General Awareness

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY - July 2023

Jul 2023

Jan 20, 2026

Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla inaugurates virtual reality theatre on space exploration in New D...

Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla today inaugurated the Virtual Reality Theatre and Panel Exhibition titled From Earth to Orbit: Exploring space together in New Delhi. Shukla shared experiences from the Axiom-4 mission, including life in space, astronaut training, and the challenges of orbital operations. He interacted with around 400 students from different schools, encouraging them to pursue careers in space and technology. He stressed that young minds will play a crucial role in shaping the future of space exploration and Indian contributions to human spaceflight, international missions, and global scientific collaboration. The panel exhibition remains open to the public from today, highlighting India’s space ambitions.

Inauguration by Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla
Event features spaceflight experiences and training insights
About 400 students engaged from multiple schools
Emphasis on youth roles in space exploration
Exhibition open to the public from Jan 20

C-DOT’s Cell Broadcast Solution awarded SKOCH Award 2025 for disaster alert system

The Centre for Development of Telematics (C‑DOT) received the SKOCH Award 2025 for its Cell Broadcast Solution (CBS), presented at the 104th SKOCH Summit themed Resourcing Viksit Bharat. CBS is an indigenous platform for near real‑time disaster alerts via cellular networks. It integrates agencies such as IMD, Central Water Commission, INCOIS, Defence Geo‑informatics Research Establishment, and Forest Survey of India, and collaborates with mobile operators and State Disaster Management Authorities for rapid dissemination. CBS supports 21 Indian languages and aligns with international early‑warning frameworks to enhance disaster risk reduction.

CBS awarded SKOCH Award 2025
Indigenous near‑real‑time disaster alert system
Integrates IMD, CWC, INCOIS, DGRE, FSI
Works with mobile operators and State DMAs
Supports 21 Indian languages and UN/ITU frameworks

Jan 19, 2026

Central University of Karnataka Wins IEEE MAPCON Best Large Chapter

The Central University of Karnataka earned the Best Large Chapter Award at IEEE MAPCON 2025 in Kochi, recognizing its IEEE MTT-S Student Branch. The conference drew participants from 45 countries with over 1,800 delegates and more than 250 experts. Inaugurated by ISRO and NASA collaborators, the event featured sessions led by university faculty and students. Dean Paramesha and Nrusingha C. Pradhan attended as chairs; Pradhan received a travel grant of ₹1.52 lakh for his contribution. The award highlights the university s strong technical activities and international research engagement.

Award: Best Large Chapter, IEEE MAPCON 2025
Institution: Central University of Karnataka
Event: Kochi, 45 countries, 1,800+ delegates
Notable attendees: ISRO, NASA partners
Prize: ₹1.52 lakh travel grant

NASA Rolls SLS to Launchpad for Artemis II Moon Mission

NASA rolled the Space Launch System rocket toward its launchpad for Artemis II, marking readiness for a crewed moon mission after Artemis I. The 322 foot tall vehicle moved on its mobile platform, a 4 mile crawl to the launchpad at Kennedy Space Center. Artemis II aims for a 10 day lunar journey with four astronauts aboard. A wet dress rehearsal planned four days before launch will test countdown procedures. Three launch windows exist through April, with February 6 as the earliest possible date. The schedule will depend on rehearsal outcomes and Crew-12 mission considerations.

Vehicle: Space Launch System rocket
Crew: four astronauts
Launch window options: Feb 6 to Apr 11, Mar 3–11, or Apr 1–6
Critical test: wet dress rehearsal
Next steps: Crew-12 coordination

Google Unveils TranslateGemma Open Translation Models for 55 Languages

Google released TranslateGemma, a set of open source translation models covering 55 languages. The collection comes in three sizes—4B, 12B, and 27B parameters—to run on devices from smartphones to cloud servers. The 12B model outperforms Google's 27B baseline on the WMT24++ benchmark while using less than half the computing power. For developers, this means offline high quality translation on a laptop is feasible. The 4B version matches the 12B baseline, making offline translation practical for mobile apps. Gemma 3 was fine tuned on a mixture of human translations and synthetic data from Gemini, with a second training phase using reinforcement learning to improve naturalness.

Models support 55 languages including major and low-resource options
Sizes: 4B, 12B, 27B parameters
12B outperforms 27B on WMT24++ with lower compute
Offline translation possible on laptops and mobile devices
Available on Kaggle and Hugging Face

Jan 18, 2026

Tamil Nadu signs ₹10,000‑crore MoU for Sovereign AI Park

Tamil Nadu signed an MoU with Sarvam AI to establish India’s first full‑stack Sovereign AI Park with an initial investment of ₹10,000 crore. The park will create about 1,000 high‑skilled jobs and function as a sovereign AI district with secure data, compute and governance labs. The project aims to keep data and models within a trusted state boundary, addressing ethical and security concerns. The MoU was signed in the presence of Chief Minister M. K. Stalin and other officials, setting a model for state‑led artificial intelligence infrastructure.

Project: Sovereign AI Park (TN & Sarvam AI)
Investment: ₹10,000 crore
Jobs: ~1,000 high‑skilled roles
Features: sovereign compute, data, governance labs
Goal: state‑led, data‑trusted AI ecosystem

AP FIRST Research Centre approved in Tirupati

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu approved the AP FIRST project, to establish a Futuristic Innovation and Research Centre in Tirupati. The facility aims to align education, aerospace, defence and IT sectors with future workforce needs. Officials from the Drone Corporation attended the meeting, highlighting skill development and industry partnerships. The project supports long‑term growth by building research, development and upskilling capabilities for the state’s youth and technology ecosystems.

Project: AP FIRST Research Centre
Location: Tirupati
Aims: future workforce in aerospace, defence, IT
Partners: Drone Corporation and industry players
Impact: skills, R&D, and industry alignment

Jan 17, 2026

IndiaAI Mission, IIT Hyderabad host inclusive AI working group

The IndiaAI Mission, in collaboration with IIT Hyderabad, hosted a working group on inclusive AI for social empowerment at the IITH campus in Kandi, Sangareddy. The session is a precursor to the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi, scheduled February 16–20, and forms part of a nationwide series of consultations. Leaders from academia, policy, and industry gathered to shape the summit’s agenda, focusing on equitable access, governance, and responsible AI deployment. The discussions will guide thematic priorities, funding directions, and actionable steps toward AI-powered public services.

IndiaAI Mission and IIT Hyderabad host inclusive AI working group.
Part of preparations for India AI Impact Summit 2026 (Feb 16–20, New Delhi).
Stakeholders from academia, policy, and industry participate.
Focus on equitable access, governance, and responsible AI deployment.
Outcomes will guide funding and policy priorities.

Ola Electric secures BIS nod for Ola Shakti residential BESS

Ola Electric announced it has received BIS certification and license for Ola Shakti, its home battery energy storage system (BESS) with 6 kW power and 9.1 kWh capacity using 4680 battery cells. The BIS process included tests for short-circuit and overload protection, fire and thermal safety, and protection from electric shock, along with environmental and mechanical hazard assessments. The product is designed and manufactured in India to meet national safety standards. Industry observers see Shakti as a milestone for local battery manufacturing and grid-supportive energy storage for households.

Ola Shakti: 6 kW/9.1 kWh residential BESS; 4680 cells.
BIS certification and licensing granted after safety tests.
Tests covered short-circuit, overload, fire/thermal safety, electric shock.
Designed and manufactured in India; supports rooftop solar deployments.
Viewed as a milestone for domestic battery manufacturing.

CSIR-NIScPR celebrates 5th Foundation Day, highlights AI for regional languages and policy research

CSIR-National Institute of Science Communication and Policy Research (CSIR-NIScPR) celebrated its 5th Foundation Day, highlighting its mission to use artificial intelligence for regional language communication and to advance India's science policy research internationally. In her welcome address, Dr Geetha Vani Rayasam, Director of CSIR-NIScPR, emphasised the institute’s history of science communication and encouraged collaboration. She noted the need to engage global institutions and to explore AI in regional language communication. Dr Viswanajanani J. Sattigeri, Head of CSIR-TKDL Unit, cited TKDL’s global recognition and the benefits of digitising traditional knowledge for policy research. The event announced SVASTIK, a portal providing content in 19 Indian languages and 5 foreign languages, and invited collaboration with ANRF’s Saral AI tool.

5th Foundation Day celebrated; focus on AI for regional language communication and policy research.
Dr Geetha Vani Rayasam emphasised international collaboration and AI applications.
TKDL's global recognition highlighted; traditional knowledge digitisation aids policy research.
SVASTIK portal launched; content in 19 Indian languages and 5 foreign languages.
ANRF’s Saral AI tool invited collaboration to amplify impact.

Jan 16, 2026

Karan Fries: India-origin cow breed yields 11–19 kg milk daily

Karan Fries, a synthetic dairy breed developed by the National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI) in Karnal, Haryana, combines Holstein Friesian with Tharparkar cattle. The breed averages about 3,550 kg of milk per lactation (roughly 11.6 kg per day), with top producers reaching 5,851 kg (about 19.1 kg per day). The breed demonstrates strong genetic potential under Indian farming conditions, balancing high yield with climate resilience. This development supports India’s dairy sector by improving productivity and bolstering food security through scientifically guided crossbreeding programs.

Karan Fries is a cross between Holstein Friesian and Tharparkar.
Average milk yield around 11.6 kg/day; top cows up to 19.1 kg/day.
Developed by NDRI, Karnal (Haryana).
Balances high yield with resilience to Indian conditions.
Boosts dairy productivity and food security.

Wikimedia Foundation partners with major tech firms for AI content training

Wikipedia’s parent organization, the Wikimedia Foundation, announced partnerships with several tech giants including Microsoft, Meta, and Amazon to support AI-based content training. The collaboration also involves AI startup Perplexity and France’s Mistral AI, expanding beyond a previous arrangement with Alphabet’s Google. The moves reflect a growing trend of major platforms leveraging open encyclopedic content to improve AI models while balancing licensing, fair use, and monetization considerations. The partnerships aim to sustain high-quality knowledge access while addressing concerns about data usage and content integrity in AI systems.

Wikimedia partners with Microsoft, Meta, Amazon for AI training.
Involves Perplexity and Mistral AI; expands beyond Google deal.
Aims to balance AI training with content licensing and integrity.
Fetches support from multiple tech giants for AI models.
Signal of larger trend in AI content partnerships.

Genome recovered from Woolly Rhino remains reveals population health

Researchers extracted DNA and reconstructed the woolly rhinoceros genome from undigested meat found in the stomach of a lone Ice Age wolf puppy in permafrost near Tumat, Siberia. The team compared this genome with two other ancient individuals to study genetic changes over time. The findings suggest the species remained genetically healthy until the late Ice Age before a rapid population decline, likely due to climate change. The study challenges assumptions about inbreeding in small populations and contributes to understanding how cold environments shaped megafauna survival and extinction in northern Europe and Asia.

Woolly rhino genome recovered from permafrost sample.
Genome compared with two other individuals for time-based insights.
Indicates genetic health until late Ice Age; rapid decline likely due to climate change.
No evidence of inbreeding in studied genomes.
Enhances understanding of megafauna extinction dynamics.

ISS crew returns to Earth after first-ever medical evacuation

A SpaceX Dragon capsule carrying a four-member International Space Station crew splashed down safely in the Pacific Ocean off California. NASA confirmed the mission marks the first time an ISS crew was evacuated early due to a medical condition. The capsule deployed parachutes and landed gently, with medical teams ready to treat the affected astronaut on the ground. NASA Administrator and medical authorities withheld details about the illness for privacy. The safe return of the crew ends an adjusted ISS timeline and underscores the importance of rapid contingency planning in long-duration spaceflight.

ISS crew evacuated via SpaceX Endeavour capsule.
First-ever medical evacuation of an ISS crew member.
Capsule landed safely in the Pacific; medical teams awaiting.
NASA withheld illness details for privacy reasons.
Highlights need for contingency planning in space missions.

X halts Grok AI image edits for real people in some jurisdictions

X (formerly Twitter) announced that its Grok AI tool will no longer edit photos of real people to show them in revealing clothing in jurisdictions where such edits are illegal. The measure follows public backlash over deepfake-style modifications. The platform indicated it implemented technical safeguards to prevent misuse. The UK regulator Ofcom termed the move a positive development, though it noted that ongoing investigations into legal compliance continue. The incident highlights ongoing debates over AI-generated imagery, privacy, and safety in social media. Users will still be able to use Grok for other non-sensitive tasks within policy limits.

Grok AI restricted from editing real people’s revealing images in some regions.
Tech safeguards implemented; backlash spurred action.
Ofcom welcomed the development; investigations continue.
Policy underscores AI-generated imagery safety concerns.
Limitations apply to content deemed illegal in jurisdictions.

IShowSpeed makes history by streaming inside Egypt’s Great Pyramid

Speed, real name Darren Watkins Jr., became the first streamer to go live from inside Egypt’s Great Pyramid of Giza on January 15, 2026, as part of his Speed Does Africa tour. The live broadcast featured drone footage and a guided walkthrough of narrow passages and chambers. Viewers witnessed Speed’s reactions in real time before continuing his journey through the Sphinx and into Cairo. The moment drew millions of online views and sparked discussions about the limits and safety of live-streaming in cultural sites, as well as the role of creators in documenting world heritage responsibly.

IShowSpeed streams live from inside Giza Pyramid (Jan 15, 2026).
First-ever live broadcast from the interior of the site.
Includes drone footage and guided tour segments.
Draws millions of online viewers; raises safety concerns.
Ignites debates on live-streaming at heritage sites.

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