Science and Technology

If you are preparing for competitive exams then you will need to address the General Awareness and Current Affairs section in almost every paper. Questions on latest science and technology current affairs form an important part of many exams. While science questions from static GK will be asked, you need to be equally ready with more recent science and technology developments, especially those that have been making news the past few months.

So here is a list of science and technology current affairs developments over the past few months and why they are in the news. Learn a little bit of trivia about them. Then get ready to answer any and all questions your exams throw at you. We hope it will be helpful for your upcoming Bank Exams - IBPS, SSC, UPSC and all Competitive Exams.

LearnFrenzy provides you lots of fully solved "Science and Technology" Questions and Answers with explanation.

List Of Scientific and Technological Developments

Space Research and Discovery

Discovery/ Development Country/ Organization Trivia/ Description
High-thrust cryogenic engine CE20 ISRO, India To be used in heavy launch vehicle GSLV Mk-III.
X-Ray Astronomy satellite ASTRO-H JAXA, Japan Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency launched it from Tanegashima Space Centre.
5 new Jupiter-like planets UK Exhibit properties similar to Jupiter.
Widest planet system US,UK, Australia It has 7,000 astronomical units (AU) width. (Neptune is 30 AU from the Sun)
2nd largest black hole in Milky Way Keio University Japan Signs of an invisible black hole with mass 105 times the mass of Sun.
IRNSS 1-E Satellite ISRO, India Polar Satellite Launch Vehicale, in its 33rd flight (PSLV C-31) launches the IRNSS 1-E, the next step in the Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System.
Galactoseismology India Method to detect dwarf galaxies dominated by dark matter. Also explains ripples on outer disk of galaxy.
Presence of Neon gas in Moon’s atmosphere NASA NASA spacecraft LADEE (Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer) confirmed the presence of Neon gas in Moon’s atmosphere.
EKS Kosmos 2510 Russia 1st satellite having early warning system. Will detect missiles heading towards Russia.
Liquid Water on Mars NASA Images by Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) show dark, narrow streaks running downhill.
ASTROSAT ISRO, India India’s 1st dedicated multi wavelength space observatory.
Prandtl-m aircraft NASA A glider prototype that would be deployed on Mars for agency’s missions.
CR7 Galaxy Portugal The brightest galaxy in the early universe, named after Cristiano Ronaldo.
ASTROSAT ISRO, India India’s 1st dedicated multi wavelength space observatory.
World’s largest asteroid impact zone Australia Found in Warburton Basin of central Australia.
Kepler 438b and Kepler 442b USA 2 Earth-like planets spotted by Nasa’s Kepler space telescope.
Gravitational Waves Detected LIGO, US 2 arms of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory in the US directly detected gravitational waves predicted by Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity. Third arm planned in India.

Defence and Combat

Discovery/ Development Country/ Organization Trivia/ Description
Dhanush Ballistic Missile India It is a naval variant of India’s indigenously-developed Prithvi missile. Missile has a strike range of 350km.
INS Astradharini India 1st indigenously-designed and built torpedo launch and recovery vessel.
INS Kochi India Indigenously built largest destroyer warship.
Akash Missile India Indigenously-built surface-to-air missile. Strike range of 25km and can carry warheads up to 60kg.
BrahMos Supersonic Cruise Missile India Successful 48th test firing of BrahMos. Has a range of 290km and a Mach 2.8 speed.
Akash Weapon System (AWS) India Indigenously developed and inducted into the Indian Army.

Health and Medicine

Discovery/ Development Country/ Organization Trivia/ Description
ZikaVac Bharat Biotech, India World’s first vaccine for Zika Virus.
BGR-34 India 1st Ayurvedic anti-diabetic drug. BGR is acronym for Blood Glucose Regulator.
Artificial Liver Tissue India India’s 1st artificial liver tissue using 3-D printing technology.
Mosquirix UK World’s 1st Malaria vaccine.
Cardiac Microphysiological System (Mini heart) USA Mini heart on a microchip using human stem cells. Led by Indian-origin scientist Anurag Mathur.
Treatment for Fungal Keratitis CCMB Hyderabad, India A Nano-particle-based drug delivery method to fight Fungal Keratitis.
DNA sequencing based blood test USA Will help diagnose Ebola & other pathogens.

Science and Technology

Discovery/ Development Country/ Organization Trivia/ Description
A new kind of 2D semiconducting material USA Made of tin & oxygen or tin monoxide (SnO). Material will be used in electronics.
NBeG 47 India First machine harvestable chickpea variety. To address labour shortage & reduce hard work.
Elements 113, 115, 117 & 118 IUPAC Added to 7th Row of the Periodic Table by International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry.
Pruthvi Chip Saankhya Labs, India Chip powers a system that can use TV White Space or wasted spectrum bandwidth to beam Internet to scores of households.
Quantum Dot (QD) Spectrometer USA Small enough to fit inside a smartphone camera. Spectrometers measure properties of light.
Leap Second 2015 India 30th June 2015 clocked 1 second longer as an extra second was added to the clocks world-wide at 23:59:59.
World’s first water-based computer India-America Synchronous computer that operates using the unique physics of moving water droplets.
World’s first facial recognition ATM China ATM will not allow users to withdraw cash unless their face matches their IDs
Edge Web Browser USA Announced by Microsoft. Claimed to enhance user experience.

Research and Discovery

Discovery/ Development Country/ Organization Trivia/ Description
Tree frog Ghatixalus magnus India Discovered in the high ranges of Idukki district in the Western Ghats of Kerala.
Himalayan Forest Thrush China The bird has been named Himalayan forest thrush Zoothera salimalii. The scientific name honors the great Indian ornithologist Sálim Ali.
Musa Indandamanensis India Sweet banana species. Bananas of this species are very sweet and are eaten by tribal people of the island.
4 new species of Fish; Puntius Nelsoni, Puntius Nigronotus, Systomus Chryseus and Systomus Rufus India Four new species of Fish discovered in Kerala.
Butterfly called Banded Tit India Tiny butterfly species discovered in forests of Changlang, Arunachal Pradesh.
Snow Leopard India Spotted the endangered snow leopards for the 1st time in the North Sikkim Plateau.
New tree frog genus India Discovered a new genus of tree hole-breeding frogs in the forests of northeast.
Dracula Ant India Discovered by a group of citizen scientists in the Western Ghats region of Kerala.
New species of Giant Tortoise named Chelonoidis donfaustoi Galapagos islands Giant tortoises in the Galapagos weigh up to 250kg and live longer than 100 years.
World’s longest Continental Volcanic Chain Australia Longest chain of continental volcanoes. Stretching almost 2000 km along east coast.
Mount Aso Volcano Japan The largest active volcano of Japan. Erupted on 14 September 2015.
New fish species named Puntius Dolichopterus India Discovered from a small water stream in Kayamkulam city of Kerala.
1st species of Yeti Crab named Kiwa tyleri Antarctica Discovery of the first species of Yeti Crab in Antarctica in the journal PLOS ONE.
Blue whales India 1st time after 100 years Blue Whales were sighted off the coast of Maharashtra.
New species of fish called Pethia Striata India Discovered in the Kudremukh National Park, Karnataka.
Maria Elena South (MES) Chile Driest place on the Earth, Atacama Desert in Chile.
New Catfish Species Glyptothorax Senapatiensis India New catfish species in the Chindwin river drainage in Senapati district of Manipur.
Opah, world’s first fully warm-blooded fish species US, Australia Researchers from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration discovered world’s first fully warm-blooded fish species
New species of Geckos, Cnemaspis Adii India Spotted at the ruins of the World Heritage Site of Hampi, Karnataka.
Grey Hypocolius India Small passerine bird species and sole member of the genus Hypocolius.
Rare Spiders Martensopoda Sanctor and Stenaelurillus Albus India The spiders belong to the Sparassidae and Salticidae families.
2 bloom-forming algal species, Ulva Paschima Bast and Cladophora Goensis Bast India Discovered off the west coast of India
Endangered forest owlet, Athene Blewitti) India Species belongs to the typical owls’ family, Strigidae that is on the verge of extinction.
World’s smallest goanna lizard species Australia Named Dampier Peninsula Goanna while its scientific name is Varanus sparnus.
Plant Species Nepenthes Zygon UK Growing for almost a decade and helping to keep down cockroaches.