Daily Static Quiz (Science and Tech) November 17, 2025

Daily Static Quiz (Science and Tech) November 17, 2025

Difficulty level= Moderate to high

Q.1 Consider the following statements regarding recent astronomical discoveries:

1. NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope detected Population III stars in the galaxy cluster LAP1-B, marking the first confirmed observation of the universe’s first generation of stars.
2. Comet 3I/ATLAS, discovered in 2025, is the third confirmed interstellar object with a hyperbolic trajectory originating from outside the Solar System.
3. Europa Clipper mission, launched in October 2024, will orbit Europa directly to study its subsurface ocean and ice shell.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

A) 1 and 2 only
B) 2 only
C) 1 and 3 only
D) 1, 2 and 3

Q.2 With reference to the NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) mission, consider the following statements:

1. It is the first space mission to carry both L-band and S-band radar systems for Earth observation.
2. The mission will scan nearly all of Earth’s land and ice surfaces twice every 12 days.
3. NISAR was launched in June 2025 from Kennedy Space Center using NASA’s launch vehicle.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

A) 1 and 2 only
B) 2 and 3 only
C) 1 only
D) 1, 2 and 3

Q.3 Consider the following statements about SpaceX’s Starship program as of 2025:

1. Starship Flight 11, conducted in October 2025, successfully demonstrated the deployment of operational Starlink satellites.
2. The mission tested the spacecraft’s heat shield with deliberately missing tiles in high-heating zones to assess tolerance limits.
3. NASA has selected Starship as the Human Landing System for the Artemis III lunar mission.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

A) 1 and 2 only
B) 2 and 3 only
C) 1 and 3 only
D) 1, 2 and 3

Q.4 With reference to cometary observations in 2025, consider the following statements:

1. Comet C/2025 K1 (ATLAS) fragmented into at least three pieces after its perihelion passage in October 2025.
2. The Leonid meteor shower, which peaked in November 2025, originates from debris left by comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle.
3. Comet C/2025 V1 (Borisov), discovered in November 2025, has been confirmed as an interstellar object from beyond the Solar System.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

A) 1 and 2 only
B) 2 only
C) 2 and 3 only
D) 1, 2 and 3

Q.5 Consider the following statements regarding India’s space missions planned for 2025-2026:

1. Gaganyaan-1, India’s first uncrewed test flight of the human spaceflight program, is scheduled for Q4 2025.
2. Chandrayaan-4 mission aims to demonstrate lunar sample-return capability using a four-module configuration.
3. India’s Venus Orbiter Mission is planned for launch in March 2028 to study Venus’s atmosphere.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

A) 1 and 2 only
B) 2 and 3 only
C) 1 and 3 only
D) 1, 2 and 3

Q.6 Consider the following statements regarding the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine:

1. The prize was awarded for the discovery of regulatory T cells expressing CD4 and CD25 surface markers.
2. The research demonstrated that regulatory T cells prevent autoimmune reactions by targeting immune cells recognizing self-proteins while allowing responses against infections.
3. The discovery was made exclusively through human clinical trials without animal research.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

A) 1 and 2 only
B) 2 only
C) 1 and 3 only
D) 1, 2 and 3

Q.7 With reference to recent advances in CRISPR gene-editing technology in 2025, consider the following statements:

1. Base editing and prime editing are advanced CRISPR techniques that can modify DNA without creating double-stranded breaks.
2. The first personalized in vivo CRISPR therapy was administered to a patient in 2025, developed and delivered within six months.
3. CRISPR-GPT is an AI-powered tool that can autonomously conduct gene-editing experiments without human oversight.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

A) 1 only
B) 1 and 2 only
C) 2 and 3 only
D) 1, 2 and 3

Q.8 Consider the following statements about recent discoveries in photosynthesis research:

1. Scientists from IISc and Caltech discovered that in Photosystem II, electron transport occurs preferentially through the D1 branch because the D2 branch has twice the activation energy barrier.
2. Chlorophyll f molecules, located at critical positions in Photosystem I, enable far-red photosynthesis by performing photochemistry at lower energy wavelengths.
3. Ethylene hormone regulates chloroplast function by controlling TOC (Translocon at the Outer envelope membrane of Chloroplasts) protein transporters.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

A) 1 and 2 only
B) 2 and 3 only
C) 1 and 3 only
D) 1, 2 and 3

Q.9 With reference to recent discoveries in zoology published in 2025, consider the following statements:

1. Scientists at UC San Diego engineered bacteria to produce xanthommatin pigment by linking its production to bacterial survival through formic acid generation.
2. Research on jewel wasps demonstrated that larvae undergoing diapause showed 29% slower epigenetic aging and lived over one-third longer as adults.
3. European studies confirmed that the greater noctule bat hunts small songbirds mid-air more than a kilometer above ground.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

A) 1 and 2 only
B) 2 and 3 only
C) 1 and 3 only
D) 1, 2 and 3

Q.10 Consider the following statements regarding recent advances in plant science:

1. Scientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory used single-cell RNA sequencing to create a gene expression atlas identifying rare stem cell regulators in maize and Arabidopsis.
2. Researchers discovered that the desert plant Tidestromia oblongifolia can quickly adjust its photosynthetic machinery to thrive in extreme temperatures that would kill most plants.
3. Multi-omics and omniomics approaches in plant science integrate genomic, transcriptomic, and proteomic data exclusively from mature plant tissues, excluding cellular-level analysis.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

A) 1 and 2 only
B) 2 only
C) 1 and 3 only
D) 1, 2 and 3

ANSWER KEY WITH DETAILED EXPLANATIONS

Q.1 — ANSWER: A

Correct Statements: 1 and 2 only

Explanation:

Statement 1 is CORRECT: James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) observations published in October 2025 in The Astrophysical Journal Letters identified Population III stars in the distant cluster LAP1-B, located 13 billion light-years away. These are theorized to be some of the first stars formed after the Big Bang, composed primarily of hydrogen and helium, with masses around 100 solar masses.

Statement 2 is CORRECT: 3I/ATLAS (C/2025 N1) was discovered on July 1, 2025, by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System. It follows an extremely hyperbolic trajectory with high speed relative to the Solar System, confirming its interstellar origin from the direction of constellation Sagittarius. It is the third confirmed interstellar object after 1I/’Oumuamua and 2I/Borisov.

Statement 3 is INCORRECT: Europa Clipper will NOT orbit Europa directly. Instead, it will orbit Jupiter and conduct 49 close flybys of Europa at various altitudes (25 to 2,700 km) during its 3.5-year mission. This strategy helps avoid prolonged exposure to Jupiter’s intense radiation environment around Europa, which could damage spacecraft systems. The mission aims to study Europa’s ice shell, subsurface ocean, and potential habitability.

Q.2 — ANSWER: A

Correct Statements: 1 and 2 only

Explanation:

Statement 1 is CORRECT: NISAR is indeed the first mission to carry both L-band and S-band radar systems simultaneously. The L-band radar is provided by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, while the S-band radar is contributed by ISRO. This dual-band capability will enable comprehensive study of Earth’s surface changes.

Statement 2 is CORRECT: NISAR will scan nearly all of Earth’s land and ice surfaces twice every 12 days. This frequent coverage will allow detailed monitoring of changes in terrestrial ecosystems, ice sheets, glaciers, sea ice, and crustal deformation with unprecedented temporal resolution.

Statement 3 is INCORRECT: NISAR was actually launched on July 30, 2025 (according to ISRO’s official announcement), from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, India’s southeastern coast, NOT from Kennedy Space Center. The launch services were provided by ISRO using the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark II (GSLV Mark II) rocket, not a NASA launch vehicle. This is a collaborative mission where India provided the launch services.

Q.3 — ANSWER: B

Correct Statements: 2 and 3 only

Explanation:

Statement 1 is INCORRECT: During Starship Flight 11 on October 13, 2025, the spacecraft carried and deployed MOCK (dummy/simulated) Starlink satellites, not operational ones. Eight mock satellites were deployed to test the deployment mechanism and procedures, similar to Flight 10. These were test payloads designed to simulate the mass and deployment characteristics of actual satellites.

Statement 2 is CORRECT: Flight 11 featured an innovative heat shield experiment where multiple protective tiles were deliberately removed from “some of the spots that see the highest level of heating” during atmospheric reentry. This was done to test Starship’s tolerance to tile loss and to push the vehicle to its thermal limits. The tiles were also lined with heat-resistant felt material nicknamed “crunch wrap” to enhance performance.

Statement 3 is CORRECT: NASA has indeed selected Starship as the Human Landing System (HLS) for Artemis III, which is scheduled for 2027. This is why the development of Starship’s orbital refueling capabilities and reliability is critical for NASA’s lunar return program. Starship must demonstrate successful rendezvous and refueling operations in orbit before being certified for the crewed lunar mission.

Q.4 — ANSWER: A

Correct Statements: 1 and 2 only

Explanation:

Statement 1 is CORRECT: Comet C/2025 K1 (ATLAS), discovered in May 2025, made its closest approach to the Sun on October 8, 2025. The close solar encounter destabilized its structure, and by November 11-12, 2025, astronomers using the Copernicus telescope at Asiago Observatory in Italy captured the comet breaking apart into at least three large fragments. The fragmentation was also documented by the Virtual Telescope Project.

Statement 2 is CORRECT: The Leonid meteor shower peaked on November 16-17, 2025. This annual meteor shower is caused by Earth passing through the debris stream of comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle. The Leonids are characterized by fast, bright meteors with persistent trains, with peak rates of up to 15 meteors per hour under dark sky conditions.

Statement 3 is INCORRECT: Comet C/2025 V1 (Borisov), discovered on November 2, 2025 by amateur astronomer Gennadiy Borisov, was initially suspected to be interstellar due to its highly tilted orbit (inclination ~112°) and nearly hyperbolic trajectory. However, according to the Minor Planet Center report (MPEC 2025-V40), early spectroscopic analysis indicates it is LIKELY an Oort Cloud comet rather than an interstellar object. Its unusual orbit may result from solar heating and gravitational interactions, not true interstellar origin.

Q.5 — ANSWER: D

Correct Statements: 1, 2 and 3

Explanation:

Statement 1 is CORRECT: According to ISRO’s official mission schedule and recent Department of Space announcements, Gaganyaan-1 (also called G1) is India’s first uncrewed orbital test flight of the Gaganyaan spacecraft, scheduled for Q4 2025. This will be followed by Gaganyaan-2 and Gaganyaan-3 (both uncrewed tests) in 2026, before the first crewed mission Gaganyaan-4 in 2026. If successful, India would become the fourth country to independently send humans to space.

Statement 2 is CORRECT: Chandrayaan-4 is planned for 2027 as India’s first lunar sample-return mission. It will consist of four modules: Transfer Module (TM), Lander Module (LM), Ascender Module (AM), and Re-entry Module (RM). This complex architecture is designed to land on the Moon, collect samples, lift them back to lunar orbit, and return them to Earth.

Statement 3 is CORRECT: India’s Venus Orbiter Mission is planned for launch on March 29, 2028. The mission will carry an orbiter designed to study Venus’s thick atmosphere, surface features, and atmospheric dynamics. This will be India’s first mission to Venus and will join other nations’ efforts to understand Earth’s “sister planet” better.

Q.6 — ANSWER: A

Correct Statements: 1 and 2 only

Explanation:

Statement 1 is CORRECT: The 2025 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Mary E. Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell, and Shimon Sakaguchi for their discoveries concerning peripheral immune tolerance and the identification of regulatory T cells (Tregs). Sakaguchi’s decade-long research identified that regulatory T cells are characterized by carrying CD4 and CD25 proteins on their surface, distinguishing them from helper T cells and killer T cells.

Statement 2 is CORRECT: Recent research published in Science (2025) by researchers from the Ragon Institute, NIH/NIAID, and University of Chicago revealed that regulatory T cells specifically target immune cells that recognize self-proteins (autoantigens), preventing autoimmune attacks while still allowing the immune system to fight infections. This selective suppression mechanism is crucial for maintaining immune homeostasis and explains why infections rarely trigger autoimmunity.

Statement 3 is INCORRECT: The discoveries were made PRIMARILY through extensive animal research using mice, NOT exclusively through human trials. Sakaguchi’s experiments involved removing the thymus from three-day-old mice and injecting T cells to prevent autoimmune disease. Brunkow and Ramsdell studied the “scurfy” mouse model with mutations in the Foxp3 gene, which later helped identify the human equivalent IPEX syndrome. The Nobel Committee specifically recognized the essential contribution of animal research to these discoveries.

Q.7 — ANSWER: B

Correct Statements: 1 and 2 only

Explanation:

Statement 1 is CORRECT: Base editing and prime editing are indeed next-generation CRISPR technologies that modify DNA without creating double-stranded breaks. Base editing changes single nucleotides (DNA letters) directly, while prime editing can make precise insertions, deletions, and replacements. These techniques have superior safety profiles compared to traditional CRISPR-Cas9, which creates double-stranded breaks that may cause unintended chromosomal rearrangements. Multiple clinical trials in 2025 are using these approaches for diseases like glycogen storage disease and chronic granulomatous disease.

Statement 2 is CORRECT: In 2025, a landmark medical breakthrough occurred when the first personalized CRISPR treatment was administered to an infant patient. A team including five researchers from the Innovative Genomics Institute created the bespoke in vivo CRISPR therapy, developed and delivered in just six months. This case established precedent for a regulatory pathway for rapid approval of platform therapies in the United States and demonstrated the potential for on-demand gene-editing therapies for rare genetic diseases.

Statement 3 is INCORRECT: CRISPR-GPT, developed at Stanford Medicine in 2025, is an AI-powered “copilot” tool that ASSISTS scientists in planning gene-editing experiments, but it does NOT autonomously conduct experiments without human oversight. The tool helps with experimental design, data analysis, and troubleshooting, but “decisions are ultimately made by human scientists.” It also includes safeguards to prevent unethical uses – if asked to assist with prohibited activities like editing human embryos or viruses, it issues warnings and error messages, halting the interaction.

Q.8 — ANSWER: D

Correct Statements: 1, 2 and 3

Explanation:

Statement 1 is CORRECT: A breakthrough study published in PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences) in October 2025 by scientists from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and Caltech solved the decades-old mystery of why electron transport in Photosystem II occurs through only one branch (D1) despite having two nearly identical branches (D1 and D2). They discovered that the D2 branch has a much higher energy barrier – specifically, electron transfer from pheophytin to plastoquinone in D2 requires TWICE as much activation energy as in D1, making it energetically unfavorable.

Statement 2 is CORRECT: Research published in Science in October 2025 by Imperial College London revealed the long-missing chlorophyll f pigments in Photosystem I complexes that enable far-red photosynthesis. Using high-resolution cryo-EM (up to 1.89 Å), researchers located eight chlorophyll f molecules, including the critical ‘A-1B’ pigment that drives the primary electron transfer. These pigments occupy strategic positions at interfaces between Photosystem I monomers, allowing organisms to perform photosynthesis using far-red light (lower energy wavelengths beyond normal visible range).

Statement 3 is CORRECT: Purdue University scientists published research in March 2025 showing that ethylene, a gaseous plant hormone, plays a profound role in regulating chloroplast function and photosynthesis. They discovered that ethylene regulates TOC (Translocon at the Outer envelope membrane of Chloroplasts) protein transporters, which convey nucleus-encoded proteins into chloroplasts. This mechanism allows plants to selectively take in necessary chloroplast-targeted proteins and respond to environmental stress.

Q.9 — ANSWER: D

Correct Statements: 1, 2 and 3

Explanation:

Statement 1 is CORRECT: Research published in November 2025 by UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography described a breakthrough in producing xanthommatin, the pigment responsible for octopuses’ color-changing camouflage abilities. Using “growth-coupled biosynthesis,” researchers engineered bacteria where xanthommatin production was linked to survival. The genetically modified bacteria could only live if they produced both xanthommatin AND formic acid simultaneously. The formic acid provides fuel for bacterial growth, creating a self-sustaining loop that increased pigment production up to 1,000 times more than traditional methods.

Statement 2 is CORRECT: A groundbreaking study published in PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences) by University of Leicester scientists in August 2025 revealed that jewel wasps (Nasonia vitripennis) exposed to cold and darkness as larvae entered diapause (developmental pause). These wasps emerged as adults with 36% longer median lifespan and exhibited 29% slower epigenetic aging at the molecular level compared to control wasps. This was the first direct evidence in invertebrates that developmental timing can permanently alter the pace of biological aging.

Statement 3 is CORRECT: After 25 years of mystery, scientists finally proved in November 2025 that Europe’s largest bat, the greater noctule (Nyctalus lasiopterus), actively hunts and eats small songbirds mid-air at altitudes exceeding one kilometer above ground. Using tiny tracking devices and advanced observation techniques, researchers documented this unusual predatory behavior, resolving a long-standing debate about whether these bats were capable of aerial bird predation.

Q.10 — ANSWER: A

Correct Statements: 1 and 2 only

Explanation:

Statement 1 is CORRECT: In September 2025, scientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory published research where they “cracked open the secrets of plant stem cells.” Using single-cell RNA sequencing technology, they mapped key genetic regulators and created a comprehensive gene expression atlas in both maize and Arabidopsis thaliana. This atlas identifies rare stem cell populations and their regulatory mechanisms, providing insights into how plants maintain their growth potential throughout their lifetime – often referred to as finding the “master switch” for plant growth.

Statement 2 is CORRECT: Research published in November 2025 by Michigan State University scientists studying Death Valley’s extreme environment discovered that Tidestromia oblongifolia (a desert plant) doesn’t just survive intense heat – it actually thrives in it, growing faster as temperatures increase. The plant can rapidly adjust its photosynthetic machinery to endure extreme temperatures that would be lethal to most other plants. This adaptation makes it one of the most heat-tolerant plants known and offers insights for developing climate-resilient crops.

Statement 3 is INCORRECT: Multi-omics and omniomics approaches operate primarily AT THE SINGLE-CELL LEVEL, not exclusively from mature plant tissues. These approaches combine multiple single-cell techniques (genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, epigenomics) to provide a comprehensive picture of cellular processes. The 2025 scientific trends report highlights that single-cell multi-omics analysis is revolutionizing our understanding by revealing cellular heterogeneity, disease mechanisms, and biological pathways at unprecedented resolution. The market for single-cell analysis technologies was estimated at USD 4.34 billion in 2023 with projected growth of 18.7% CAGR through 2030.

Daily Static Quiz