Science & Technology Current Affairs MCQs

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Prime Minister of India welcomed the agreement between Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) for the Chandrayaan-5 mission under the Lunar Polar Exploration (LUPEX) programme. LUPEX is jointly developed by ISRO and JAXA to explore the Moon’s southern polar region. The mission aims to investigate the presence of water and other elements, potentially as surface ice, and demonstrate innovative surface exploration technologies. It features a lander developed by ISRO and a rover developed by JAXA. The rover will autonomously search for water-rich areas, drill, sample soil, and analyze it with onboard instruments.

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Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad (IIT Hyderabad) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Army Training Command (ATC), Shimla. The partnership establishes a Centre of Excellence (CoE) named VIGRAHA (Virtual, Intelligent, Ground-breaking Research in AR/VR and High-tech Applications for Indian Army). The Simulator Development Division (SDD), Secunderabad represents the Indian Army in this collaboration. The CoE will focus on Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Robotics, unmanned systems, and emerging defense technologies. The initiative strengthens India’s self-reliance (Atmanirbhar Bharat) in defense technologies.

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NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission has discovered two rocky exoplanets around star TOI-2322, located 195 light-years away. Scientists detected them by observing small dips in the star’s brightness, indicating planets passing in front. TOI-2322 b is nearly Earth-sized, completes one orbit in 11 days, and has a very hot surface temperature of about 330°C. TOI-2322 c is almost twice Earth’s size, about 18 times heavier, and has a dense structure similar to Earth’s layers. The planets were confirmed using space telescopes and ground tools, showing successful global collaboration in astronomy.

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Cholesterol, a fat-like substance, can control the spin of electrons, a quantum property crucial for next-generation spintronic devices. Spintronics uses electron spin to develop energy-efficient electronics and bioelectronic devices. Scientists from the Institute of Nano Science and Technology (INST), Mohali, under the Department of Science and Technology (DST), developed cholesterol-based nanomaterials for spintronic and quantum applications. Cholesterol’s intrinsic handedness (chirality) and flexibility allow precise control over molecular properties. This innovation could enable energy-efficient memory chips and greener quantum technologies.

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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.

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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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Recently, the PUNCH Space Mission, launched by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), observed solar winds. PUNCH stands for Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere. Its aim is to study the Sun’s corona (outer atmosphere) and solar wind as a unified system. The mission has four small satellites in low Earth orbit. They make 3D global observations of the inner heliosphere and map the transition where the corona becomes solar wind.

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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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In Nigeria, the Lassa fever outbreak has claimed 172 lives since January 2025. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) reported 924 confirmed cases out of 8,041 suspected cases till October 2025. The case fatality rate stands at 18.6%, higher than 17% in 2024. The most affected age group is 21 to 30 years. The outbreak is worsened by poor sanitation, low awareness, and delayed treatment. Lassa fever is a viral haemorrhagic illness caused by the Lassa virus from the Arenavirus family. Infection spreads through food or household items contaminated by urine or faeces of infected Mastomys rats. The World Health Organization (WHO) stresses early diagnosis and quick treatment for survival.

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More than 60 people, mostly children, were hospitalized in Bhopal due to injuries from makeshift “calcium carbide guns” during Diwali celebrations. Calcium carbide has the chemical formula CaC2. It appears as grayish-black lumps or crystalline powder with a garlic-like odor. It is made by heating a mixture of lime and carbon to 2000–2100°C in an electric arc furnace. Calcium carbide is used to produce acetylene gas through hydrolysis. Acetylene is a colourless, odourless, highly flammable gas. Calcium carbide is also used in steel manufacturing, metal cutting, and as an artificial ripening agent.