Current Affairs - Technology

The Synthetic Human Genome Project (SynHG) has been launched by researchers in the United Kingdom, marking a significant advancement in the field of genetic engineering. Unlike the Human Genome Project, which focused on reading and mapping the human genome, SynHG aims to synthetically write large segments of human DNA. This transition from genome reading to genome writing signifies a revolutionary shift toward constructing and engineering human genetic material. The project is expected to span five years and could open new frontiers in medicine, biotechnology, and synthetic biology, allowing scientists to explore gene functions and potentially correct genetic disorders at a foundational level.

Google DeepMind, a subsidiary of Google, unveiled AlphaGenome, an advanced AI model designed to predict the functional impact of genetic mutations in human DNA. The tool can analyze sequences as long as 1 million base pairs and assess how genetic variants influence gene regulation. Trained on extensive public genomic datasets, AlphaGenome represents a significant advancement in computational genomics, showcasing Google's leadership in AI-driven healthcare innovations.

The Titans Space mission is a U.S.-based initiative set to launch in the year 2029. This mission, lasting around five hours, will involve two full orbits around the Earth, allowing the crew to witness two sunrises and two sunsets. It also promises nearly three hours of uninterrupted zero gravity, providing valuable conditions for scientific observation and experimentation. The mission is under the command of William McArthur Jr., a seasoned NASA astronaut and retired U.S. Army Colonel, ensuring experienced leadership for this significant spaceflight. The year 2029 is crucial as it marks the planned execution of this ambitious mission.

Google has introduced a transformative AI Mode in India, powered by its custom Gemini 2.5 model. This new feature significantly enhances the search experience by enabling users to perform complex, multimodal, and conversational queries. With innovations like query fan-out technology, the system breaks down intricate questions into subtopics and processes them in parallel, offering more accurate and comprehensive results. This represents a major advancement over traditional keyword-based search engines, allowing users to interact in a more natural and intuitive way. By launching this in India, Google emphasizes the country’s growing role in shaping global tech innovation.

IIT Delhi, in collaboration with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), successfully demonstrated a cutting-edge entanglement-based free-space quantum secure communication system. This involved Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) over a 1 km distance through the air, achieving a secure key rate of 240 bps. The system was resilient to environmental challenges like atmospheric turbulence and background noise, marking a key milestone in India’s National Quantum Mission. This innovation strengthens India’s ability to establish quantum-secure networks for defence and cybersecurity applications and signifies a leap forward in the practical deployment of quantum communication technologies.