Science – GK Questions

ZBNF (Subhash Palekar) uses Jeevamrut (microbial culture), Bijamrita (seed treatment), Mulching, and Waaphasa (soil aeration) to enhance soil health and reduce costs. Promoted in several Indian states. [[MoA Reports]]

Ultrasound (>20 kHz) penetrates tissues; echoes create images (sonography). Also used in cleaning, NDT, pest repellents. Non-ionizing and safe for prenatal scans. [[NCERT Physics Class 11]]

Immutability: once data is added to a block and chained via hashes, altering it requires recalculating all subsequent blocks across the network—computationally infeasible. Core to trustless systems. [[NITI Aayog Reports]]

Base editors (e.g., cytosine/adenine base editors) chemically convert C→T or A→G without DSBs, reducing unintended indels. Safer for therapeutic genome editing. [[DBT Reports, NCERT Biology Class 12]]

Light-dependent reactions: chlorophyll absorbs photons, excites electrons, splits water, generates ATP/NADPH. Calvin cycle uses these to fix CO₂. Foundation of life on Earth. [[NCERT Biology Class 11]]

Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune, develops Earth System Models (e.g., IITM-ESM) for monsoon prediction and climate change projections. Supports policy and adaptation planning. [[MoES Reports]]

Higgs field interacts with particles via Higgs mechanism, endowing them with mass. Discovery confirmed Standard Model prediction. Nobel Prize in Physics 2013. [[NCERT Physics Class 12]]

Digital twins simulate, predict, and optimize performance of assets (engines, cities, power grids). Enabled by IoT, AI, cloud computing. Emerging application in Industry 4.0 and smart infrastructure. [[NITI Aayog Reports]]

Recombineering uses phage proteins for homologous recombination in vivo, enabling large DNA insertions/deletions. Complements CRISPR for complex genome engineering in synthetic biology. [[DBT Reports, NCERT Biology Class 12]]

DFT calculates electronic structure (energy, orbitals) of atoms, molecules, solids using electron density instead of wavefunctions. Widely used in materials design, catalysis, drug discovery. [[NCERT Chemistry Class 12]]

Blue carbon ecosystems store carbon in biomass and sediments at rates higher than terrestrial forests. Conservation supports climate mitigation and coastal protection. India has significant mangrove cover. [[MoEFCC, UNEP Reports]]

Superconductors exhibit zero DC resistance and Meissner effect (expelling magnetic fields). Applications: MRI magnets, maglev trains, quantum computing. High-Tc superconductors operate above liquid nitrogen temps. [[NCERT Physics Class 12]]

Edge computing reduces latency and bandwidth by processing data at/near IoT devices (sensors, phones). Critical for real-time applications: autonomous vehicles, industrial automation. [[MeitY Reports]]

Gut microbes train immune cells, produce vitamins (K, B12), ferment fiber to SCFAs. Dysbiosis linked to obesity, IBD, mental health. Probiotics/prebiotics modulate microbiome. [[ICMR Reports, NCERT Biology Class 12]]

Beta-lactam ring (4-membered cyclic amide) inhibits bacterial cell wall synthesis. Resistance via beta-lactamase enzymes. Core structure for penicillins, cephalosporins, carbapenems. [[NCERT Chemistry Class 12]]

Waste incineration burns MSW to generate steam, driving turbines for electricity. Reduces landfill volume but requires emission controls. Part of integrated waste management. [[MoEFCC Guidelines]]

Perovskite PV cells (hybrid organic-inorganic) offer high efficiency, low cost, and flexibility. Challenges: stability, scalability. India's National Solar Mission supports R&D in next-gen PV. [[MNRE Reports]]

Forensic imaging (e.g., FTK Imager, dd) creates exact clones preserving metadata and deleted files. Essential for legal evidence collection without altering original data. [[CERT-In Guidelines]]

CpG islands (CG dinucleotides) are common methylation sites. Methyl groups added to cytosine by DNMT enzymes silence genes. Epigenetic changes influence development, disease, and inheritance. [[NCERT Biology Class 12]]

Supramolecular chemistry studies molecular assemblies via hydrogen bonds, van der Waals, π-π interactions. Applications: drug delivery, sensors, molecular machines (Nobel 2016). [[NCERT Chemistry Class 12]]