Science & Technology Current Affairs MCQs

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The Prime Minister praised Indian space startup Digantara for the success of its Mission SCOT. SCOT (Space Camera for Object Tracking) is Digantara’s first mission for space surveillance and one of the world’s first commercial Space Situational Awareness (SSA) satellites. It was launched aboard SpaceX’s Transporter-12 mission and deployed in a sun-synchronous orbit. SCOT is designed to track Resident Space Objects (RSOs) as small as 5 cm in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) with high accuracy and revisit rates. It addresses gaps in existing systems limited by fields of view, weather, and geography.

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The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has approved Qartemi, a second “living drug,” which is a Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy designed to treat blood cancer. “Living drugs” involve modifying a patient’s cells and reintroducing them into the body. CAR T-cell therapy is an innovative immunotherapy where T-cells are genetically engineered to target cancer cells. T-cells are extracted from the patient’s blood, modified in the lab by adding a gene for a man-made receptor (CAR), which helps T-cells recognize cancer cells. Modified CAR-T cells are then reintroduced to kill cancer cells.

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The U.S. military has relocated Typhon missile launchers within the Philippines to improve mobility and survivability amid tensions with China and Russia. Typhon, or the Mid-Range Capability (MRC), is a mobile, surface-to-surface missile system developed by Lockheed Martin, United States. It features a modular design and can fire multiple missile types, including the SM-6 (500 km range) and Tomahawk cruise missiles (2,500 km range). The SM-6 strikes air and surface targets, while the Tomahawk is effective for land-attack and anti-ship missions. A full Typhon system includes four launchers, a command post, and support vehicles on trailers.

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India has joined the Eurodrone programme as an observer state. Eurodrone, a twin-turboprop UAV, is designed for Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) missions. It has a payload capacity of 2.3 tonnes, endurance of up to 40 hours, and operates in diverse environments, including severe weather. Conceived in 2022, it passed its preliminary design review in 2024 and aims to enter service by 2030. The drone supports ISTAR, maritime surveillance, anti-submarine warfare, and airborne early warning missions. Eurodrone is Europe’s effort for collective defense, reducing reliance on US and Israeli platforms. The members are Germany, France, Italy, and Spain.

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IIT-Madras researchers have extracted silicon carbide (SiC) from simulated moon soil, aiding future lunar habitat construction. Silicon carbide (SiC), also called carborundum, is a synthetic crystalline compound of silicon and carbon. It is extremely hard, has high thermal conductivity, and offers excellent resistance to wear, oxidation, and chemical reactions.

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Indian researchers at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Bengaluru developed a new method to measure solar storms’ size and speed. The method improves predictions of Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs), which can disrupt Earth’s communication systems and power grids. It measures CME radial size and expansion speed, crucial for understanding their impact on Earth’s magnetic field. The approach estimates instantaneous expansion speed using a single observation point, making it more efficient. The method was tested on a 2010 CME event and will be used with Aditya-L1 for better space weather forecasting.

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IIT Madras launched India’s first cancer genome database to boost cancer research. India is underrepresented in global cancer genome studies, limiting targeted diagnostics and drug development. The Cancer Genome Programme started in 2020 and has sequenced 960 whole exomes from 480 breast cancer samples across India. The Bharat Cancer Genome Atlas (BCGA) will help in early diagnosis, disease progression tracking, and treatment planning. The database supports personalized medicine and helps identify high-risk groups and novel drug targets.

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Uganda and WHO launched a historic clinical trial for a vaccine against the Sudan species of Ebola virus. Ebola is a deadly disease caused by orthoebolaviruses (formerly ebolavirus). It was first discovered in 1976 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The virus mainly affects humans and primates like gorillas, monkeys, and chimpanzees. It is found primarily in sub-Saharan Africa and poses a major health threat.

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Scientists at Wuhan Institute of Virology, China, discovered a new bat coronavirus, HKU5-CoV-2. The virus shares similarities with SARS-CoV-2, the cause of COVID-19. HKU5-CoV-2 can bind to human ACE2 receptors, but its ability to spread among humans is uncertain. The virus belongs to the merbecovirus subgenus, related to Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), but its severity in humans remains unknown.

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Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lunar lander successfully landed in the Mare Crisium region of the Moon after a controlled descent. It carries 10 NASA payloads under the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program to boost private-sector lunar exploration. The mission aims to study the lunar environment, using a vacuum for soil collection and a drill measuring temperatures up to 3 meters deep. It will analyze heat flow, plume-surface interactions, and the Moon’s magnetic and electric fields to understand its geological history. The lander will function for 14 Earth days to conduct scientific studies and tech demonstrations.