Science & Technology Current Affairs MCQs

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Recently, African Swine Fever (ASF) outbreak was confirmed at a pig farm in Ravas Brahmanan village, Patiala, Punjab. District authorities have taken immediate action to contain the spread. African Swine Fever (ASF) is a highly contagious viral disease affecting domestic pigs and wild boars. It does not affect humans or other animal species. It causes high mortality (up to 90–100%) and severely impacts pig farming. It originated in sub-Saharan Africa and has spread to Europe, Asia, and Africa. In India, it was first detected in Arunachal Pradesh and Assam in Feb–Mar 2020.

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Recently, the first phase of the Darwin Tree of Life (DToL) project is nearing completion. The project aims to sequence the genomes of 70,000 eukaryotic species in Britain and Ireland. It is part of the global Earth BioGenome Project which targets sequencing all complex life on Earth. The project collects species samples and uses advanced DNA sequencing technologies to create high-quality genomes. It applies modern computational tools to study how DNA sequences relate to biodiversity.

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Seeds of seabuckthorn and Himalayan tartary buckwheat grown in Ladakh’s cold desert are part of NASA’s Crew-11 experiment on the International Space Station (ISS). The seeds were sourced by Indian space start-up Protoplanet based in Bengaluru. The mission launched on August 1, 2025, from Florida and docked at ISS on August 2, 2025. The experiment aims to test how seeds react to space stress and microgravity before germination. It focuses on gene activation and metabolic processes vital for space agriculture. Himalayan tartary buckwheat and seabuckthorn are rich in nutrients and suitable for long-duration space missions.

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Recently, IIT Roorkee developed a new drug candidate, Compound 3b, to fight deadly drug-resistant bacteria. It targets KPC-2-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae, a World Health Organization (WHO) top-priority superbug. Compound 3b is a β-lactamase inhibitor that stops bacterial enzymes from breaking down antibiotics. It works with the antibiotic Meropenem, restoring its effectiveness against resistant infections. Preclinical lab and animal tests showed major infection reduction in lungs and safety to human cells. It marks a major step against antimicrobial resistance and boosts India’s role in global biomedical research.

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Two Indian aquanauts recently conducted deep-sea dives in the Atlantic Ocean under Samudrayaan Project. They collected over 100 kg of cobalt-rich polymetallic nodules from 1,173 meters depth in the Andaman Sea. Deep Ocean Mission was launched by Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) on 7 September 2021 with ₹4,077 crore for 5 years. The mission develops technologies for exploring and using deep ocean resources sustainably. It supports India’s Blue Economy with potential to push maritime economy beyond ₹100 billion. It aligns with United Nations Decade of Ocean Science (2021–2030).

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The National Supercomputing Mission (NSM) was launched in April 2015 by the Government of India with a budget of Rs.4,500 crore. Its vision is to achieve self-reliance and global leadership in supercomputing and provide state-of-the-art facilities to researchers. It is jointly implemented by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and the Department of Science and Technology (DST) through Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Pune and Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru. As of August 2025, 37 supercomputers with 40 Petaflops capacity are installed across IITs, IISc, R&D labs and Tier-II/III cities. This information was submitted in the Lok Sabha today by Shri Jitin Prasada, Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology.

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European Space Agency (ESA) Solar Orbiter, a joint project with NASA, was launched in 2020 to study the Sun closely. It became the first spacecraft to image the Sun’s poles. A new study in Astronomy and Astrophysics traced the origin of Solar Energetic Electrons (SEE) emitted by the Sun. Solar Energetic Electrons (SEE) linked to solar flares arise from small surface explosions, while others are released gradually with Coronal Mass Ejections (CME), huge eruptions of plasma and magnetic fields. The Solar Orbiter flew through electron streams and studied the space environment between the Sun and spacecraft. Understanding SEE and CMEs is crucial for space weather prediction, protecting satellites, GPS, power grids, and astronauts. The mission aims to study the Sun’s 11-year magnetic cycle, corona heating, solar wind formation, and acceleration.

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Prime Minister of India welcomed the agreement between Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) for the Chandrayaan-5 mission under the Lunar Polar Exploration (LUPEX) programme. LUPEX is jointly developed by ISRO and JAXA to explore the Moon’s southern polar region. The mission aims to investigate the presence of water and other elements, potentially as surface ice, and demonstrate innovative surface exploration technologies. It features a lander developed by ISRO and a rover developed by JAXA. The rover will autonomously search for water-rich areas, drill, sample soil, and analyze it with onboard instruments.

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Scientists have found that tiny interstellar dust grains act as storytellers of the universe. A team led by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Bengaluru, provided the strongest observational evidence of how these dust grains align with magnetic fields in the Milky Way. Dust grains are a few micrometers in size, made of silicates and carbonaceous material, and exist throughout the interstellar medium. They play a key role in star and planet formation and cause starlight polarization detected since 1949.

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Russia has launched EnteroMix, a new mRNA-based cancer vaccine, reported to show 100 percent efficacy in early trials. It was developed by the National Medical Research Radiology Centre (NMRRC) and Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology under the Russian Academy of Sciences. The launch took place at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF 2025) and shared globally via Sputnik news service. The vaccine targets colorectal cancer first, with versions in development for glioblastoma and melanoma. EnteroMix uses four harmless viruses to attack cancer cells and boost immune defence. Russian Federal Medical and Biological Agency (FMBA) confirmed its safety for repeated use and personalised RNA-based tailoring.