Science & Technology Current Affairs MCQs

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Scientists from ARIES (Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences), IIA (Indian Institute of Astrophysics) and global collaborators have recreated more than 100 years of the Sun’s polar magnetic history. They used archival data and old solar images from the Kodaikanal Solar Observatory (KoSO) to complete this long-term reconstruction. Kodaikanal Solar Observatory (KoSO) is one of India’s oldest and globally recognised solar observatories with over 120 years of uninterrupted solar observation. It is located in the Palani Hills of Tamil Nadu and operates as a field station of the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Bengaluru.

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The Entrepreneur-in-Residence Programme is becoming popular among young startups and innovators. It works under the National Initiative for Developing and Harnessing Innovations which is NIDHI. It encourages graduate students to choose entrepreneurship as a career. It provides financial and non-financial support in the form of a fellowship. It offers startup infrastructure, mentoring, technical guidance, and industry support. It is implemented by the Department of Science and Technology with NCL Venture Centre.

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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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Skyroot Aerospace inaugurated its Infinity Campus in Hyderabad and virtually unveiled Vikram-I, India’s first private commercial orbital rocket. Vikram-I is capable of placing satellites into Earth orbit. This launch marks a major milestone for India’s growing private space sector. The private space sector in India was opened to entrepreneurs three years ago. The development highlights rising startup participation in advanced space technology. It reflects India’s shift toward innovation-driven and private-led space missions.

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A 3.5-billion-year-old crater on Mars is named after Indian geologist M. S. Krishnan. The naming was approved by the International Astronomical Union. The International Astronomical Union was founded in 1919. It promotes astronomy research, education, and global cooperation. It standardizes astronomical constants and naming of celestial bodies. It alone has the authority to name planets, craters, and space features. It holds a General Assembly every three years. Its headquarters is in Paris.

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Researchers at Indian Institute of Technology Madras developed India’s first Indigenous Vessel Traffic Management System (VTMS) for ports. The system was built by the National Technology Centre for Ports, Waterways and Coasts (NTCPWC) as per guidelines of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoSPW), Government of India. It gives India full control over source code, data, and vessel movement information, ensuring high maritime security. The VTMS is cost-effective, secure, scalable, and easy to maintain.

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The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is declared over after 42 days without new cases, confirmed by Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) health officials and the World Health Organization (WHO). Ebola, caused by orthoebolaviruses, first discovered in 1976 in DRC near the Ebola River, leads to severe hemorrhagic fever with internal bleeding. It spreads from wild animals like fruit bats and non-human primates, and among humans through direct contact with infected body fluids, not through air.

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Bluetongue Virus (BTV) has recently been detected in more suspected cases in Northern Ireland, raising concerns about livestock health. Bluetongue is a severe haemorrhagic disease that affects animals and is infectious, but it is non-contagious and spreads only through insect vectors. The virus mainly infects domestic ruminants such as cattle, sheep, and goats, as well as wild animals like buffalo, deer, antelope, and camels, with sheep being the most severely affected. It spreads primarily through the bites of infected Culicoides midges, which are tiny blood-feeding insects commonly found on farms. There is no effective treatment for bluetongue, but vaccines are available for certain strains and are used in Africa, Asia, and parts of Europe.

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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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Scientists at the Bose Institute, Kolkata have developed GlowCas9, a CRISPR protein that glows during gene editing. It is a bioluminescent Cas9, created by fusing Cas9 with a split nano-luciferase enzyme from deep-sea shrimp proteins. GlowCas9 is highly stable, retaining structure and activity even at higher temperatures. When Cas9 folds correctly, the luciferase pieces reconnect and produce light, enabling real-time, non-harmful tracking of gene editing in cells, tissues, and plant leaves. It improves the precision of Homology-Directed Repair (HDR), a key DNA repair process for genetic diseases like sickle cell anaemia and muscular dystrophy. GlowCas9 advances theratracking, the visual monitoring of molecular gene therapy in action.