Science & Technology Current Affairs MCQs

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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.

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Kerala reported another death from Amoebic Meningoencephalitis (Primary Amebic Meningoencephalitis, PAM), raising the 2025 toll to 27 cases. Primary Amebic Meningoencephalitis is a rare, fatal brain infection caused by the free-living amoeba Naegleria fowleri, known as the “brain-eating amoeba.” Infection occurs when contaminated freshwater enters the nasal cavity, allowing the amoeba to reach the brain via the olfactory nerve. It is found in warm freshwater and soil, especially lakes, rivers, hot springs, and unchlorinated pools.

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Fibromyalgia is a real, chronic health condition affecting 2–3% of the global population. It causes long-term pain and tenderness in muscles and soft tissues. Common symptoms include fatigue, sleep disturbances, memory issues, stress, anxiety, and depression. The exact cause is unknown, but affected individuals have heightened sensitivity to pain. Symptoms often appear in flare-ups that come and go. Other symptoms include headaches, migraines, digestive issues, restless leg syndrome, and temporomandibular jaw disorders. There is no cure, but treatment helps control symptoms.

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Russia has successfully tested its new atomic-powered and nuclear-capable underwater drone named Poseidon. President Vladimir Putin announced the test, calling it a major success and saying it cannot be intercepted. The test took place just days after Russia also tested the Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile. Both tests are seen as signals to the United States amid the ongoing Ukraine conflict. The Poseidon drone was tested using nuclear power for the first time. It reportedly surpasses all current systems in speed and depth. Its nuclear reactor is 100 times smaller than those on submarines. The drone’s nuclear warhead is said to be more powerful than the Sarmat Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM).

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AIIMS Bhubaneswar has started research on the Cycad plant due to the presence of BMAA (β-N-methylamino-L-alanine), a possible neurotoxin. Cycads are palmlike, woody gymnosperm plants. They are ancient species that existed alongside dinosaurs for over 300 million years. They grow in various habitats, from wet rainforests and grasslands to semidesert and seasonally dry forests. Their distribution spans tropical and subtropical regions, including the Americas, Caribbean, sub-Saharan Africa, Madagascar, eastern India, China, Japan, Southeast Asia, Oceania, and Australia.

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In November 2025, Google announced ‘Project Suncatcher,’ a research initiative to create a solar-powered, space-based AI infrastructure system. The project aims to use Tensor Processing Units (TPUs) aboard satellites in low-Earth orbit (LEO) to explore machine learning scalability. It will use Trillium TPUs designed to withstand up to 15 krad(Si) radiation and advanced thermal radiators to manage heat. In partnership with Planet Labs, two prototype satellites will launch in 2027 to test AI performance and optical communication. Solar-powered satellites will operate in a sun-synchronous dawn-dusk orbit, generating up to 8 times the power of ground-based installations

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Shri Manohar Lal, Minister of Power and Housing & Urban Affairs, inaugurated India’s first and largest Vanadium Redox Flow Battery (VRFB) system. The VRFB has a capacity of 3 Megawatt-hour (MWh) at NTPC’s NETRA Research & Development Centre in Greater Noida. This milestone advances India’s long-duration energy storage (LDES) solutions and strengthens renewable energy integration and national grid resilience. Vanadium Redox Flow Battery (VRFB) is a modern technology offering an alternative to lithium-ion batteries, expanding the pool of usable elements for battery systems.

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The World Health Organisation (WHO) launched its Pandemic Preparedness and Emergency Response site at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi. This site is part of a global WHO network being set up to conduct rapid investigations and studies during pandemics or epidemics. The goal is to ensure a timely and effective public health response to global health emergencies. The launch was attended by WHO Representative to India, Payden, and AIIMS Director, Dr. M. Srinivas. The site will also operate during non-pandemic periods to maintain continuous readiness and system strength.

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The Assam Government recently banned inter-district movement of live pigs to stop the spread of African Swine Fever (ASF), a rising concern in the region. African Swine Fever (ASF) is a highly contagious and deadly viral disease affecting pigs and wild boar, with mortality up to 90–100%. It is not zoonotic, meaning it does not infect humans or other livestock. First found in sub-Saharan Africa, ASF is now present across Europe, Asia and Africa, with India reporting its first cases in 2020 in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.

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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.