Science & Technology Current Affairs MCQs

Notes:
CEREBO is a hand-held, portable, non-invasive brain injury diagnostic tool developed by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Medical Device & Diagnostics Mission Secretariat (MDMS), AIIMS Bhopal, NIMHANS Bengaluru, and Bioscan Research. It is designed for Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs) and detects intracranial bleeding and edema within a minute. The device is safe for infants and pregnant women and usable by paramedics and unskilled personnel. CEREBO provides colour-coded, radiation-free, cost-effective results where CT or MRI scans are inaccessible or delayed. It can be deployed in ambulances, trauma centres, rural clinics, and disaster response units.

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:
Researchers at Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden & Research Institute (JNTBGRI), Palode, Thiruvananthapuram, developed a multifunctional wound-healing pad. The pad is based on the red ivy plant, locally called murikooti pacha, scientifically Strobilanthes alternata of the Acanthaceae family. Scientists at the Centre of Excellence in Phytochemical Nanotechnology of JNTBGRI isolated a new molecule, acteoside, from red ivy for the first time. Acteoside shows high efficacy even at 0.2% concentration and is the key ingredient in the pad. The pad uses electro-spun nanofiber layers made from biodegradable, non-toxic, FDA-approved polymers. Red ivy has long been used in traditional medicine for treating cuts and wounds.

Notes:
AIIMS New Delhi has become the first government medical college in India to offer training on the da Vinci Robotic Surgical System. The advanced system was inaugurated at the Skills, E-Learning and Telemedicine (SET) Facility. AIIMS Delhi now becomes the only institution in India with two robotic systems for training—the da Vinci system and the Hugo robotic trainer by Medtronic. The initiative provides hands-on training for students, residents, nurses, and faculty. Training will cover urology, gynaecology, general surgery, surgical oncology, and head & neck surgery.

Notes:
Scientists at CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) discovered how white blood cells adapt their skeletons to fight pathogens. The study was published in Nature Structural & Molecular Biology. Cell shape depends on a dense, branched actin network near the membrane. Actin molecules push the membrane and create new meshworks for movement. A protein called SPIN90 regulates actin monomers and pairs with the Arp2/3 complex. Together, they grow new actin filaments in two directions about 150° apart. These filaments act as scaffolds to form branched actin mesh, reshaping the cell and aiding motility. This discovery explains rapid immune response and has implications for cancer, immune disorders, and wound healing.

Notes:
In September 2025, Europe’s first exascale supercomputer, JUPITER, was launched in Germany. JUPITER is the first European system to achieve the exascale threshold, performing over one quintillion operations per second. It is currently Europe’s most powerful supercomputer. JUPITER runs entirely on renewable energy, marking a milestone in sustainable high-performance computing. JUPITER will support cutting-edge research in areas like climate modeling, weather forecasting, and the development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) solutions.

Notes:
On the 10th National Ayurveda Day, the Ministry of Ayush inaugurated India’s first Integrative Oncology Research and Care Centre (IORCC) at All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA), Goa. The IORCC is a first-of-its-kind centre combining Ayurveda, Yoga, Panchakarma, and modern oncology for holistic cancer care. The centre provides patient-centric rehabilitation aimed at reducing side effects, enhancing recovery, and improving quality of life. It is established in collaboration with Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research and Education in Cancer (ACTREC) – Tata Memorial Centre. The facility will act as a hub for research, training, and clinical care in integrative oncology.

Notes:
In Punjab, incessant rainfall and floods stopped farmers from spraying anti-fungal medicines. This has led to the emergence of false smut disease, locally called haldi rog, in paddy crops. False smut is a major fungal disease of rice caused by Ustilaginoidea virens. The fungus attacks during the flowering stage, but symptoms appear after panicle emergence. Infected grains show black fungal growth, later covered with yellow fungal mass. It reduces seed germination and significantly lowers yield depending on infection level.

Notes:
Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) recently detected phosphine (PH3) in the atmosphere of brown dwarf Wolf 1130C. Phosphine is a chemical compound consisting of one phosphorus atom and three hydrogen atoms. On Earth, phosphine is naturally produced by bacteria in low-oxygen environments. These bacteria absorb phosphate from minerals or biological material and combine it with hydrogen to form phosphine. Phosphine is also present in the atmospheres of Jupiter and Saturn. The compound is also known as hydrogen phosphide. Its detection in Wolf 1130C provides insights into chemical processes in brown dwarf atmospheres.

Notes:
On October 12, 2025, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami inaugurated newly developed pulse and barley varieties at the 118th All India Farmers Fair and Agricultural Industry Exhibition held at GB Pant University of Agriculture and Technology (GBPUAT) in Uttarakhand. The varieties were developed by GBPUAT students to improve crop productivity and farmer income. Pant Urd-13 and Pant Urd-14 are improved urdbean (black gram) varieties with higher yield and better disease resistance. Pant Matar 554 is a high-yielding pea variety designed to enhance farmers’ earnings. Pant Jau 1106 is a new barley variety introduced to diversify crop options for farmers in the region.