This document organises Science and Technology questions from the sources by year, identifies the relevant UPSC syllabus point, and highlights key terms essential for examination focus.
2024
- Intellectual Property Rights: Analysis of the world scenario regarding life materials and the reasons behind India's low commercialisation of filed patents.
- Infrastructure Technology: Mechanisms of electronic toll collection on highways, including its advantages, limitations, and potential hazards of proposed changes.
- Space Science: Definition of asteroids, the threat of life extinction, and strategies developed to prevent such catastrophes.
2023
- Artificial Intelligence: Concept of AI, its role in clinical diagnosis, and privacy threats in healthcare.
- Biotechnology: Role of microorganisms in addressing the current fuel shortage.
- Space Exploration: India’s third moon mission objectives, comparison with earlier missions, and the role of the Virtual Launch Control Centre at Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre.
2022
- Space Science: Features and goals of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and its superiority over predecessors.
- Health and Medicine: Basic principles of vaccine development and approaches adopted by Indian manufacturers for COVID-19 vaccines.
2021
- Defence Technology: Technical superiority of the S-400 air defence system.
- Applied Biotechnology: Developmental achievements and their role in uplifting poorer sections of society.
- Applied Physics: Impact of Blue LEDs (2014 Nobel Prize in Physics) on everyday life.
2020
- Nanotechnology: Understanding nanotechnology and its applications in the health sector.
- Science in Life and Agriculture: The interweaving of science in daily life and striking changes in agriculture triggered by technology.
- Pandemic Management: The role of technological advancements in managing the COVID-19 crisis.
2019
- Eminent Scientists: Contributions of Sir M. Visvesvaraya to water engineering and Dr. M. S. Swaminathan to agricultural science.
- Space Programme: India’s plan for its own space station and its perceived benefits.
- Traditional Knowledge: Government protection of traditional medicinal knowledge from pharmaceutical patenting.
- Agricultural Biotechnology: Role of biotechnology in improving farmers' living standards.
2018
- Theoretical Physics: The work of Prof. Satyendra Nath Bose on ‘Bose-Einstein Statistics’ and its impact on Physics.
- Biotechnology: Reasons for the growth of biotechnology in India and its benefits to the biopharma field.
- Nuclear Energy: Expansion of India's nuclear programme, including associated facts and fears.
2017
- Medical Science: Description and advantages of stem cell therapy for conditions like leukaemia and Thalassemia.
- Space Missions: Obstacles (technological and logistical) to launching manned space missions compared to unmanned successes.
- Nuclear Technology: Growth of nuclear science in India and the advantages of the fast breeder reactor programme.
2016
- Socio-economic Development: Achievements in Space Science and Technology and their application in development.
- Nanotechnology: Features of the Indian Government’s Mission on Nanoscience and Technology and its developmental scope.
2015
- Satellite Navigation: Differences between Standard and Precision Positioning Systems and the advantages of the IRNSS programme.
- IT and Governance: Security implications and advantages of cloud hosting versus in-house server hosting for government.
- Intellectual Property: Pros and cons of making the Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL) publicly available under open-source licensing.
- Robotics: Sustainable management of prohibitive labour by robots and research initiatives in premier institutes.
2014
- Research and Academia: Reasons for the decline of scientific research in Indian universities.
- Public Health: Overuse of antibiotics, emergence of drug-resistant diseases, and monitoring mechanisms.
- Intellectual Property: Distinctions between Copyrights, Patents, and Trade Secrets in a globalised world.
2013
- Patent Law: Amendments to section 3(d) of the Indian Patent Law and the Supreme Court judgment on Novartis’ “Glivec”.
- Pharmaceuticals: Merits and demerits of fixed dose drug combinations (FDCs).
- Applied Technology in Sport: Components of the Umpire Decision Review System in cricket and how it can be fooled.
- Information Technology: Features and authentication of digital signatures.
- Manufacturing Technology: Working principles, advantages, and disadvantages of 3D printing.
- Material Science: Manufacturing and applications of FRP composite materials in aviation and automobiles.
Tags:
GS-3