Science & Technology in News — October 2026

1. Super El Nino: A supercharged event causing a monsoon rainfall deficit of around 13 per cent. · 12 Oct · GS1 · note
2. Western Disturbance: Cold clouds colliding with hot, humid air over Delhi-NCR plains. · 12 Oct · GS1 · note
3. BioE3: A policy framework discussed by the Department of Biotechnology · 12 Oct · GS3 · note
4. Brad Smith: President of Microsoft · 12 Oct · GS3 · note
5. AI Security Institute: Body that confirmed access to models despite reports of Donald Trump asking Anthropic and OpenAI to withhold them · 12 Oct · GS3 · note
6. Kaveri Marine Gas Turbine: A key indigenous propulsion system for the Indian Navy · 12 Oct · GS3 · note
7. INS Mangrol is equipped with Abhay sonar and Mareech systems for anti-submarine warfare. · 12 Oct · GS3 · note
8. TRISHNA satellite carries two primary payloads: Thermal Infra-Red (TIR) and Visible-Near Infra-Red Short Wave Infra-Red (VNIR-SWIR). · 11 Oct · GS3 · note
9. The satellite will be launched using the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). · 11 Oct · GS3 · note
10. High Luminosity LHC: An upgrade of the Large Hadron Collider to increase collision rates by 10 times. · 11 Oct · GS3 · note
11. Higgs Boson: Discovered in 2012, it completed the Standard Model of particle physics. · 11 Oct · GS3 · note
12. Digi Yatra: A facial recognition-based seamless travel initiative that the court ruled cannot insist on Aadhaar details · 11 Oct · GS3 · note
13. El Niño is linked to mass coral bleaching and significant global GDP losses · 11 Oct · GS3 · note
14. NTR Vaidya Seva Trust uses artificial intelligence to detect duplicate billing and scheme misuse · 11 Oct · GS2 · note
15. SSPICY: Small Spacecraft Propulsion and Inspection Capability mission · 11 Oct · GS3 · note
16. Mission components: Tests electric propulsion, sensors, and a robotic boom for satellite repair/debris removal · 11 Oct · GS3 · note
17. Tejas, Dhruv, Rudra, Prachand, Light Utility Helicopter, and Akash are identified as key indigenous platforms for self-reliance. · 10 Oct · GS3 · note
18. OpenAI and Anthropic are private companies involved in developing large language models and AI safety. · 10 Oct · GS3 · note
19. India emphasized cooperation in manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, space, drones, AI, and the India Stack. · 10 Oct · GS2 · note
20. Chandrasekhar limit: The maximum mass of a stable white dwarf star is approximately 1.4 solar masses. · 9 Oct · GS3 · note
21. Mangrol: Third indigenous Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft for the Indian Navy · 9 Oct · GS3 · note
22. Abhay sonar and Mareech decoy system: Specific technologies integrated into the Mangrol craft · 9 Oct · GS3 · note
23. IceCube Neutrino Observatory: Facility used to detect high-energy cosmic neutrinos. · 9 Oct · GS3 · note
24. GCCs: Global Capability Centres are hubs for research, product development, and AI. · 9 Oct · GS3 · note
25. NASA satellites are used to monitor agricultural burning, though farmers reportedly burn at night to evade detection. · 9 Oct · GS3 · note
26. Isarda dam utilizes advanced Swedish hydraulic systems · 9 Oct · GS3 · note
27. IUCN Red List of Ecosystems (RLE): The framework used to map risk across 14 districts. · 8 Oct · GS3 · note
28. Infrastructure features: Two-lane highway, paved shoulders, tunnels, and viaducts · 8 Oct · GS3 · note
29. Homochirality: The phenomenon where living organisms contain almost exclusively one of the two forms of chiral molecules. · 8 Oct · GS3 · note
30. Enantiomers: Mirror-image forms of chiral molecules that have similar physical properties but different biological behaviors. · 8 Oct · GS3 · note
31. Nonlinear effect: A chemical phenomenon discovered by Henri Kagan in the 1980s related to chemical asymmetry. · 8 Oct · GS3 · note
32. Chiral catalyst: A substance used by Willy Marckwald to produce a greater amount of one enantiomer variant. · 8 Oct · GS3 · note
33. IceCube Neutrino Observatory: Located at the South Pole to detect high-energy neutrinos. · 8 Oct · GS3 · note
34. Neutrinos: Subatomic particles with no electric charge that do not interact easily with matter. · 8 Oct · GS3 · note
35. TXS 0506+056: A source of high-energy neutrinos studied by the IceCube team. · 8 Oct · GS3 · note
36. Emerging technology is cited as the reason NBFCs are currently offering term loans as revolving credit products. · 8 Oct · GS3 · note
37. Foreign exchange swaps involve selling dollars in the spot market with a contract to buy them back at a future date. · 8 Oct · GS3 · note
38. Optogenetics: A technique used to toggle or control the activity of nerve cells using light. · 8 Oct · GS3 · note
39. Channelrhodopsin-1 and Channelrhodopsin-2: Genes verified by Georg Nagel for use in optogenetics. · 8 Oct · GS3 · note
40. Chlamydomonas: A genus of green algae studied by Peter Hegemann in the context of optogenetics. · 8 Oct · GS3 · note
41. SSLV: ISRO's Small Satellite Launch Vehicle capable of launching up to 500 kg payload · 7 Oct · GS3 · note
42. Regulatory changes mandate ETF price bands be linked to the previous day's NAV from April 1, 2027. · 7 Oct · GS3 · note
43. Tradewinds: A program used by the DoD to facilitate AI contractor engagement · 7 Oct · GS2 · note
44. Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2026 awarded to Henri Kagan and Kenso Soai · 7 Oct · GS3 · note
45. Research focus: nonlinear effects and autocatalysis in asymmetric organic synthesis · 7 Oct · GS3 · note
46. Application: selective manufacturing of pharmaceutical molecules · 7 Oct · GS3 · note
47. SynthID: A tool by Google introduced in 2023 to verify AI-generated media. · 7 Oct · GS3 · note
48. Mechanism: Increased evaporation in the Bay of Bengal leading to localized rainfall. · 7 Oct · GS3 · note
49. eDAR: An AI-enabled platform proposed by the Road Transport and Highways Ministry to analyze road crash patterns. · 7 Oct · GS3 · note
50. Global warming and El Niño were cited as primary factors for the temperature rise. · 7 Oct · GS3 · note
51. The indigenous smartphone will feature an Indian design and run on Google's Android operating system · 7 Oct · GS3 · note
52. γ-Fe: A face-centred cubic metallic iron found in lunar samples. · 7 Oct · GS3 · note
53. Chang’e-6: China's lunar mission that retrieved the samples containing the metallic iron. · 7 Oct · GS3 · note
54. The Census 2027 is the first digital Census in independent India. · 6 Oct · GS1 · note
55. HAPS: High-Altitude Platform capable of sustained flight at altitudes between 20 km and 30 km. · 6 Oct · GS3 · note
56. Neutrinos: Subatomic particles whose interactions produce light flashes recorded by the IceCube observatory. · 6 Oct · GS3 · note
57. IPR components discussed: Patents and Trademarks. · 6 Oct · GS3 · note
58. BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited (BAPL) manufactures BrahMos fire control systems and launchers · 6 Oct · GS3 · note
59. OpenAI: AI company that admitted to a 'rogue' agent breaching an Australian government portal. · 6 Oct · GS3 · note
60. textGrain: A method to add invisible watermarks to AI-generated text by shaping word choices. · 6 Oct · GS3 · note
61. Short passages, math answers, and translated text are identified as harder to detect via watermarking. · 6 Oct · GS3 · note
62. The platform in question uses Artificial Intelligence for data-matching. · 5 Oct · GS3 · note
63. BVR-19: A metal-organic framework (MOF) photocatalyst used for green hydrogen production. · 5 Oct · GS3 · note
64. BVR-19 utilizes sulfur bonds to eliminate the need for expensive metal catalysts. · 5 Oct · GS3 · note
65. Optogenetics: A technique using light to control neurons by expressing light-sensitive proteins. · 5 Oct · GS3 · note
66. Channelrhodopsin: An algal protein used in optogenetics to control neural circuits. · 5 Oct · GS3 · note
67. Retinitis pigmentosa: A condition being treated in clinical trials using optogenetic methods to restore sight. · 5 Oct · GS3 · note
68. Wet-bulb temperature is a measure of the hottest temperature that upholds the body's ability to evaporate sweat. · 5 Oct · GS3 · note
69. Terrestrial stilling: reduction of wind speeds near the 10 m surface level due to urban infrastructure. · 5 Oct · GS3 · note
70. Computational fluid dynamics: a method suggested to create city ventilation maps. · 5 Oct · GS3 · note
71. Sputnik 1: The first satellite to orbit Earth, launched by the Soviet Union. · 5 Oct · GS3 · note
72. Karman line: Used by most international bodies as the boundary of space at 100km above Earth. · 5 Oct · GS3 · note
73. Juice (Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer) is a spacecraft operated by the European Space Agency (ESA). · 5 Oct · GS3 · note
74. Gravity assist (gravity slingshot) uses a planet's gravitational pull to change a spacecraft's speed and direction without consuming onboard fuel. · 5 Oct · GS3 · note
75. NASA's Lunar Reactor 1 is designed to generate 20 kilowatts of electricity and operate for five years without intervention. · 4 Oct · GS3 · note
76. Russia's Selena reactor is designed to generate up to 10 kilowatts and run autonomously for a decade. · 4 Oct · GS3 · note
77. Minamata Convention: International treaty aimed at reducing mercury use · 4 Oct · GS3 · note
78. Agni V missile has a range of less than 6,000 km. · 4 Oct · GS3 · note
79. Agni I, II, III, IV, and V are missiles developed by the DRDO. · 4 Oct · GS3 · note
80. India's nuclear triad includes Mirage 2000, Jaguar, and Rafale aircraft. · 4 Oct · GS3 · note
81. Candida auris: A fungal pathogen with a reported 30-40% mortality rate. · 4 Oct · GS3 · note
82. Eagle effect: Identified as a mechanism for antifungal resistance in C. auris. · 4 Oct · GS3 · note
83. Pakistan and China are reportedly collaborating on a fifth-generation fighter jet · 4 Oct · GS3 · note
84. Lactoferrin: A protein studied for its antimicrobial peptide properties. · 4 Oct · GS3 · note
85. Target pathogens include Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Streptococcus. · 4 Oct · GS3 · note
86. GPT-6 Astra: AI model launched by OpenAI on September 3, 2026 · 4 Oct · GS3 · note
87. Q-Shiva: a mini quantum test lab comprising five quantum computers · 3 Oct · GS3 · note
88. ADAS: Uses cameras, sensors, GPS/NavIC, and 4G LTE to monitor road hazards and driver fatigue. · 3 Oct · GS3 · note
89. Semicon Keralam is an initiative under the renamed department · 3 Oct · GS3 · note
90. Tejas Mk-1A: Fighter jet being procured by the Indian Air Force · 3 Oct · GS3 · note
91. VIPR: A viral system that forms a triplex to silence genes. · 3 Oct · GS3 · note
92. Innovative Genomics Institute (IGI): Founded by Jennifer Doudna. · 3 Oct · GS3 · note
93. VIPR system: Linked to the potential origins of ancient Class 1 CRISPR. · 3 Oct · GS3 · note
94. 3D Concrete Printing (3DCP) uses construction-scale additive manufacturing to extrude cementitious materials based on Building Information Modelling (BIM) designs. · 3 Oct · GS3 · note
95. ESA: European Space Agency · 3 Oct · GS3 · note
96. GaN (Gallium Nitride) is a semiconductor material targeted for indigenous fabrication. · 2 Oct · GS3 · note
97. El Nino: Weather phenomenon cited as a factor in rising food prices · 2 Oct · GS3 · note
98. El Nino is a climate pattern associated with warming in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean. · 2 Oct · GS1 · note
99. Key focus areas of CEPA: energy, critical minerals, and supply chain diversification · 2 Oct · GS2 · note
100. Starship: SpaceX's spacecraft intended to reach a target cost of $200 per kilogram by 2035. · 2 Oct · GS3 · note
101. Focus areas include AI-driven farming, water management, and precision irrigation · 1 Oct · GS2 · note
102. Lenacapavir: A twice-yearly injection for HIV prevention developed by Gilead Sciences. · 1 Oct · GS2 · note
103. 3D Concrete Printing: Technology used to construct 177 houses in Guntur district. · 1 Oct · GS3 · note
104. El Nino: Identified by C.S Patil as a primary driver for the rainfall deficit · 1 Oct · GS1 · note
105. Picture-agnostic algorithms: Technology being developed to protect passenger privacy while scanning. · 1 Oct · GS3 · note
106. The BESS utilizes lithium-ion battery technology and Energy Management Systems (EMS). · 1 Oct · GS3 · note
107. Beamline for Schools: A competition organized by CERN for students to model physics experiments. · 1 Oct · GS3 · note
108. Gemini 4 Argon: An AI model by Google designed to fix software flaws and refuse cyberattack requests · 1 Oct · GS3 · note
109. White House Accord on Super Intelligence: A voluntary pact involving Meta, Nvidia, Google, OpenAI, xAI, and Anthropic. · 1 Oct · GS2 · note
110. The Accord mandates three specific mechanisms: internal guardrails, independent audits, and oversight committees. · 1 Oct · GS2 · note
111. Rogue Agents: AI systems capable of making independent decisions and taking actions on behalf of users. · 1 Oct · GS3 · note

How these notes are made