Science & Technology Current Affairs MCQs

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The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology announced the development of four Hydrogen Valley Innovation Clusters (HVICs) across India. Hydrogen Valley Innovation Clusters (HVICs) aim to demonstrate the full green hydrogen value chain, from production, storage, transport to utilization. The project has a total investment of ₹485 crore. HVICs aim to build a local hydrogen ecosystem, connecting supply and demand across transport, industry, and energy, while fostering research, innovation, and skills. The four clusters are being developed in Pune, Jodhpur, Bhubaneswar, and Kerala.

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Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed Ethiopia’s first-ever outbreak of Marburg Virus Disease (MVD). MVD is a severe and often fatal hemorrhagic fever caused by the Marburg virus. It was first identified in 1967 in Marburg, Germany. The causative agents are Marburg virus (MARV) and Ravn virus (RAVV) of the species Orthomarburgvirus marburgense. The natural host is the fruit bat Rousettus aegyptiacus of the Pteropodidae family. It spreads from infected bats to humans and then through contact with bodily fluids or contaminated surfaces.

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Recently, researchers from the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI), Kochi discovered a new deep-sea squid species in the Arabian Sea and named it Taningia silasii (Indian octopus squid). The species was found at a depth of nearly 390 metres off the Kollam coast. It belongs to the family Octopoteuthidae. It is only the second formally recognised species in the Taningia genus. The first species in this genus was Taningia danae, earlier found in the Atlantic Ocean.

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Russia successfully launched a new set of undisclosed military satellites. The launch vehicle used was the Angara-1.2 light rocket. It was conducted from Plesetsk Cosmodrome. Plesetsk is the world’s northernmost spaceport. The exact number and purpose of the satellites were not disclosed. The mission was carried out for the Russian Defence Ministry. It was executed by a combat crew of the Aerospace Forces.

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Telangana’s 1 Bio, India’s first single-use bioprocess design and scale-up facility, was inaugurated at Genome Valley, Hyderabad. It was created to solve the lack of affordable bioprocess scale-up infrastructure despite Telangana’s strong biotech talent. The facility supports start-ups and big companies with end-to-end process development and pilot validation. It was developed by the Government of Telangana, Telangana Lifesciences, Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Government of India, and Telangana Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TGIIC). It has 500-litre bioreactors, advanced processing systems, and analytical labs.

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Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology, Dr. Jitendra Singh, launched Hansa-3(NG), first indigenous all-composite two-seater trainer aircraft for Private Pilot License (PPL) and Commercial Pilot License (CPL) training at CSIR–National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL), Bengaluru. Hansa-3(NG) reduces foreign dependence and boosts aviation entrepreneurship. The aircraft will help flying clubs meet India’s growing demand for trained pilots.

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A recent study found that the shingles vaccine can reduce the risk of death from dementia. Shingles is a viral infection that causes a painful skin rash. It is caused by the varicella-zoster virus, the same virus responsible for chickenpox. After chickenpox, the virus stays dormant in nerve cells and can reactivate when immunity becomes weak. Shingles usually appears as a painful stripe of blisters on one side of the body, face, or neck. It is not directly contagious but can spread chickenpox to unvaccinated people. It mainly affects people over 50 years or those with weak immune systems. The Shingrix vaccine helps prevent shingles and its complications.

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AIIMS, New Delhi has conducted India’s first clinical trial of an indigenously evaluated advanced stroke treatment device named the Supernova Stent, marking a major milestone in India’s medical research and device innovation. The Supernova Stent is specifically designed for India’s diverse patient population, where strokes tend to occur at a younger age compared to Western countries, making it more suitable for local clinical needs. AIIMS highlighted that this is India’s first stroke intervention device to receive clearance based entirely on a domestic clinical trial, strengthening confidence in indigenous clinical research capabilities.

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Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) informed that CSIR–Central Food Technological Research Institute (CSIR–CFTRI), Mysuru worked on four Grant-in-Aid projects on annatto. Annatto is a natural food colour and flavour from seeds of the achiote tree (Bixa orellana), native to tropical Americas. Nearly 70% of natural food colours come from annatto, giving yellow-orange colour to cheese, butter, yogurt, sausages, smoked fish, ice cream, and baked goods. Colour comes from carotenoid pigments; seeds are ground into powder or paste or extracted as dye. It adds mild peppery, nutty and floral flavour; safe in normal amounts but may cause allergies.

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BharatNet is an ambitious Government of India project approved in 2011 to provide broadband connectivity to all Gram Panchayats (GPs) in the country. It aims to offer open and unrestricted broadband access to telecom operators, Internet Service Providers (ISPs), Cable TV operators, and content providers to enable services such as e-health, e-education, and e-governance in rural areas. Phase I is complete and Phase II is ongoing and aims to connect 1.5 lakh additional Gram Panchayats. Phase III is ongoing and focuses on future-proofing the network by integrating 5G technology.