Science & Technology Current Affairs MCQs

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Buruli ulcer is a chronic skin disease caused by bacteria ‘Mycobacterium ulcerans’. It mainly affects regions in West and Central Africa and has recently been reported in Australia. The disease spreads to humans through mosquitoes, with possums acting as the primary bacterial reservoir. Symptoms include non-healing ulcers that can cause severe tissue damage if untreated. Early diagnosis and treatment with antibiotics and surgery are crucial for managing the disease. The World Health Organization recognizes it as a neglected tropical disease, highlighting the need for increased awareness due to rising cases.

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The European Union launched the IRIS2 (Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite) space programme to rival Elon Musk’s Starlink. It is the EU’s third major satellite project after Galileo (navigation) and Copernicus (Earth observation). The European Space Agency developed the programme, featuring a 290-satellite constellation in medium and low Earth orbit. IRIS2 provides secure, resilient, and high-speed connectivity in remote areas. It supports applications in surveillance, crisis management, security, and defence.

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The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change inaugurated an Advanced Facility for Pashmina Certification and a Next Generation DNA Sequencing (NGS) Facility at the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun. NGS is a revolutionary technology for rapidly decoding entire genomes, analyzing millions of DNA sequences simultaneously. It helps researchers understand genetic diversity, evolutionary relationships, and population health. In wildlife conservation, NGS aids in studying genetic health, disease outbreaks, illegal wildlife trade, and climate change impacts on biodiversity. This advanced facility establishes WII as a leader in molecular and genetic wildlife conservation research.

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Speed guns are widely used by law enforcement officials to monitor traffic speed. Speed guns measure the speed of moving objects without physical contact by bouncing electromagnetic waves off them. They use the Doppler Effect to calculate speed based on frequency changes between transmitted and reflected waves. A speed gun consists of a radio transmitter that emits waves and a receiver that collects the reflected waves. If an object approaches, the frequency of reflected waves increases, allowing a computer in the gun to calculate speed. Originally developed during World War II for military purposes, speed guns utilize radio waves instead of sound waves for precise measurements.

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Scientists are using two telescopes as part of the Cubic Kilometre Neutrino Telescope (KM3NeT) to detect high-energy neutrinos beneath the Mediterranean Sea. The Cubic Kilometre Neutrino Telescope (KM3NeT) is located at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea. Neutrinos are tiny, electrically neutral particles, discovered in 1959, and the second most abundant particles after photons. They rarely interact with matter, earning the nickname “ghost particles.” Detecting neutrinos is challenging due to their minimal interactions. KM3NeT, an underwater telescope, detects neutrino interactions via Cherenkov radiation in the sea, which provides ideal conditions for detection.

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China is experiencing an outbreak of respiratory infectious diseases, including rhinovirus and human metapneumovirus (HMPV). HMPV cases, especially among children under 14 in northern provinces, are rising. HMPV symptoms include cough, congestion, fever, fatigue, and breathing difficulties; it can lead to bronchitis and pneumonia in vulnerable groups. There is no vaccine or specific antiviral treatment for HMPV; preventive measures like handwashing and avoiding contact are advised.

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Russia’s atomic agency has shipped the reactor vessel for the sixth unit of Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant to India. The Kudankulam plant, located in Tamil Nadu, is India’s largest nuclear power plant with six reactors and a total capacity of 6,000 MW. The reactor vessel, weighing 320 tonnes, was manufactured by Rosatom’s division Atommash and shipped from Novorossiysk at the end of 2024. The reactor vessel will travel 6,000 miles by sea to reach the construction site.

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The ISRO mission that successfully germinated lobia seeds (also known as cowpea seeds) in space is called the “CROPS” experiment, which stands for “Compact Research Module for Orbital Plant Studies”. The seeds sprouted on the fourth day, with leaves visible by the fifth day, marking a major milestone in space research. The experiment aims to develop sustainable food sources for long-term space missions and test plant growth in microgravity and controlled environments. Success supports astronauts by enabling food growth, oxygen generation, and CO₂ recycling in space. It highlights India’s capability in managing complex life-support systems and contributes to global space farming initiatives.

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New research reveals that genetic mutations in Huntington’s Disease (HD) can have delayed effects, impacting disease progression over time. Huntington’s Disease (HD) is a genetic condition causing gradual loss of brain cell function, leading to their death. It affects brain regions regulating voluntary movement, memory, and decision-making, primarily the basal ganglia and brain cortex. HD is caused by a mutation in the HTT gene, which produces huntingtin protein crucial for neuron function. Mutated huntingtin proteins have abnormal shapes, damaging and killing neurons. HD is inherited; each child of an affected parent has a 50% chance of developing the disease. It affects 3 to 7 out of 100,000 people, primarily of European ancestry.

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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.