Science – GK Questions

Techniques like 10x Visium, MERFISH preserve tissue architecture while sequencing RNA. Reveals cell-cell interactions, tissue organization in development, disease. Transformative for cancer biology, neuroscience. [[DBT Reports, NCERT Biology Class 12]]

DES: cheap, biodegradable, tunable solvents for extraction, catalysis, electrochemistry. Alternative to volatile organic solvents; aligns with green chemistry. Research ongoing in Indian institutions for biomass processing. [[NCERT Chemistry Class 12]]

Massive objects bend spacetime, deflecting light from background sources. Strong lensing creates arcs, rings, multiple images; used to map dark matter, study early galaxies. ISRO's AstroSat contributes to multi-wavelength lensing studies. [[NCERT Physics Class 11, IUCAA Reports]]

AA ecosystem: users grant consent via AA apps to share financial data (bank statements, investments) securely with lenders, insurers. Enhances credit access, reduces paperwork, empowers data principals. [[RBI, MeitY Reports]]

4R approach: Reduce emissions, Reuse CO₂ as feedstock, Recycle carbon in materials, Remove CO₂ via DAC/afforestation. Holistic strategy for net-zero; India advocates balanced implementation considering development needs. [[MoEFCC, NITI Aayog Reports]]

Gut microbiota influence brain function and behavior through neural, endocrine, immune pathways. Links to depression, anxiety, neurodegenerative diseases. Probiotics/prebiotics being explored for mental health interventions. [[ICMR Reports, NCERT Biology Class 11]]

Physisorption: weak van der Waals forces bind H₂ to high-surface-area MOFs. Reversible, fast kinetics; challenges: low volumetric density at ambient conditions. Research focuses on optimizing pore chemistry for room-temperature storage. [[NCERT Chemistry Class 12]]

SMRs (<300 MWe) use passive safety systems, factory fabrication, modular deployment. Suitable for remote areas, industrial heat, grid support. India's NPCIL is exploring SMR designs for domestic and export markets. [[DAE Reports, NCERT Physics Class 12]]

Machine learning enhances climate prediction: emulating complex physics, analyzing big data (satellite, sensors), optimizing renewable integration. India's National AI Strategy identifies climate action as a key sector. [[NITI Aayog, MoES Reports]]

Green bonds fund renewable energy, clean transport, sustainable water management, etc. India is among top emerging market issuers. SEBI's Green Bond Guidelines (2017) ensure transparency and impact reporting. [[SEBI, MoEFCC Reports]]

These platforms use Cas13/Cas12 collateral cleavage activated by target binding, coupled with reporter molecules. Enable rapid, portable detection of pathogens (viruses, bacteria), genetic mutations. Potential for point-of-care testing. [[DBT Reports, ICMR Guidelines]]

CO₂ electrolysis using catalysts (Cu, Ag, molecular complexes) yields fuels/chemicals: CO, formate, ethylene, ethanol. Enables carbon recycling; challenges: selectivity, energy efficiency, scale-up. [[NCERT Chemistry Class 12, DST Reports]]

Quantum teleportation: entangled pair shared between sender/receiver; Bell measurement + classical bits enable state reconstruction. Does not transmit matter/energy; foundational for quantum internet. India's QuEST program advances this research. [[DST Reports]]

Digital twins integrate IoT sensors, AI, physics-based models to monitor asset health, predict failures, optimize operations. Used in smart cities, industrial plants, transportation. Reduces downtime, enhances safety. [[NITI Aayog, MeitY Reports]]

Tipping points: critical thresholds where small changes trigger large, irreversible shifts in Earth system. Monitoring these is crucial for climate risk assessment and policy. India's climate vulnerability increases with global tipping risks. [[MoES, MoEFCC Reports]]

scRNA-seq profiles gene expression in individual cells, identifying rare cell types, developmental trajectories, disease subpopulations. Revolutionized immunology, neuroscience, cancer research. [[DBT Reports, NCERT Biology Class 12]]

E-fuels: CO₂ + H₂O + renewable electricity → hydrocarbons (methane, methanol, jet fuel) via electrolysis + catalysis. Drop-in replacement for fossil fuels in aviation, shipping; enables carbon recycling. [[MNRE Reports, NCERT Chemistry Class 11]]

Weyl fermions (predicted 1929, observed 2015) are chiral, massless excitations in topological semimetals. Exhibit exotic transport: chiral anomaly, Fermi arcs. Potential for low-power electronics, quantum computing. [[NCERT Physics Class 12, DST Reports]]

Federated learning: model updates (not raw data) are shared from edge devices to central server. Preserves privacy, reduces bandwidth; used in healthcare (hospital data), mobile keyboards, IoT. Key for GDPR/DPDP-compliant AI. [[MeitY Reports]]

Just transition principles: retraining, social protection, inclusive planning, regional development. India's coal-dependent regions (Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh) require tailored strategies for equitable decarbonization. [[NITI Aayog, MoEFCC Reports]]