Science & Technology Current Affairs MCQs

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Recently, Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) announced it is repositioning itself to lead the next wave of digital transformation across the country. STPI was established in 1991 as an autonomous society under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). It promotes software exports and implements the Software Technology Park (STP) and Electronics Hardware Technology Park (EHTP) schemes to support the IT/ITES sector. STPI facilitates software development, export procedures, and ensures compliance with customs and foreign exchange regulations.

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Researchers at Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST), Thiruvananthapuram recently detected circularly polarised radio emission near a young protostar about 4,500 light-years away. A protostar is the earliest stage in star formation, formed from a collapsing giant molecular cloud in the interstellar medium. As the cloud collapses, gravitational energy turns into heat, warming the forming protostar. The protostar stage lasts from 100,000 to 10 million years depending on the star’s mass. It begins with a dense molecular cloud core and ends with a pre-main-sequence star.

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Recently, Indian researchers identified a key gene in pineapple that can fight the deadly Fusariosis disease. Fusariosis is caused by the fungus Fusarium moniliforme and damages stems, blackens leaves, and rots fruits from inside. It leads to major losses in pineapple farming and makes harvests unreliable. Researchers from Bose Institute under Department of Science and Technology (DST) identified AcSERK3 gene (Somatic Embryogenesis Receptor Kinase). Overexpression of this gene boosted pineapple’s natural immunity.

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Recently, astronomers observed rocky planet formation for the first time by detecting minerals condensing from vapor around a young star named HOPS‑315. HOPS‑315 is a newborn protostar located 1,300 light-years away in the Orion molecular cloud. It has a rotating protoplanetary disc of gas and dust, tilted in a way that allows Earth-based telescopes to view its inner region clearly. This rare view helped scientists directly witness the earliest stages of rocky planet formation. The minerals found—like forsterite and enstatite—match those in chondritic meteorites on Earth. This discovery closely mirrors how our own Solar System may have formed.

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In July 2025, ISRO announced that the NASA-ISRO NISAR satellite has been mounted on the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) ahead of its launch. All systems of the rocket have been successfully checked. NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) is a joint mission between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and ISRO to study Earth’s changing ecosystems. GSLV is developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to launch satellites into Geosynchronous Transfer Orbits (GTOs). It can carry heavier payloads than the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV).

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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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Russian President Vladimir Putin recently announced the start of production of the Oreshnik hypersonic missile. Russia plans to deploy the Oreshnik missile in Belarus by the end of 2025. Oreshnik is a Russian intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missile named after the Russian word for “hazel tree.” It made its operational debut on November 21, 2024, in a precision strike on the Pivdenmash defence facility in Dnipro, Ukraine. The missile is mobile and uses solid fuel, enhancing its rapid deployment capability. It can reach speeds up to Mach 10, which is ten times the speed of sound.

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Researchers at Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT-M) developed an agriculture waste-based packaging material. It offers a sustainable alternative to plastic foams like Expanded Polystyrene (EPS). Fungi such as Ganoderma lucidum (medicinal mushroom) and Pleurotus ostreatus (edible mushroom) were grown on waste. Five substrates were used: cardboard, sawdust, paper, cocopith, and hay. Ganoderma on cardboard showed higher compressive strength than EPS. India generates over 350 million tonnes of agricultural waste annually. This innovation can help reduce four million tonnes of plastic waste produced in India.

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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.