Science & Technology Current Affairs MCQs

Notes:
Union Minister of State for Science & Technology Jitendra Singh inaugurated India’s first ‘Animal Stem Cell Biobank’ at National Institute of Animal Biotechnology (NIAB), Hyderabad. NIAB is under Department of Biotechnology’s Biotechnology Research Innovation Council (BRIC). The Biobank will store high-quality stem cells from various animal species and supply cost-effective culture media to veterinary clinics, research bodies, and industry.

Notes:
Recently, reports claim the Trump administration asked NASA to shut down Orbiting Carbon Observatories (OCO). The Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO) Program, managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), is an initiative of NASA. OCO are Earth remote sensing satellites designed to monitor atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) from space to understand climate change.

Notes:
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.

Notes:
Seaweed farming has emerged as a potential Blue Carbon strategy, but empirical estimates of carbon burial from these farms are still limited. Blue Carbon refers to organic carbon captured and stored by oceans in vegetated coastal ecosystems such as mangrove forests, saltmarshes, and seagrass meadows. The term “Blue” highlights the watery nature of this carbon storage. Most blue carbon is carbon dioxide dissolved directly into the ocean. These ecosystems cover 2% of the ocean surface but account for 50% of the ocean’s carbon absorption. Blue carbon ecosystems are crucial for global climate change mitigation.

Notes:
Gaza has recently reported a surge in Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS), raising health concerns. Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) is a rare autoimmune condition where the immune system attacks the peripheral nervous system. The peripheral nervous system controls muscle movement, pain, temperature, and touch sensations. It is also called Acute Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyradiculoneuropathy (AIDP). It commonly affects people between 30 and 50 years of age. It usually follows viral or bacterial infections, vaccination, or surgery.

Notes:
Matanomadh, a remote village in Kutch district, Gujarat, may serve as a test bed for ISRO’s Mangalyaan-2 mission to Mars. Researchers from Space Applications Centre (SAC) Ahmedabad, Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU), and Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences, Lucknow dated jarosite mineral in Matanomadh to 55 million years (Paleocene period). Jarosite is a yellow, iron-rich sulphate mineral, similar to those found on Mars, indicating past water activity. The site allows field-analogue studies for Mars, including rover testing, drilling, geochemistry, and astrobiology research. The discovery can help decode Martian geology, past chemical interactions, and organic molecule trapping, aiding future Mars missions.

Notes:
Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad (IIT Hyderabad) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Army Training Command (ATC), Shimla. The partnership establishes a Centre of Excellence (CoE) named VIGRAHA (Virtual, Intelligent, Ground-breaking Research in AR/VR and High-tech Applications for Indian Army). The Simulator Development Division (SDD), Secunderabad represents the Indian Army in this collaboration. The CoE will focus on Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Robotics, unmanned systems, and emerging defense technologies. The initiative strengthens India’s self-reliance (Atmanirbhar Bharat) in defense technologies.

Notes:
India’s largest Lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery manufacturing plant was inaugurated in Haryana on 5 September 2025. When fully operational, it will produce 20 crore battery packs annually, meeting nearly 40% of India’s 50 crore pack requirement. The plant was set up under the Centre’s Electronics Manufacturing Cluster (EMC) scheme. Li-ion batteries are rechargeable, with lithium ions moving between graphite (negative electrode) and lithium metal oxides (positive electrode) through a non-aqueous electrolyte. They offer high energy density (75-200 Wh/kg), are lightweight, use fewer toxic metals, and provide good cycle stability and efficiency. They have low self-discharge and no memory effect, ensuring reliable performance.

Notes:
Researchers at S. N. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences (SNBNCBS) discovered protein p47’s new role as a “mechanical chaperone.” P47 is a cofactor protein known for assisting p97 in protein trafficking, degradation, and membrane fusion. Study revealed p47 boosts mechanical efficiency of protein extraction from endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to cytoplasm. It stabilizes polypeptides under stress, guides them through pores, prevents misfolding, and improves translocation. This is the first single-molecule evidence of autonomous, force-dependent chaperone-like activity by p47. Discovery opens new therapeutic possibilities for diseases linked to protein instability.

Notes:
Turakapalem village in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, has seen 29 deaths due to Melioidosis. It is caused by the Gram-negative bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei found in soil and water. The government has declared a public health emergency in the area. The disease is seasonal, with 75–85% of cases during the rainy season. It has a high case fatality rate (CFR) of 16% to 50% in endemic regions. Endemic areas include Southeast Asia, northern Australia, Indian subcontinent, southern China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Currently, no vaccine is available, but early diagnosis and treatment are crucial.