Science & Technology Current Affairs MCQs

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A new study in the journal Earth’s Future suggests a cost-effective way to use Stratospheric Aerosol Injection (SAI) to fight climate change. Stratospheric Aerosol Injection involves adding tiny reflective particles to the stratosphere to cool the Earth. It was inspired by volcanic eruptions, which naturally cool the planet by releasing aerosols. The method uses sulfur dioxide (SO₂), which turns into sulfate aerosols that reflect sunlight. This recent research may help make SAI more practical and affordable. Despite its promise, SAI still faces strong global opposition due to environmental and ethical concerns.

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Researchers in Finland have developed a green chemical method using natural fatty acids from cooking oils to recover silver from electronic waste (e-waste). This comes at a time when global silver demand is rising and e-waste is becoming a major issue, especially in countries like India. E-waste includes discarded devices like computers, phones, and TVs that are outdated or broken. India is the third-largest generator of e-waste in the world, after China and the United States.

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Researchers recently found a surprising amount of germanium in a star named A980, which is part of a rare group called Extreme Helium (EHe) stars. This is the first time germanium, a metallic element, has been observed in such a star. Extreme Helium stars are low-mass supergiants that have very little hydrogen and are mostly made of helium. They are believed to form from the merger of a carbon-oxygen white dwarf and a smaller helium white dwarf. Only 21 EHe stars have been found in our galaxy so far.

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Adani Group has recently commissioned India’s first off-grid 5 megawatt (MW) green hydrogen pilot plant in Kutch, Gujarat. The plant has been developed by Adani New Industries Limited (ANIL), which is the clean energy arm of Adani Enterprises Limited. An off-grid green hydrogen plant produces hydrogen using electrolysis powered entirely by renewable sources like solar or wind and is not connected to the main power grid. This plant runs fully on solar energy and includes a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) for continuous operation.

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The Vera C. Rubin Observatory has already discovered over 2,100 new asteroids before officially starting operations. Vera C. Rubin Observatory is located in Chile. It is designed to scan the night sky repeatedly and is expected to find millions of unknown space objects. The observatory can help track dangerous asteroids that may collide with Earth, enhancing planetary defense. Some asteroids found have comet-like tails, and it might even spot interstellar objects from outside our solar system. It may also discover Planet Nine, a mystery planet far beyond known planets.

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Recently, India’s Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla made history by piloting the Axiom-4 mission aboard SpaceX’s Dragon capsule from Kennedy Space Center, Florida. He became the first Indian in 41 years to cross the Kármán line after Rakesh Sharma’s spaceflight in 1984. Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Shukla and called him the first Indian en route to the International Space Station (ISS). This marks a major milestone for India in human spaceflight and international space collaboration.

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Recently, Google DeepMind launched a new Artificial Intelligence model called AlphaGenome. AlphaGenome aims to predict accurately how individual mutations in human Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) affect their functions and impact human health. It is built on DeepMind’s earlier genomics model named Enformer and works alongside AlphaMissense, which focuses on classifying the effects of variants in protein-coding regions. The model can analyze very long DNA sequences up to one million base pairs and generate highly detailed predictions.

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Recently, the Union government ordered fast-tracking of 52 surveillance satellites under the Space-Based Surveillance-III (SBS-III) programme. The SBS-III was approved in October 2023 by the Cabinet Committee on Security led by the Prime Minister. It plans 21 satellites by Indian Space Research Organisation and 31 by private companies. The first launch is due by April 2026, with the full network ready by 2029. The Defence Space Agency under Integrated Defence Staff leads this project and coordinates with Indian Space Research Organisation, Defence Research and Development Organisation, and the armed forces for space security.

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Recently, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting launched the WAVEX Startup Challenge 2025 under its WaveX startup accelerator program. The challenge is titled BhashaSetu – Real-Time Language Tech for Bharat. It is a national hackathon to build Artificial Intelligence-based multilingual translation tools for at least 12 major Indian languages. WaveX is a startup accelerator under the Ministry’s WAVES initiative to promote innovation in media, entertainment, and language technology.

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Recently, Japan launched the Global Observing Satellite for Greenhouse gases and Water cycle (GOSAT-GW) from Tanegashima Space Centre. GOSAT-GW is an Earth observation satellite developed by the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). It was launched using the H-2A rocket. Its objectives are to monitor global-mean concentrations of Greenhouse Gases (GHGs), verify national anthropogenic GHG emissions inventories, and detect GHG emissions from large sources like megacities and power plants.