Latest Science and Technology

Current Affairs PDF

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.

You can download this as pdf as well. It is useful for all competitive exams like SSC
CGL, Railways RRB, IBPS PO, SBI Clerk, LIC AAO and more!

List Of Scientific and Technological Developments 2015-16

Discovery/ Country/
Trivia/ Description
Development Organization

Space Research and Discovery

High-thrust cryogenic To be used in heavy launch vehicle

ISRO, India
engine CE20 GSLV Mk-III.

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency

X-Ray Astronomy satellite
JAXA, Japan launched it from Tanegashima Space
ASTRO-H
Centre.

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 5 new Jupiter-like planets UK Exhibit properties similar to Jupiter.

It has 7,000 astronomical units (AU)

US,UK,
Widest planet system width. (Neptune is 30 AU from the
Australia
Sun)

2nd largest black hole in Keio University Signs of an invisible black hole with
Milky Way Japan mass 105 times the mass of Sun.

Polar Satellite Launch Vehicale, in its

33rd flight (PSLV C-31) launches the
IRNSS 1-E Satellite ISRO, India
IRNSS 1-E, the next step in the Indian
Regional Navigational Satellite System.

Method to detect dwarf galaxies

dominated by dark matter.
Galactoseismology India
Also explains ripples on outer disk
of galaxy.

NASA spacecraft LADEE (Lunar

Presence of Neon gas in Atmosphere and Dust Environment
NASA
Moons atmosphere Explorer) confirmed the presence of
Neon gas in Moons atmosphere.

1st satellite having early warning

system.
EKS Kosmos 2510 Russia
Will detect missiles heading towards
Russia.

Images by Mars Reconnaissance

Liquid Water on Mars NASA Orbiter (MRO) show dark, narrow
streaks running downhill.

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 India's 1st dedicated multi wavelength
ASTROSAT ISRO, India
space observatory.

A glider prototype that would be

Prandtl-m aircraft NASA deployed on Mars for agencys
missions.

The brightest galaxy in the early

CR7 Galaxy Portugal universe, named after Cristiano
Ronaldo.

World's largest asteroid Found in Warburton Basin of central

Australia
impact zone Australia.

Kepler 438b and Kepler 2 Earth-like planets spotted by Nasas

USA
442b Kepler space telescope.

2 arms of the Laser Interferometer

Gravitational-Wave Observatory in the
Gravitational Waves US directly detected gravitational
LIGO, US
Detected waves predicted by Einsteins General
Theory of Relativity. Third arm
planned in India.

Defence and Combat

It is a naval variant of Indias

indigenously-developed Prithvi
Dhanush Ballistic Missile India missile.

Missile has a strike range of 350km.

1st indigenously-designed and built

INS Astradharini India
torpedo launch and recovery vessel.

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 Indigenously built largest destroyer
INS Kochi India
warship.

Indigenously-built surface-to-air
missile.
Akash Missile India
Strike range of 25km and can carry
warheads up to 60kg.

Successful 48th test firing of BrahMos.

BrahMos Supersonic
India
Cruise Missile Has a range of 290km and a Mach 2.8
speed.

Akash Weapon System Indigenously developed and inducted

India
(AWS) into the Indian Army.

Health and Medicine

Bharat Biotech,
ZikaVac Worlds first vaccine for Zika Virus.
India

1st Ayurvedic anti-diabetic drug.

BGR-34 India
BGR is acronym for Blood Glucose
Regulator.

Indias 1st artificial liver tissue using 3-

Artificial Liver Tissue India
D printing technology.

Mosquirix UK Worlds 1st Malaria vaccine.

Cardiac Mini heart on a microchip using

Microphysiological USA human stem cells.
System (Mini heart)

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 Led by Indian-origin scientist Anurag
Mathur.

CCMB
Treatment for Fungal A Nano-particle-based drug delivery
Hyderabad,
Keratitis method to fight Fungal Keratitis
India

DNA sequencing based Will help diagnose Ebola & other

USA
blood test pathogens.

Science and Technology

Made of tin & oxygen or tin monoxide

A new kind of 2D (SnO).
USA
semiconducting material
Material will be used in electronics.

First machine harvestable chickpea

variety.
NBeG 47 India
To address labour shortage & reduce
hard work.

Added to 7th Row of the Periodic Table

Elements 113, 115, 117 &
IUPAC by International Union of Pure and
118
Applied Chemistry.

Chip powers a system that can use TV

Saankhya Labs, White Space or wasted spectrum
Pruthvi Chip
India bandwidth to beam Internet to scores
of households.

Small enough to fit inside a

Quantum Dot (QD)
USA smartphone camera.
Spectrometer

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 Spectrometers measure properties of
light.

30th June 2015 clocked 1 second longer

Leap Second 2015 India as an extra second was added to the
clocks world-wide at 23:59:59.

Synchronous computer that operates

World's first water-based
India-America using the unique physics of moving
computer
water droplets.

ATM will not allow users to withdraw

World's first facial
China cash unless their face matches their
recognition ATM
IDs

Announced by Microsoft. Claimed to

Edge Web Browser USA
enhance user experience.

Research and Discovery

Tree frog Ghatixalus Discovered in the high ranges of Idukki

India
magnus district in the Western Ghats of Kerala.

The bird has been named Himalayan

forest thrush Zoothera salimalii. The
Himalayan Forest Thrush China
scientific name honors the great Indian
ornithologist Slim Ali.

Sweet banana species. Bananas of this

Musa Indandamanensis India species are very sweet and are eaten by
tribal people of the island.

4 new species of Fish;

Four new species of Fish discovered in
Puntius Nelsoni, Puntius India
Kerala.
Nigronotus, Systomus

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 Chryseus and Systomus
Rufus

Tiny butterfly species discovered in

Butterfly called Banded
India forests of Changlang, Arunachal
Tit
Pradesh.

Spotted the endangered snow leopards

Snow Leopard India for the 1st time in the North Sikkim
Plateau.

Discovered a new genus of tree hole-

New tree frog genus India breeding frogs in the forests
of northeast.

Discovered by a group of citizen

Dracula Ant India scientists in the Western Ghats region
of Kerala.

New species of Giant Giant tortoises in the Galapagos weigh

Galapagos
Tortoise named up to 250kg and live longer than 100
islands
Chelonoidis donfaustoi years.

Longest chain of continental volcanoes.

World's longest
Continental Volcanic Australia
Stretching almost 2000 km
Chain
along east coast.

The largest active volcano of Japan.

Mount Aso Volcano Japan
Erupted on 14 September 2015.

New fish species named Discovered from a small water stream

India
Puntius Dolichopterus in Kayamkulam city of Kerala.

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 Discovery of the first species of Yeti
1st species of Yeti Crab
Antarctica Crab in Antarctica in the
named Kiwa tyleri
journal PLOS ONE.

1st time after 100 years Blue Whales

Blue whales India were sighted off the coast of
Maharashtra.

New species of fish called Discovered in the Kudremukh National

India
Pethia Striata Park, Karnataka.

Driest place on the Earth, Atacama

Maria Elena South (MES) Chile
Desert in Chile.

New Catfish Species New catfish species in the Chindwin

Glyptothorax India river drainage in Senapati district of
Senapatiensis Manipur.

Researchers from National Oceanic

Opah, world's first fully
and Atmospheric Administration
warm-blooded fish US, Australia
discovered worlds first fully warm-
species
blooded fish species

New species of Geckos, Spotted at the ruins of the World

India
Cnemaspis Adii Heritage Site of Hampi, Karnataka.

Small passerine bird species and sole

Grey Hypocolius India
member of the genus Hypocolius.

Rare Spiders
Martensopoda Sanctor
and Stenaelurillus Albus
The spiders belong to the Sparassidae
India
and Salticidae families.

2 bloom-forming algal
India Discovered off the west coast of India
species, Ulva Paschima

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 Bast and Cladophora
Goensis Bast

Species belongs to the typical owls

Endangered forest owlet,
India family, Strigidae that is on the verge of
Athene Blewitti)
extinction.

Named Dampier Peninsula Goanna

World's smallest goanna
Australia while its scientific name is
lizard species
Varanus sparnus.

Plant Species Nepenthes Growing for almost a decade and

UK
Zygon helping to keep down cockroaches.

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