Science & Technology Current Affairs MCQs

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The Hubble Space Telescope recently completed 35 years of space exploration since its launch on April 24, 1990. It is the first dedicated space-based telescope system and is named after astronomer Edwin Hubble. The idea of such a telescope was first proposed in the 1940s by US astronomer Lyman Spitzer. It was launched as a joint mission between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the European Space Agency (ESA). ESA contributed 15% of the mission’s cost in return for 15% of observation time. Its launch was delayed from 1986 to 1990 due to technical issues and the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. Hubble orbits Earth at around 569 km in Low Earth Orbit and observes ultraviolet, visible, and infrared light. It was designed to be repaired and upgraded in space, making it a renewable telescope. This historic telescope continues to help scientists understand galaxies, stars, and the vast universe beyond Earth.

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The MADMAX collaboration recently published the first results of its search for dark photons using a prototype detector. MADMAX stands for Magnetised Disk and Mirror Axion Experiment. It is a research project focused on detecting dark matter particles like axions and dark photons. The MADMAX detector uses a system made of sapphire disks and a mirror to form a resonator that enhances detection signals. Dark photons are theoretical particles similar to light particles (photons) but have mass. They are believed to be part of galactic dark matter and can turn into ordinary photons under special conditions.

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A former SpaceX employee has sued the company, claiming he was fired due to Crohn’s disease, a chronic health issue. Crohn’s disease is a type of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) that causes swelling and irritation in the digestive tract. It often affects the end of the small intestine and the start of the large intestine, but it can impact any part of the tract. The disease causes deep inflammation in the bowel walls, making it painful and hard to manage. Symptoms include diarrhea, stomach cramps, abdominal pain, and weight loss. There is no permanent cure, but treatment can ease symptoms, reduce flare-ups, and help patients live a normal life. This case has drawn attention to workplace rights for people living with chronic medical conditions like Crohn’s disease.

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A recent study in Nature Geoscience found that soil microbes, particularly fungi and bacteria, play a central role in regulating phosphorus availability and cycling over a span of 700,000 years in the Cooloola coastal dune system. These microbes manage the release and transformation of phosphorus in nutrient-poor soils, acting as crucial “gatekeepers” in ecosystem nutrient dynamics. These microbes adapt by replacing phospholipids with non-phosphorus lipids and storing fats to reduce phosphorus demand. They also improve phosphorus use efficiency in their metabolism to survive in low-phosphorus soils. Microbes both compete with plants for phosphorus and help them by recycling it and improving access.

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On May 19, 2025, the World Health Organization (WHO) honoured Austria, Norway, Oman, and Singapore for eliminating industrially produced trans fats from their national food supply. The announcement was made at the 78th World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland. Trans fats, also called trans-fatty acids (TFA), are harmful unsaturated fats linked to over 278,000 deaths each year. WHO launched the global goal in 2018 to eliminate trans fats by 2025, but progress remains slow. By May 2025, 60 countries had adopted best-practice policies, covering only 46% of the global population. India implemented such a policy in 2022 through the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Second Amendment Regulations, 2021. India is among the leading Asian countries in enforcing best-practice policies, alongside Thailand.

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Recently, Chad, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan, and Sudan signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to eliminate visceral leishmaniasis, also known as kala-azar. The event was held during the 78th World Health Assembly in Geneva, organised by the African Union and World Health Organization (WHO). Kala-azar is a neglected tropical disease (NTD) caused by a protozoan parasite and is fatal if untreated, showing symptoms like fever, fatigue, weight loss, and enlarged spleen and liver. More than 70% of global kala-azar cases are in Eastern Africa, where half of the affected are children under 15, according to the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi). The MoU encourages more investment and better strategies to eliminate kala-azar and improve public health responses.

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Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay have developed a new high-efficiency tandem solar cell with nearly 30% power conversion efficiency compared to the current 20%. This innovation was developed at the National Centre for Photovoltaic Research and Education (NCPRE) and uses a four-terminal (4T) tandem structure. The top layer is made of semi-transparent halide perovskite, while the bottom layer uses traditional silicon, allowing both to work independently for better efficiency. Perovskite materials, known for excellent light absorption and low cost, now have improved durability of up to 10 years. The new design also works well in heat and low-light, making it ideal for India’s climate and helping reduce solar energy costs to ₹1 per kilowatt-hour (kWh). This breakthrough boosts India’s clean energy goals by enhancing output and land-use efficiency.

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On May 27, 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled Indian Railways’ first 9,000 Horsepower (HP) electric locomotive engine in Dahod, Gujarat. This was part of his two-day Gujarat visit to launch projects worth over ₹24,000 crore in Dahod, Bhuj, and Gandhinagar. The locomotive was manufactured under the ‘Make in India’ initiative at the Dahod rolling stock workshop. The workshop’s foundation was laid in 2022 and built in just three years with an investment of ₹21,405 crore. The engine can haul 4,600 tonnes of freight and the facility can produce 120 locomotives annually, expandable to 150. Around 1,200 engines will be manufactured over the next decade for both domestic and export purposes.

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Delhi recently witnessed intense storms that appeared in the shape of a crescent or archer’s bow, technically known as bow echoes. A bow echo is a line of thunderstorms that appears curved like a bow on weather radar, also called a squall line. Sometimes, this bow echo can be part of a larger squall line system. It usually stretches from 20 to 100 kilometres and lasts for three to six hours. The term bow echo was introduced in the 1970s by Ted Fujita, a meteorologist famous for creating the Fujita Scale to measure tornado intensity.

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Recently, two Chinese nationals were charged in the United States for allegedly smuggling Fusarium graminearum, an agricultural pathogen, into the country. Fusarium graminearum is an ascomycete fungus that causes Fusarium Head Blight (FHB), which affects crops like wheat, maize, barley, oats, and rice. It produces a toxin called Vomitoxin or Deoxynivalenol, which is harmful to both humans and animals. This fungus reduces crop yield and quality while contaminating grains with toxic mycotoxins. This incident raises concerns about agro-terrorism, which is the deliberate use of plant pathogens or pests to attack agriculture and create economic loss, food insecurity, and public fear.