Science & Technology Current Affairs MCQs

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Recently, Indian Railways signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited (DFCCIL) to install Machine Vision Based Inspection System (MVIS). Machine Vision Based Inspection System (MVIS) uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) to inspect trains in real time for better maintenance and safety. It is a wayside system that captures high-resolution images of moving train under-gear. It detects hanging, loose, or missing parts and sends real-time alerts for quick action.

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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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Recently, a person from northern Arizona, United States, died of pneumonic plague, marking the first such death in the region in 18 years. Plague is an infectious disease caused by the zoonotic bacteria Yersinia pestis. It spreads mainly through flea bites from fleas that fed on infected animals. The disease caused millions of deaths in Europe during the Middle Ages. Today, it is rare but still found in rural parts of the western U.S., Africa, and Asia.

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Recently, on July 1, scientists using the ATLAS telescope in Chile reported the discovery of an interstellar object named 3I/ATLAS. It has been tracked since June 14, 2025 and is believed to be the oldest comet ever observed, possibly over 3 billion years old, predating the solar system. It is classified as an interstellar comet due to its hyperbolic orbit and high speed of 57–68 km/s relative to the Sun. The comet comes from the direction of the constellation Sagittarius, suggesting an origin in the Milky Way’s thick disk.

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Researchers at the S. N. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences (SNBNCBS) have developed a sustainable method to produce hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) using sunlight and water. The process uses a special material called Mo-DHTA COF, short for dimolybdenum paddlewheel-embedded covalent organic framework. It acts like a solar-powered molecular factory, absorbing sunlight and converting water and oxygen into hydrogen peroxide. Hydrogen peroxide is an eco-friendly chemical used in sterilization, wound cleaning, wastewater treatment, and fuel cells.

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In July 2025, Kerala’s rubber plantations faced a major threat from a beetle-fungus alliance causing severe leaf fall, tree drying, and reduced latex output. Researchers at the Kerala Forest Research Institute, Thrissur, identified the parasite as the ambrosia beetle (Euplatypus parallelus). It hosts two fungi — Fusarium ambrosia and Fusarium solani, marking the first report of F. solani with adult ambrosia beetles. The beetles bore tunnels in trees, farm fungi, and feed on fungal mycelia, while fungi weaken the tree’s structure with enzymes. These beetles were first reported in India in 2012 from cashew trees in Goa.

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Pune district in Maharashtra has been declared an affected area due to rising Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) cases in cattle. As of now, 906 cattle are infected, with 591 recovered and 15 deaths reported. Pune has over 8.46 lakh cattle as per the 20th Livestock Census and is a major milk producer. Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) is a highly infectious viral disease affecting all breeds of cattle and water buffalo. It is caused by Lumpy Skin Disease Virus (LSDV), belonging to the genus Capripoxvirus (CaPV) under the family Poxviridae.

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Recently, NASA launched a twin satellite mission called TRACERS, which stands for Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites. The satellites were launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The mission aims to study magnetic reconnection, a powerful process where magnetic field lines snap and release energy. This process happens when solar wind, a stream of charged particles from the Sun, interacts with Earth’s magnetosphere (magnetic shield).

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Iran successfully launched its Nahid-2 telecommunications and research satellite on 27 July 2025. The launch was done aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket as part of a multi-payload mission. Other payloads included Russia’s Unisphere-M3 and M4 and 18 satellites from various countries. The Soyuz rocket had earlier launched Iranian satellites like Khayyam, Pars-1, Kosar, and Hodhod. Nahid-2 is designed to stay in orbit for five years. It has an indigenous propulsion system that can adjust its altitude by up to 50 kilometers. This propulsion is key for maintaining orbital position and operational stability.

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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).