Science & Technology Current Affairs MCQs

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In Nigeria, the Lassa fever outbreak has claimed 172 lives since January 2025. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) reported 924 confirmed cases out of 8,041 suspected cases till October 2025. The case fatality rate stands at 18.6%, higher than 17% in 2024. The most affected age group is 21 to 30 years. The outbreak is worsened by poor sanitation, low awareness, and delayed treatment. Lassa fever is a viral haemorrhagic illness caused by the Lassa virus from the Arenavirus family. Infection spreads through food or household items contaminated by urine or faeces of infected Mastomys rats. The World Health Organization (WHO) stresses early diagnosis and quick treatment for survival.

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In October 2025, scientists discovered a new exoplanet named GJ 251c, located less than 20 light-years from Earth. The discovery was made by an international team, including researchers from Penn State University (PSU), USA. The finding was published in The Astronomical Journal. GJ 251c is a super-Earth, about four times the mass of Earth and likely rocky in composition. It was detected using the radial-velocity method, with data from the Habitable Zone Planet Finder (HPF) at PSU’s Hobby-Eberly Telescope (HET). The discovery provides key insights into planetary formation and the search for potentially habitable exoplanets.

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In a historic milestone, Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled NexCAR19, India’s first indigenous CAR-T Cell Therapy, at the Emerging Science, Technology & Innovation Conclave (ESTIC) 2025 in Delhi. It is developed by ImmunoACT, an IIT Bombay spin-off. It is supported by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC). NexCAR19 is the world’s first humanised CAR-T therapy, truly “Made in India, for the world.” CAR-T Cell Therapy is an immunotherapy that reprograms a patient’s immune cells to fight blood cancers like Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL).

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Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis is a progressive neurological disorder that damages nerve cells controlling muscle movement. A study predicts global cases will rise from 222,801 in 2015 to 376,674 by 2040, a 69 percent increase. It is also called Lou Gehrig’s disease. It commonly affects people between 55 and 75 years and is more common in men. In some patients it is genetic but in most the cause is unknown. Damaged motor neurons stop brain signals from reaching muscles causing weakness and muscle wasting.

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Ten blackbucks died in Jamshedpur Zoological Park, Jharkhand due to suspected Haemorrhagic Septicaemia (HS). Haemorrhagic Septicaemia (HS) is also called Pasteurellosis and is caused by Pasteurella multocida bacteria. It mainly affects cattle and buffaloes, with young animals more vulnerable. Bacteria survive longer in humid and waterlogged conditions. It spreads through contaminated food, water, air and direct contact.

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AvironiX Drones, a deep-tech company based in Chennai, has launched a new agricultural spraying drone called AviSpray-10c. The AviSpray-10c is a compact and smaller next-generation spraying drone, designed specifically for Indian farming needs. The drone was developed to reduce the cost, operational difficulty, and manpower requirements usually associated with drone-based crop spraying. Unlike many drones built only in laboratory settings, the AviSpray-10c has been tested and validated through extensive real-world field deployments.

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NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), the commercial arm of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), has signed 70 Technology Transfer Agreements with industry. NSIL was incorporated on 6 March 2019 under the Companies Act, 2013, and works under the Department of Space (DOS), Government of India. It helps Indian industries take up high-technology space activities and promotes commercial use of India’s space products and services.

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Google’s CEO announced Project Suncatcher, a long-term research plan to set up solar-powered data centers in space. The project aims to build satellite constellations that can perform large-scale machine learning using Google’s Tensor Processing Units (TPUs). These space-based data centers avoid the environmental impact created by Earth-based data centers. They also reduce risks from power outages, undersea cable failures, and natural disasters. The project supports data sovereignty because outer space is not under national jurisdiction as per the Outer Space Treaty of 1967.

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A new study warns that heavy use of artemisinin and favourable conditions can create new hotspots of drug resistance, with resistance markers slowly rising in parts of Africa. Artemisinin is an antimalarial drug obtained from the sweet wormwood plant called Artemisia annua. It was discovered in the 1970s and became a major breakthrough when malaria parasites developed resistance to older drugs like chloroquine. It is effective against all malaria-causing parasites of the Plasmodium genus, mainly during the blood stage. Artemisinin quickly reduces parasites but stays in the body for a short time, so it is combined with other drugs. The World Health Organization recommends artemisinin-based combination therapies as the standard treatment for Plasmodium falciparum malaria.

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India launched DHRUV64, the country’s first 1.0 GHz, 64-bit dual-core microprocessor, fully developed by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) under the Microprocessor Development Programme. DHRUV64 aims to reduce India’s dependence on imported processors and supports both strategic and commercial applications. The processor features modern architectural enhancements for improved efficiency, multitasking, and reliability, and integrates seamlessly with hardware for applications like 5G, automotive systems, consumer electronics, industrial automation, and the Internet of Things. India contributes nearly 20% to global microprocessor production, highlighting the importance of indigenous chip development.