Fram2 mission is the first human spaceflight to use this trajectory, marking a milestone in space exploration.

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New observations of the Great Red Spot on Jupiter show unexpected atmospheric activity above and around the storm. The Great Red Spot is an anticyclone, a high-pressure system that creates a long-lasting storm. It is located in Jupiter’s Southern Hemisphere. It appears as a massive red spot, though the cause of its red color remains unknown. The storm extends above Jupiter’s main cloud layers and is the largest known storm in the Solar System. The storm has existed for at least 150 years and may be even older. Its long duration is linked to Jupiter’s gaseous composition, which lacks a solid surface that would dissipate the storm’s energy. Unlike hurricanes on Earth that weaken upon landfall, Jupiter’s storm remains active due to its deep atmosphere.

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Nature Genetics published results from the GenomeIndia Project, which sequenced whole genomes of about 10,000 people from 85 different population groups, including 32 tribal and 53 non-tribal communities across India. The study found 180 million genetic variants, with 130 million on autosomes, which are non-sex chromosomes, and 50 million on sex chromosomes, X and Y. Some of these variants are linked to diseases, some are rare, and many are unique to India or certain communities. The GenomeIndia Project was launched in 2020 by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) to map India’s genetic diversity.

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Scientists at Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST) in Thiruvananthapuram have developed a new real-time test for Tuberculosis (TB) called the real-time Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification (rt-LAMP) assay. The rt-LAMP assay is similar to GeneXpert and Truenat, with high sensitivity to detect even 10 TB DNA copies per microlitre. Unlike Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR), which needs three temperature cycles, rt-LAMP works at a single temperature, making it simpler and faster. It uses six primers for stronger DNA detection, compared to two in RT-PCR. The use of Syto 16 fluorescent dye avoids false negatives. Results are available in just 10–20 minutes, helping in early TB diagnosis.

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The European Space Agency (ESA) is preparing to launch the Biomass Mission on April 29, 2025, using a Vega C rocket from Korou Spaceport, French Guiana. The satellite will orbit Earth at 666 km in a sun-synchronous orbit, allowing consistent lighting for accurate observations. It will provide the first global measurements of forest biomass, helping scientists map forests and track their changes over time. Forests store 861 gigatonnes of carbon and absorb about 16 billion metric tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO₂) every year. In 2023, 3.7 million hectares of tropical forests were lost, causing about 6% of global CO₂ emissions.

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Scientists have found strong signs of possible extraterrestrial life on the exoplanet K2-18b, located 124 light years from Earth in the Leo constellation. This is the second and more promising detection of life-related chemicals in the planet’s atmosphere. The findings were made using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), launched in December 2021. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is the most powerful space observatory, built by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), European Space Agency (ESA), and Canadian Space Agency (CSA). A team from Cambridge University, led by Professor Nikku Madhusudhan, studied the planet’s atmosphere. They found chemical traces of dimethyl sulphide (DMS) and dimethyl disulphide (DMDS). On Earth, these gases are produced only by marine phytoplankton and some bacteria. This raises the possibility of biological activity on K2-18b.