Science & Technology Current Affairs MCQs

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On January 1, 2024, a nanosatellite called WESAT (Women Engineered SATellite) was launched by students of Lal Bahadur Shastri Institute of Technology for Women (LBSITW) in Thiruvananthapuram. The satellite was launched as secondary payload aboard an Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) mission, specifically the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle-C58/XPoSat mission. The mission’s announcement of success was made from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. WESAT is a 1.4-kg satellite designed and developed entirely by women, making it the first Indian satellite with this distinction. The purpose of WESAT is to study ultraviolet radiation and its impact. The satellite project was led by Lizy Abraham, an Assistant Professor and Principal Investigator, with technical assistance from ISRO.

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The primary objectives of the recently launched XPoSat (X-ray Polarimeter Satellite) by ISRO are to investigate the polarization of intense X-Ray sources and study the enigmatic world of black holes. This satellite is India’s first dedicated scientific satellite for conducting research in space-based polarization measurements of X-ray emission from celestial sources. It carries two scientific payloads: POLIX (Polarimeter Instrument in X-rays) for measuring polarimetry parameters in the medium X-ray energy range of 8-30 keV photons and XSPECT (X-ray Spectroscopy and Timing) for providing spectroscopic information in the energy range of 0.8-15 keV. These instruments will help in gaining a deeper understanding of X-ray sources in space, including neutron stars and black holes.

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A new species of see-through green frog named Gracixalus patkaiensis has been discovered in the biodiverse Namdapha National Park in Arunachal Pradesh. The tiny 2.2 cm frog inhabits dense undergrowth in evergreen forests at the foothills of the Patkai range, and has a distinct insect-like call. It has been named after the Patkai hills of the Eastern Himalayas.

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S Krishnan, the Secretary of the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY), inaugurated ERNET India’s newly developed integrated web portal designed for educational institutes in India. This event took place at the head office of ERNET India in New Delhi on January 4, 2024. The portal aims to provide various services, including domain registration, DNS, Website as a Service (WaaS), and Learning Management as a Service (LMaaS), leveraging open-source software and emerging technologies like AI/ML. ERNET India, functioning under MeitY, serves as the exclusive domain registrar for educational and research institutes in India and offers a range of other technological services.

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A groundbreaking discovery in astronomy reveals HD 63433d, an Earth-like exoplanet orbiting the young sun-like star HD 63433, just 73 light years away in Ursa Major. At 400 million years old, it’s one-tenth the age of Earth, making it the youngest confirmed exoplanet. Being the closest Earth-sized planet found, HD 63433d is tidally locked, exposing its dayside to intense stellar radiation, reaching temperatures of 2,300°F. With a mere 4.2-day orbit, this planet challenges our understanding of celestial bodies, offering a unique glimpse into the diversity of planetary systems beyond our solar system.

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A recent study in Tamil Nadu’s Vellore reveals that a minimal increase in rainfall can escalate scrub typhus cases by 0.5 to 0.7%. This infectious disease, caused by the bacterium Orientia tsutsugamushi, spreads through infected mites. Symptoms include fever, headache, body ache, and, in severe cases, respiratory distress, brain inflammation, and multi-organ failure leading to death. Factors like vector abundance, climate, farming, and outdoor activities affect its prevalence. The disease, treatable with doxycycline, peaks in cooler months, and no vaccine exists.

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The World Health Organization (WHO) warns of ‘Disease X,’ a potential new pandemic with unknown characteristics, listed in the WHO’s Blueprint since 2018. This hypothetical pathogen, belonging to any of 25 virus families, lacks known treatments and could be 20 times deadlier than the recent SARS-Covid virus.

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ISRO and IMD collaborate for a new meteorological satellite, part of a climate observatory series to enhance climate services. The Geosynchronous Launch Vehicle (GSLV-F14) will deploy it, joining INSAT-3D and INSAT-3DR. The satellite boasts improvements like night-time imaging, accurate sea surface temperature estimation, and higher spatial resolution. Its payloads include a multispectral imager, a 19-channel sounder, data relay transponder, and a search and rescue transponder.

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An international team of astronomers recently observed AT 2023clx, the nearest Tidal Disruption Event (TDE) to Earth. TDEs happen when a star comes too close to a supermassive black hole, torn apart by tidal forces. The resulting debris falls onto the black hole, emitting radiation that indicates a TDE’s occurrence. This international team’s multi-wavelength observations enhance our understanding of these celestial events.

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Banaras Hindu University (BHU) inaugurates North India’s first human DNA bank, equipped with an Automated DNA Extractor Machine developed indigenously under the ‘Make in India’ initiative. Installed at the Gnyaneshwar Lab in the Zoology Department on January 30, 2024, the machine minimizes plastic usage, ensuring environmental sustainability. It efficiently extracts DNA from various biological materials, accommodating 32 samples in 30 minutes. The initiative stemmed from a three-day conference on Personalized Medicine held in March 2023, where BHU expressed readiness to establish a genome bank inspired by Estonia.