Genetics, Biotechnology & Nanotechnology MCQ — 100 Practice Questions with Answers

Explanation

CRISPR-Cas9 is a revolutionary gene-editing tool that allows precise modification of DNA sequences in living organisms. It was developed by Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier (Nobel Prize 2020).

Explanation

All three statements are correct. (1) The revised Earthquake Design Code 2025 places the entire Himalayan arc (J&K/Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh) in the newly created Zone VI — the highest seismic risk category — for the first time in India's seismic zonation history. (2) The previous BIS map (IS 1893:2016) classified most of the Himalayan region in Zone IV and Zone V, which underestimated the actual tectonic hazard. (3) The Indian plate subducts beneath the Eurasian plate at approximately 5 cm per year along the Indian-Eurasian convergent plate boundary — the source of the extreme tectonic stress that has produced catastrophic historical earthquakes along the Himalayan arc.

Explanation

James Watson and Francis Crick co-discovered the DNA double helix in 1953; they won the 1962 Nobel Prize.

Explanation

FELUDA (FNCAS9 Editor-Linked Uniform Detection Assay) uses CRISPR-Cas9 technology to detect SARS-CoV-2. Developed by CSIR-IGIB (led by Dr. Debojyoti Chakraborty), it provides results in ~45 minutes using a paper strip, similar to a pregnancy test. Named after the fictional detective by Satyajit Ray.

Explanation

CAR-T (Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell) therapy extracts patient's T-cells, genetically engineers them to express CARs that target cancer-specific antigens, expands them in lab, and infuses them back. India's first indigenous CAR-T therapy NexCAR19 was developed by IIT Bombay and Tata Memorial Hospital.