Iran launches satellite
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Moscow : Iran has successfully launched an observation satellite, Iranian news network Press TV reported Friday.
Aim to create positive influence for women within the boundaries of Shari’ah: The Muslimah...
The Muslimah Network is a website dedicated to stories and commentary on Muslim women from an Islamic perspective. Started by the UAE-based writer/graphic designer...
Amateur astronomer chances upon ‘cosmic ghost’
By IANS,
New York : Yale astrophysicist Kevin Schawinski and colleagues at Oxford never envisioned the strange object amateur astronomer Hanny van Arkel found in archived images of the night sky.
The Dutch school teacher, volunteer in the Galaxy Zoo project, co-founded by Schawinski that allows public participation in astronomy research online, discovered a mysterious object some are calling a 'cosmic ghost'.
Smart system to take risk out of driving
By IANS,
London : Visualise a smart system that enables you to negotiate sharp, treacherous bends, blind spots and sudden dips on the road ahead, with perfect ease and safety.
The technology being developed by a European project on road safety will keep you updated on geographical database. It can even communicate with other vehicles in the vicinity.
This is the future of in-car maps, going way beyond directions and entering the zone of pro-active hazard detection. It is one of the key strands of the PReVENT project.
Beetle ancestors 70 mln years older than dinosaurs
By Xinhua
Beijing : Researchers have discovered that when it comes to longevity dinosaurs can't hold a candle when compared to beetles.
Prior to the latest study, beetle species were thought to have begun scurrying around some 140 millions years ago, about the same time as the rise of flowering plants.
Prior to the latest study, beetle species were thought to have begun scurrying around some 140 millions years ago, about the same time as the rise of flowering plants.
Black buck gives birth after artificial insemination
By IANS
Hyderabad : For the first time in the world, scientists here have succeeded in artificial insemination of a black buck by non-invasive method, leading to the birth of a live fawn.
Scientists at the Laboratory for Conservation of Endangered Species (LaCONES) of the prestigious Centre for Cellular Molecular Biology (CCMB) here are excited about their success.
Facebook registers 200 million users
By DPA,
San Francisco : Five years after it was founded in a Harvard dorm room, the online social networking site Facebook has registered its 200 millionth user, the site confirmed Thursday.
"Growing rapidly to 200 million users is a really good start, but we've always known that in order for Facebook to help people represent everything that is happening in their world, everyone needs to have a voice," said Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
With new iPhone, download photo sharing application too
By Fakir Balaji, IANS,
Bangalore : As excitement heightens for the launch of Apple's iPhone in India Friday, two Indian techies from the US have pitched in to offer a free download of their mobile application on iPhone for photo sharing, with value added features to boot.
The entrepreneurial techies - Apoorva Ruparel and Keshav Murthy - are part of the team that established AirMe Inc at Colorado Springs a year ago to design, develop and offer AirMe on the Apple applications store for iPhone users.
Stretchable silicon camera a step closer to artificial retina
By IANS,
Washington : The human eye has inspired a new technology that is likely to push the limits of photography by producing vastly better images over a wider field of view.
The remarkable imaging device has been made possible by combining stretchable optoelectronics and biologically inspired design like the layout of the eye.
University of Illinois and Northwestern University researchers have developed a high-performance, hemispherical "eye" camera using an array of single-crystalline silicon detectors and electronics, configured in a stretchable, interconnected mesh.
Planetary collision created Earth and Moon
By IANS,
London : The Earth and Moon were created as the result of a giant collision between two planets the size of Mars and Venus, research says.
The research from the Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, shows that the Earth and Moon must have formed much later - perhaps up to 150 million years after the formation of the solar system, 4,567 million years ago.
Turkey launches new generation communication satellite
By Xinhua,
Ankara : Turkey has launched its new generation communication satellite "Turksat 3A" from the Kourou base of French Guiana, the semi-official Anatolia news agency has reported.
The report said that the satellite launched Thursday would be located in the orbit of 42 degree east longitude and the control of the satellite will be pursued in the Golbasi Satellite Ground Station near the Turkish capital Ankara.
The satellite, which has three uplink and two downlink beams, will replace Turksat 1C satellite, the report said.
Google, IBM team up on cloud computing
By DPA
San Francisco : Google and IBM have announced that they are teaming up to promote research into cloud computing - a technology in which programmes and services are run on remote servers rather than on users' PCs.
The two technology giants said they will contribute $20 million to $25 million each to build data centres that can be used by university researchers in the US.
Indian satellite placed in geosynchronous orbit
By IANS,
Bangalore : India's heaviest communication satellite (GSAT-10) was Wednesday placed in the geosynchronous orbit, about 36,000 km above the earth, the Indian space agency said.
India to use Embraer platform for airborne early warning system
By IANS,
New Delhi : In a path breaking development, India and Brazil Thursday inked a deal to jointly develop an airborne early warning and control system (AEWCS) for the Indian Air Force to supplement a larger eye-in-the-sky system it will induct later this year.
The agreement was signed here by S. Christopher, director of the Centre for Airborne Systems (CABS) of the Defence Research and Development Organistion (DRDO) and Luis Carlos Aguiar, Embraer's executive vice president for defence and government markets.
The project is believed to be valued at Rs.18 billion ($415 million).
Now you can watch what cells do, as they do it
By IANS,
London : Researchers have developed a new laser tool to to peer into the microscopic activity within single cells in real time. The cutting edge technology could help contribute to the creation of new drugs to treat diseases like asthma and arthritis with fewer side effects.
The researchers from Nottingham University Schools of Biomedical Science (Steve Hill and Steve Briddon) and Pharmacy (Barrie Kellam) are concentrating on a type of specialised cell receptor that recognises and responds to a chemical within the body called adenosine.
Software to prevent car collisions under development
By IANS,
London : A pedestrian chasing a pet dog suddenly steps in the path of your speeding car 15 metres away. There is no way you can avoid hitting him. The string of cars following you crash behind one another. In future, a new software programme will mitigate or even eliminate such an eventuality.
Google Street View also copied people’s emails, passwords
By IANS,
London : In a major privacy breach, internet search giant Google copied computer passwords and entire emails from households across Britain.
Iran inaugurates its first space terminal for satellite launching
By NNN-IRNA
Tehran : President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has inagurated here Iran's first space terminal for launching satellite.
Speaking at the ceremony, he urged the people to make ultimate use of all the existing scientific potentials and capabilities to achieve the zenith of progress and development.
The country's first space terminal comprises of the Omid satellite, Iran's first locally developed research satellite which has been designed and constructed by Iranian experts.
The Omid satellite will be launched in the near future.
‘Sunshield’ to protect space telescope from extremes of heat, cold
By IANS,
Washington : Engineers have designed a 'Sunshield' to protect NASA's James Webb space telescope from extremes of heat and cold, radiation and small debris.
Besides, the 'Sunshield' would also block solar heat to allow its cameras and instruments to operate optimally at 1.6 million km from the earth in 2013.
A satellite has to withstand the icy cold and the intense heat and radiation of a solar flare in space, which ranges between a super-hot 127 degrees Celsius and a frigid minus 243.
Astronomers discover peanut-shaped two star system
By Xinhua
Washington : A pair of yellow super giant stars, orbiting so close to one another that they form the shape of a peanut, has been discovered in a nearby galaxy.
The U.S. astronomers who discovered it announced Tuesday in Astrophysical Journal Letters that similar conjoined giants might be the source of some unusual supernova explosions.
The stellar peanut inhabits a small galaxy called Holmberg IX, about 12 million light years from Earth. It was discovered using the Large Binocular Telescope in Arizona.
Female robot can sing like a pop star
By IANS,
London : A life-sized female robot, known as HRP-4, has been taught to sing just like a real pop star.
Online applications can lead to first job
By Rebecca Mueller, DPA,
Stuttgart : Applying for a job used to be expensive what with the costs of printing CVs, buying special binders and then the costs of posting it. The first step into professional life quickly proved expensive and time-consuming.
Nowadays, the Internet has the process simpler. Job applicants can scan job openings quickly and efficiently online and contact potential employers by e-mail. Nonetheless, online applications have their own risks for people just starting their career.
How snakes starve to live
By IANS
New York : Mystery shrouding a snake's ability to go without food for nearly two years may have been finally uncovered with researchers claiming to have cracked the mechanism behind their survival despite starvation.
The research, which reveals some previously unknown serpentine tricks, sheds light on how serpents managed to drag on since before the days of the dinosaur Tyrannosaurus rex, biologists were quoted as saying in the Nature magazine.
‘India’s per capita carbon emissions to rise threefold by 2030’
By IANS,
New Delhi : India's per capita emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) will increase from the present 1-1.2 tonnes to 3-3.5 tonnes of carbon per year by 2030, predicts the country's annual Economic Survey released Thursday.
Quoting climate modelling studies, the survey predicted that per capita emissions would be 2-2.5 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2020. It will go up to 3.3.5 tonnes by 2030, still lower than 4.5 tonnes per capita that China now emits every year.
Yahoo! lays off 45 people in India
By IANS,
Bangalore : Global search engine and web services provider Yahoo! laid off 45 people from its India operations as part of its worldwide firing policy due to global meltdown, a company spokesman confirmed here Thursday.
"Around three percent (45 people) of our India headcount, which is 1,500, has been asked to go Wednesday as per the directive from our headquarters at Sunnyvale in the US," a spokesman of Yahoo! India subsidiary told IANS here.
Chinese satellite fails to enter orbit
By IANS,
Beijing : A Chinese satellite failed to enter its designated orbit due to a rocket malfunction, a media report said Friday.
US astronauts to vote from space
By Xinhua,
Washington : Americans from all over the world will vote for the next US president Nov 4 but some ballots will come from the space also.
Commander Edward Michael Fincke and flight engineer Gregory Chamitoff are living and working onboard the International Space Station.
Although they are 350 km above the earth, orbiting at 28,000 km per hour, they will still be able to participate in the upcoming election, Nasa said Monday.
A 1997 bill passed by Texas legislators has set up a technical procedure for astronauts - nearly all of whom live in Houston - to vote from space.
Agenda for India: Telecom
TwoCircles.net presents “Agenda for India”. Series editor is Charu Bahri.
Challenges & Solutions
“I would cite the issue of spectrum allocation and management as one of the foremost challenges of India’s telecom sector,” says Yusuf Motiwala, Founder & CEO, TringMe. “The government must wake up to the losses accumulating on account of under-utilization of spectrum and due to the delay in rolling out 3G services.”
Infrared eye in sky to probe remotest reaches of space
By IANS,
Washington : Seeing into the remotest reaches of space, way beyond the capacity of the most powerful existing (Hubble) telescope, may now be possible with MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument detectors) cameras.
"The MIRI is one of four science instruments aboard the James Webb telescope that is designed to record images and spectra at the longest wavelengths that the Webb can observe," said Matt Greenhouse, NASA project scientist.
Don’t allow MP3 headphones to get too close to pacemakers
By IANS,
Washington : Don't allow MP3 headphones to get too close to pacemakers and implantable defibrillators; they could be potentially dangerous.
Researchers investigated the effects of MP3 headphones, most of which contain the magnetic substance neodymium, on the operation of implanted cardiac devices.
An MP3 player is a popular digital music player. Earlier this year a US government report concluded that interactions between MP3 players, such as the popular iPod, and implanted cardiac devices are unlikely to occur.
India launches spy, education satellites
By Venkatachari Jagannathan, IANS,
Sriharikota (Andhra Pradesh):India's all-weather defence surveillance satellite, radar imaging satellite (RISAT-2), and the micro education satellite Anusat were successfully placed into orbit by an Indian rocket that flew from the spaceport here early Monday morning.
At 6.45 a.m., the Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) workhorse Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) soared up in the sky, defying gravity with a deep throated growl, with 340 kg of luggage - 300-kg RISAT and 40-kg Anusat.
This IAF pilot chased the sun’s shadow
By IANS,
New Delhi : For an Indian Air Force (IAF) fighter pilot chasing a target at Mach 2.5 or more than twice the speed of sound and yet not managing to play catch seems like something out of a sci-fi film. But for Air Marshal S. Mukerji, chasing the sun's shadow during the total solar eclipse on Oct 24, 1995, that's exactly what happened.
A smart citizen card can be among government’s top feats
By Prasanto K. Roy, IANS,
This can become the largest database on planet earth and the oldest technology-driven plan that is still doing the rounds in India - a unique, single identity smart card for every citizen and resident in the country.
Don't expect it in 2011, despite Home Minister P. Chidambaram promising a smart card in the hands of every Indian by then. But even if it eventually does happen within this government's tenure, it would be one of its top achievements.
Stressed seaweeds cause cloudy skies: Study
By IANS,
London : When under stress, the large brown seaweeds known as kelps are likely to contribute to dark and gloomy cloud formations over coastal regions.
Stressed kelps release a huge quantity of inorganic iodine into the coastal atmosphere, where it is likely to contribute to cloud formation, according to a study.
A computer mouse that can also scan
Thiruvananthapuram : It's a computer mouse that can also do the job of a scanner.
MobScan has built-in technologies that helps to scan as well...
Global warming to imperil tropical species
By IANS,
Washington : Global warming is likely to imperil tropical species much more than fauna in the Arctic regions, even with a slight rise in temperature.
"Many tropical species can only tolerate a narrow range of temperatures, as the climate they experience is pretty constant throughout the year," said Curtis Deutsch of the University of California and co-author of a new study.
Advanced Micro Devices to focus on Indian computer market
By IANS,
Kolkata : Global computer-microprocessor manufacturer Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) Monday described India as an "investment hub" and said it would give more focus on the Indian computer market in the coming years.
"India is a great innovation centre for our company. The consumption of our products has increased here and we certainly view India as an investment hub," AMD corporate vice-president-Asia Pacific region Ian Williams told reporters.
He said AMD has four centres of excellence in India - two each in Hyderabad and Bangalore.
Over satellite, women farmers demand policy changes
By IANS
Thiruvaiyaru (Tamil Nadu) : The power of technology was on display at the 95th National Science Congress in Vishakhapatnam Saturday when satellite links helped women from across India voice their demand for new policies to promote women farmers.
Chances of restoring contact with Chandrayaan slim: ISRO
By Fakir Balaji, IANS,
Bangalore : Indian scientists are still trying to restore radio contact with the lunarcraft Chandrayaan-1, but the chances of re-establishing contact are slim, a senior space official said Sunday.
"Efforts are still on to restore the signal with the mooncraft though chances are slim. If we fail to establish the link again, we may call off the mission much earlier than the two-year schedule," Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) director S. Satish told IANS.
World’s largest particle collider suffers setback
By Xinhua,
Geneva : The world's most powerful particle collider built for the multi-billion dollar 'Big Bang' experiment to unearth the secrets of cosmos has suffered a new problem and will be out of action for at least two months, the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) has said.
CERN, the operator of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), said Saturday the incident occurred at mid-day Friday, resulting in a large helium leak into the tunnel containing the LHC, which was started with great fanfare earlier this month.
India to launch satellite to monitor sea water levels
By IANS,
New Delhi : India will launch a satellite to monitor sea water levels in collaboration with the French space agency, Minister of State for Science and Technology Prithviraj Chavan said Wednesday.
The satellite, called Saral, will carry an altimetre (ALTIKA) for studying the sea surface heights and an ARGOS payload, which is a satellite-based data collection platform.
Chang’e-1 photographs dark side of the moon
By Xinhua
Beijing : The charge-coupled device (CCD) camera on Chang'e-1, China's first lunar orbiter, has started imaging probes on the dark side of the moon and captured photos of parts of this region, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) announced Tuesday.
The CNSA said that the orbiter is operating normally in terms of flying, probing, land control and communication, as well as data transmitting and processing.
Sony presents new Vaio notebooks
By DPA
Berlin : Sony will present its new FZ series of Vaio notebooks which includes four machines for home use as well as a model designed for business use in the next weeks, the company said.
Indian lunar probe starts remote sensing of Moon
By RIA Novosti,
New Delhi : India's first lunar probe entered its final polar orbit around the Moon late on Wednesday and has now begun remote sensing of the surface, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) said on Thursday.
Chandrayaan-1, meaning "Moon Craft" in ancient Sanskrit, was launched on an Indian-built PSLV-C11 rocket on October 22.
Scientists turn animal waste into ‘bio-plastic’
By IANS,
Sydney : A new process developed by scientists converts low grade animal waste like feathers into plastic products that are bio-degradable.
The “bio-plastic”, as it is being called, would be suitable for agricultural plastic sheeting, seedling trays, plant pots and even biodegradable golf tees, ScienceAlert reported.
Windows Vista can be made faster
By Jay Dougherty, DPA,
Washington : Windows 7 with its commendable performance improvements may be on the horizon. But for now, most of us have to live with Windows Vista, which can make even the fastest computer seem slow.
But you don't have to put up with Vista's sluggishness without a fight. In fact, most of what ails Vista when it comes to performance can be remedied by adjusting some settings and eliminating some features.
And the good news: The whole process need not take more than half an hour. Afterwards, you'll be rewarded a computer that feels a lot faster.
Russian Proton-M carrier rocket orbits U.S. telecoms satellite
By RIA Novosti,
Moscow : A Proton-M carrier rocket put into orbit on Wednesday a U.S. telecommunications satellite, the Russian Federal Space Agency said.
"The foreign satellite has successfully separated from the Breeze-M booster, and control over the satellite has been transferred to the client," the agency said.
Russian-American joint venture International Launch Services (ILS) signed a contract in March to launch two Sirius satellites to expand the existing SIRIUS Satellite Radio constellation.
India aspires to launch manned spacecraft to the moon by 2015
By KUNA,
New Delhi : India is working to send a manned spacecraft to the moon to orbit the planet by 2015 after the successful launching of the first unmanned spacecraft on Wednesday.
A statement in this respect was made by Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) chairman G. Madhavan Nair after losing sight of Chandrayaan-1, the first unmanned spaceship as part of the organization aspirations to send national Indian astronauts to orbit the moon by the year 2015.
CNN claim of hologram use not true: scientist
By IANS,
Toronto : A Canadian scientist has contested CNN's claim of showing three-dimensional holograms during its coverage of the US election.
CNN made this claim Tuesday night when anchor Wolf Blitzer in New York announced at 7 p.m. that he was now speaking live to the network reporter Jessica Yellin in Chicago "via hologram".
As the fuzzy-looking reporter appeared a few feet in front of Blitzer in the studio, he said, "You are a terrific hologram".
IITs must act as catalyst to boost technical education: Sibal
By IANS,
New Delhi: Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal Saturday said the country's premier Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) must focus on quality research and act as a catalyst to boost technical education in India.
At IIT-Delhi's convocation ceremony, the minister said: "The great challenge before the IITs is to act as a catalyst in the growth of quality technical education in the country.
Scientific breakthrough in creating synthetic blood
By IANS,
London : Scientists have created red blood cells for the first time from spare IVF embryos cells in Britain as part of a multi-million pound project to manufacture synthetic blood on mass-scale.
IVF or In-vitro fertilisation is a process by which egg cells are fertilised by sperm outside the womb.
Researchers relied on more than 100 spare embryos left over from treatment at fertility clinics to establish several embryonic stem cell "lines", reports the Telegraph.
BSNL to offer 3G service in June in Chennai
By IANS,
Chennai : The state-run telecom major Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) is setting up the 3G telecom infrastructure here to offer the service by June, a top official said Wednesday.
"We are in the process of installing the 600 base transmitting stations (BTS) for the 3G service. Till now we have installed 25 BTS," M.P. Velusamy, BSNL chief general manager, told reporters here.
Simply put, the 3G service enables the users to see the speaker at the other end and also browse the Internet at high speed.
NASA green lights Discovery launch
By DPA,
Washington : NASA has given the green light to the launch of Discovery Nov 1 after resolving a problem associated with a small fuel leak.
Facebook acts against online predators
San Francisco, May 9 (DPA) Social networking hub Facebook announced a string of new safety measures against online predators and said it would join rival MySpace on the Internet Safety Task Force.
The world's second-largest social site Thursday said it had reached agreement with every US state except Texas to use technology that verifies users' ages, restricts the ability of users to change their ages on the site and dispatches warnings when a minor may be giving personal information to an adult he or she does not know.
$2 bn public-private partnership for rural internet access
By IANS,
New Delhi : The government Saturday announced a $2-billion public-private partnership to provide broadband and internet connectivity in country's rural areas.
Union Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology Jyotiraditya Madhavrao Scindia, speaking at Global Telecom Summit here, said that $1.5 billion for the project would be generated from the private sector and the balance would be funded from government sources.
Scientists observe major climate changes in Arctic
By RIA Novosti
St. Petersburg : Scientists have reported substantial changes in the climate of the Arctic Region, a senior official at the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (AARI) said Thursday.
"We have observed global climate changes in the Polar Ocean," said Igor Ashik, acting head of the AARI ocean science department.
He said the ocean was clearing itself of drifting ice "for the first time in decades of Polar research".
India to witness partial lunar eclipse June 26
By IANS,
New Delhi : Look towards the east after sunset Sunday and you will see upper part of moon's disk darkened as parts of India witness a partial lunar eclipse.
The lunar eclipse is visible in eastern Asia, Australia, Antarctica, parts of the Americas and the Pacific Ocean, a statement from Ministry of Earth Sciences said Wednesday. This eclipse would be the last one in 2010 for India.
"Visibility in India will be at the end of the eclipse. The ending of the eclipse is visible from the extreme northeastern states at the time of moonrise during the eclipse," it said.
Paper thin tablet!
By IANS,
London: A revolutionary tablet as thin and flexible as paper that can be twisted or dropped without suffering damage is set to be showcased soon in American city of Las Vegas.
Space shuttle Atlantis launch set for Jan 10
By DPA
Washington : After postponing the launch of space shuttle Atlantis multiple times, NASA has said it would next try to takeoff Jan 10.
The shuttle is to bring the European-designed Columbus laboratory to the International Space Station (ISS) and was originally to launch Dec 6, but was delayed because of problems with fuel cut-off sensor system inside the shuttle and its external fuel tank.
Low carbon electricity to power hybrid cars
By IANS,
Washington : Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles could help reduce greenhouse gas emissions that fuel global warming, but the benefits are highly dependent on how the power system changes in future.
"Plug-in hybrids represent an opportunity to reduce oil consumption, leverage next-generation bio-fuels and reduce greenhouse gas emissions."
Nuclear art sleuths analyse cultural heritage
By DPA
Vienna : Fake or real? This is one of the questions that has been bugging art experts all over the globe for centuries. Help for art detectives comes from an unexpected quarter: the UN nuclear watchdog, usually better known for investigating a country's nuclear programme or weapons aspirations.
Future refrigerators to run on heat, not electricity
By DPA
Hamburg : The refrigerator of the future will run on heat, not costly electricity, according to a team of innovative scientists in Germany.
The research could be a boon in hot countries where fridges and air-conditioning systems are vital, said the group of young scientists, who are working on at the Innovationszentrum Wiesenbusch Gladbeck (IWG), in cooperation with the University of Applied Science in nearby Gelsenkirchen.
Watch ‘Ring of Fire’ in the sky Jan 15
By IANS,
New Delhi : On Jan 15, people living in the southern tip of the country at Dhanushkodi in Tamil Nadu will get to watch the 'Ring of Fire' when the moon will cover the sun's disc during the millennium's longest annular solar eclipse.
However, sky gazers in Delhi will also have something to cheer about as they will get to see more than half of the eclipse.
Text of India’s agreement with IAEA
AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT OF INDIA AND THE INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY
FOR THE APPLICATION OF SAFEGUARDS TO CIVILIAN NUCLEAR FACILITIES
download the pdf version of the text.
RECOGNIZING the significance India attaches to civilian nuclear energy as an
efficient, clean and sustainable energy source for meeting global energy demand, in particular for meeting India's growing energy needs;
WHEREAS India is committed to the full development of its national three-stage
Earth-sized planets found beyond solar system
By IANS,
Washington : NASA's Kepler mission has discovered the first Earth-sized planets orbiting a sun-like star outside our solar system, the US space agency has announced.
Briton joins gym after his ‘shocking’ image on Google
By IANS,
London : A Briton was so horrified after seeing his massive belly on the Google Street View that he decided to join a weight loss regime, a media report said Monday.
HCL to run Norwegian bank’s IT operations
Bangalore: India's fourth largest IT bellwether HCL Technologies bagged a $400-million (Rs.2,400 crore) deal to run the IT operations of DNB Bank ASA, Norway's...
EU closer to realization of satellite navigation project
By Xinhua
Belgrade : The European Union on Monday moved closer to the realization of its satellite navigation project by endorsing a proposal regulating the project's implementation.
"EU Transport Ministers today supported the text of the proposal of the so-called Galileo Implementation Regulation, which represents the legal basis for the implementation of the budget and sets out a new management structure for the project," said a statement by the current holder of the EU presidency Slovenia.
Karnataka to promote nano-technology in a big way
By IANS
Bangalore : After pioneering IT and biotechnology in the country, the Karnataka government is embarking on an ambitious programme to promote nano-technology and nano-science in a big way in the state.
To unleash the nano revolution, the state department of IT, biotechnology and science and technology is organising a two-day 'Bangalore Nano 2007' convention Dec 6-7.
Software embedded in soldier’s helmet pinpoints enemy snipers
By IANS,
Washington : Imagine a squad of soldiers who can pinpoint out-of-sight enemy snipers and identify the calibre and type of weapons being fired, with the help of software embedded in their helmets.
Engineers at Vanderbilt University's Institute for Software Integrated Systems (ISIS) have developed a system that can give soldiers just such an edge by turning their combat helmets into "smart nodes" in a wireless sensor network.
First cloned buffalo dies but Indian scientists happy
By IANS,
Karnal (Haryana) : Even though scientists at the National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI) here received a setback Thursday after the country's first cloned buffalo calf died just five days after its birth, they are happy that the "superior technology" they used for cloning was "tested".
The female buffalo calf died at the NDRI centre here, 150 km from the national capital, Wednesday night, scientists said.
With ‘Nazi news’, blog played super prank on media
By Frederick Noronha, IANS,
Panaji : A blog run out of Goa anonymously has claimed credit for misleading large sections of the Indian media by planting an untrue story about a "Nazi" being held along the state's border with Karnataka.
By Tuesday evening, the blog, penpricks.blogspot.com, which often pillories the functioning of the media, claimed credit for unveiling "one of the most telling stories on the Goan as well as the Indian media".
‘Photonic’ switching system to boost broadband speeds 100-fold
By IANS,
Sydney : Scientists have developed a new 'photonic' switching system that will boost broadband speeds up to a 100-fold.
The photonic integrated circuit (PIC) will ensure almost instantaneous, error-free and unlimited access to the Internet anywhere in the world, according to the Centre for Ultra-high Bandwidth Devices for Optical Systems (CUDOS).
UAE to develop mega science centre
By IANS
Dubai : The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Abu Dhabi's Centre of Excellence for Applied Research and Training (CERT) and Cosmology Centre of California University to develop a mega complex for training and research in science and humanities.
The MoU to develop the Plaza of Intelligence and Innovation City, which will come up by 2015, was signed this week, WAM news agency said.
Vaccines for heart attacks to be ready within 5 years
By IANS,
London : Vaccines targeting the build-up of fatty deposits in arteries (plaques) could be available within five years to prevent heart attacks.
Tamil Nadu community centres to promote industry
By IANS
Chennai : The Tamil Nadu government is starting 10,000 community service centres to provide access to Internet, besides giving information about the official schemes to promote industrialisation.
Besides, finishing schools will be started for the less privileged people in collaboration with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) to impart training in industry specific skills.
From paper planes to Columbia…Kalpana remembered
By Devirupa Mitra, IANS
Karnal (Haryana) : Under a giant poster of Kalpana Chawla with the words "the whole universe is my native place" scrawled across, students sat whispering to each other before falling silent at the entry of an elderly man with a stern visage.
Banarasi Lal Chawla had been to his youngest daughter Kalpana's alma mater - Tagore Bal Niketan Senior Secondary School - when she was a student over 20 years ago. On Friday he was the chief guest at a small function there to mark the day she died five years ago.
Punjab students make 250 km per litre ‘wonder car’
By IANS,
Chandigarh : Imagine doing a 250-km journey from Delhi to Jaipur or Delhi to here in a car that will go the distance in just one-litre of petrol (just over $1)!
That's exactly what students of a technical institute in Punjab - the Rayat Institute of Engineering and Information Technology near Ropar, 50 km from here - claim to have developed.
European science lab spacewalk delayed for one day – NASA
By RIA Novosti
Washington : U.S. space shuttle Atlantis docked with the International Space Station Saturday but a spacewalk to install a European science laboratory was delayed for a day due an astronaut health problem, NASA said Sunday.
"With no impact to the overall mission objectives, the first spacewalk Monday will be conducted by Rex Walheim and Stan Love, who replaces Hans Schlegel," NASA said but did not specify the health problem.
Mini black holes could be passing through Earth
By IANS,
London : Space is littered with black holes that collapsing giant stars leave in their wake, but a miniature version could be passing through the Earth daily.
Extreme weather can trigger epidemics, says study
By IANS,
Sydney : Climatic extremes like frequent droughts and floods, associated with global warming, can trigger epidemics that could potentially wipe out livestock or wildlife.
A new study suggests that such extremes are capable of altering normal host-pathogen relationships, causing a “perfect storm” of multiple infectious outbreaks.
Pollution forces birds to change their tune
By IANS
London : A new study reveals that male wild birds exposed to pollution develop more complex songs, preferred by the females, though they show reduced immunity.
Katherine Buchanan and her colleagues at Cardiff University came to this conclusion after studying male European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) foraging at a sewage treatment works in southwestern Britain.
Analysing earthworms that constituted their prey, the researchers found that birds exposed to greater pollution developed longer and more complex songs compared to a control group male birds.
Russia launches military satellite
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Moscow : Russia Monday launched a Soyuz-U carrier rocket with a Cosmos class military satellite on board, an official said.
U.S. spy satellite to crash on Earth
By Xinhua
Washington : An out-of-control U.S. spy satellite which is expected to crash to the Earth, will not endanger human, a senior U.S. official said Monday.
If there are debris of the satellite surviving the intense heat, most of them would probably fall into the oceans, which account for more than 70 percent of the Earth, said White House National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe.
New ceramic can reduce cooking time, save energy: Indian-American expert
By IANS,
Washington : New ceramic microwave dishes would cut down cooking time, use less energy and also help in organic waste remediation, according to Sridhar Komarneni, an Indian-American minerologist.
Remediation is a process to reduce, isolate, or remove contamination from an environment.
HCL Infosystems posts robust profit
By IANS
Noida : India's leading IT hardware and systems integration firm HCL Infosystems Ltd Monday announced net profit of Rs.814.1 million ($20.69 million) for the quarter ending Dec 2007, an increase of seven percent from the same period last year.
The company reported consolidated revenues of Rs.33.06 billion ($840 million) during the period, an increase of 11 percent from Rs.29.68 billion in the third quarter of 2006-07.
Recovery tools: emergency helpers for data crashes
By DPA
Hanover : It can happen very quickly: you empty the Windows Recycle Bin just a bit too quickly, or format a thumb drive unintentionally - and important data is suddenly gone.
Yet hope is not lost, because in most cases the operating system has not actually deleted the file but just released it for overwriting.
"It's similar to a thick book that's had part of the table of contents ripped out. Then you can't find specific pages without a bit of help," says Boi Feddern, an editor at German computing magazine c't.
Teenage suicides: Study advocates greater family support
By IANS,
London : Rising teen suicides have prompted demands for improved prevention strategies, in which the family physician or the general practitioner is expected to play a pivotal part.
Researchers from Umeå University have identified the phenomenon of cluster suicides where one suicide appears to trigger similar acts among other teenagers in a community.
Indian students on solar eclipse ‘odyssey’ to China
By IANS,
New Delhi : A group of 10 students from various schools of the country are among the lucky few chosen to watch the 21st century's longest solar eclipse from Anqing in China, one of the best places in the world to view the spectacle July 22, apart from a village in Bihar.
The students will leave for China Saturday on an eight-day scientific expedition called 'heliodyssey' to watch the eclipse that will last for six minutes and 44 seconds, making it the longest eclipse till 2132.
Holiday cleaning can boost speed of PCs
By DPA
Hamburg : Most people have a little free time between Christmas and New Year. If you take 15 minutes to clean up your PC, you will probably be rewarded with a computer that runs faster and has space available for any new games you might find under the Christmas tree this year.
Checking your computer's pre-installed software is a good starting point when looking for ways to free up hard drive space. Many computers come with redundant versions of programmes - for example, several different photo processing programmes even though most computer users use only one.
Russian rocket fails to send US satellite into orbit
By Xinhua
Moscow : A Russian rocket failed to send into orbit a US communication satellite that was launched from Central Asia's Baikonur space centre early Saturday.
The AMC-14 satellite, atop of a Proton-M carrier rocket, was put into a orbit with the apogee altitude of 28,000 km instead of the planned 36,000 km, the Itar-Tass news agency said, citing Russian space agency Roskosmos.
The rocket blasted off at 02.18 Saturday from the Baikonur space centre.
Apple share tops $700 on iPhone 5 success
By IANS,
New York: Apple's stocks closed higher than $700 per share for the first time after Tuesday's trading, as orders for its new iPhone 5 hit a new record.
Mercury is latest and deadlier threat to environment
By IANS,
Washington : As if global warming was not alarming in itself, add one more sinister threat to the list -- mercury pollution.
It has already spurred public health officials to advise eating less fish, but it could become a more pressing concern in a warmer world.
Sue Natali, postdoctoral associate in botany at the University of Florida in a paper she co-authored compared mercury levels in soils under trees growing in air enriched with carbon dioxide to soil beneath trees in ambient air.
Scientist cautions against genetic testing
By IANS,
Washington : A scientist has warned compatriots against rushing into genetic testing in the hope of making revolutionary improvements.
"Advances being made in genomics are important discoveries, but it's unrealistic for individuals to believe those advances can yield meaningful information that will improve their health," said James P. Evans, of University of North Carolina.
Russia wants to join Mars mission
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Moscow : Russian scientists want to join European Space Agency's ExoMars (Exobiology on Mars) mission to study the Red Planet, a leading Russian space researcher said.
Fake ‘dislike’ button spreads across Facebook
By IANS,
Washington : Social networking website Facebook, which offers its subscribers only a "like" button for anyone's updates, is now faced with a fake "dislike" button, which is spreading like a virus across the site.
The fake dislike button is followed with a link that takes people to a fake application. Instead of installing a dislike button, the application uses the person's network to continue spreading the fake programme.
Graham Cluley of the British security firm Sophos wrote in a blog that the fake dislike buttons "are going viral" on Facebook.
Space scientist from a star village
By Venkatachari Jagannathan, IANS,
Chennai : M.Y.S. Prasad, associate director, Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, has something common with Telugu movie stars Chiranjeevi and Krishnam Raju. All three are from Mogaltur village in West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh.
While Chiranjeevi and Krishnam Raju are movie stars turned politicians, Prasad sends rockets towards the stars.
As the man in charge of launch operations for India's first lunar mission that blasts off Wednesday, Prasad, 55, is now busy checking everything is in place, as the final countdown ticks on.
India launches its mission moon
By Venkatachari Jagannathan and Fakir Balaji, IANS,
Sriharikota (Andhra Pradesh) : A rocket carrying India's first lunar spacecraft was launched from the country's spaceport here early Wednesday, catapulting the country into the select club that have sent missions to the moon, after the US, former Soviet Union, European Space Agency, China and Japan.
Carrying aloft the lunar orbiter Chandrayaan, the rocket, Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV C11) lifted off from the second launchpad of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre here and broke through the scudding cloud cover at 6.22 a.m.
IIT Kanpur developing robot for India’s moon mission
By Prashant K. Nanda
IANSNew Delhi : When India sends its proposed moon mission in 2011, it will have a unique robot developed indigenously by student-engineers and their professors at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) at Kanpur.
Facebook has 65 million active users in India
By IANS,
Hyderabad : World's largest social network Facebook Thursday announced that it has over 65 million active users in India, an eight-fold increase over last two years.
U.S. researchers produce cloned embryos from skin cells
By Xinhua
Los Angeles : Researchers in California said Thursday that they have produced human clone embryos from adult skin cells, in an advancement toward developing stem cells which could be used to cure degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.
Scientists used a technique called somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). They first removed the nuclei of mature egg cells from healthy young women and then inserted DNA from an adult male donor into the eggs. The DNA used in the experiment was retrieved from skin cells called fibroblasts.
Kaiga poisoning: Thousands had access to radioactive chemical
By IANS,
Bangalore : Whoever caused the contamination of a drinking water dispenser at the state-run Kaiga atomic power plant in Karnataka could have been either a permanent or a contract worker, an official said Monday.
This would make it more difficult to nail the man who had added radioactive Tritium to the water, he added. Forty-five employees were affected and had to be hospitalised Nov 24 after drinking water from the dispenser, which was located inside a laboratory.
Now throw your alarm clock when jolted awake!
By DPA
Tokyo : Who hasn't felt the urge, when jolted awake by a peace-shattering alarm clock, to hurl the thing against the nearest wall? For morning grumps in Japan, there is now an alarm that allows them to let off some steam: a clock that looks like a hand grenade.
As soon as the grenade look-alike with a built-in digital clock sounds off in the mornings, its user can feel free to fire it into a corner. A motion sensor 'disarms' it, and its soft shell minimizes damage to the alarm and the owner's belongings
3G, Wimax guidelines in a week: minister
By IANS,
New Delhi : The broad guidelines for implementation and auctioning of radio spectrum for 3G and Wimax have been devised and the final draft will be approved and released within a week, telecom minister A. Raja said here Friday.
"Broad guidelines for rolling out 3G services have been devised and we need some inputs from the finance ministry after which the guidelines will be forwarded to the Telecom Commission," Raja told reporters on the sidelines of a function here.
"Expect the final norms to be announced within a week," he added.
Atlantis shuttle mission extended until Feb. 20
By RIA Novosti
Washington : The Atlantis space shuttle will return to Earth on February 20 after its mission to the International Space Station (ISS) was extended, NASA said on Thursday.
"The space shuttle Mission Management Team, at the request of the International Space Station Program, has extended the STS-122 mission to 13 days. Atlantis will undock from the space station on Monday, Feb. 18, and land at 9:06 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 20, Kennedy Space Center, Fla," the NASA website said.
EU to launch calls for science and technology projects in India
By Pushpranjan, EuAsiaNews,
New Delhi : In order to raise awareness in the field of science and technology (S&T), the European Commission will launch the Framework Programme 7 (FP7) here at the end of July.
The Delegation of the European Commission to India, in cooperation with the Department of Science and Technology of the Government of India, will organise a series of information seminars in New Delhi, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Chennai, Bangalore, Cochin, Mumbai and Pune from 7 to 18 July.
EU fines Microsoft record 899 million Euro for charging rivals too much
By SPA
Brussels : The European Union is fining Microsoft Corp. ¤899 million (US$1.3 billion) for charging
rivals too much for software information. EU regulators say the company charged unreasonable prices to software developers who wanted to make products compatible with the Windows operating system. The fine is the largest ever for a single company and the first time the EU has penalized a business for failing to obey an antitrust order, AP reported
Five more exoplanets found in Milky Way
By DPA,
Washington : NASA scientists said Monday they have identified another five planets orbiting stars in the Milky Way Galaxy.
But none of them appears to be the long sought after Earth-twin that could support life the way the home planet does, Kepler telescope specialists said at a news conference in Washington.
Rare turtle travels 7,000 km to breed!
By IANS,
Toronto : How could a contemporary of the great dinosaurs survive to this day?
A rare leatherback turtle, which has existed since the time of the dinosaurs, has been found to be adept at making the longest ocean journey to breed in warmer places.
Fitted with a satellite transmitter by Canadian scientists to track its journey, the turtle - which is the also world's largest turtle growing up to two metres long and weighing up to 500 kilogramme - travelled over 7,000 km to be found on the coast of Colombia in South America.
Tiny robot to simulate lunar mission in Hawaii
By IANS,
Washington : A robot designed for lunar prospecting will be tested on the cool, rocky slopes of Mauna Kea, a dormant volcano that is also Hawaii's highest mountain.
During the field experiment, scheduled in the first half of November, the four wheeled robot called Scarab will simulate a lunar mission to extract water, hydrogen, oxygen and other compounds that could potentially be mined for use by future lunar explorers.
Moon has deep core – similar to earth
By IANS,
Washington : The moon possesses an iron-rich core with a solid inner ball nearly 150 miles in radius, which is similar to that of the earth, according to a new study.
Earth-like planets found raising hopes of extraterrestial life
By Xinhua
Beijing : Scientists have found some earth-like panets that orbit many sun-like stars in our galaxy, increasing hopes of finding extraterrestial life on some of them, media reported Monday.
University of Arizona astronomer Michael Meyer, working with NASA's Spitzer space telescope, said his research shows that between 20 percent and 60 percent of stars similar to our sun have conditions favorable for forming rocky planets like Earth.
China automaker develops engine for new ethanol type
By Xinhua
Beijing, Jan 1 (Xinhua) Dongfeng Motor Corporation, one of China's largest auto makers, has developed technology to use a new type of ethanol as fuel in cars.
The new technology could produce combustible gas, mainly hydrogen, from hydrous ethanol that contained 65 percent ethanol. The present ethanol-fuelled vehicles need pure ethanol blended with gas, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers said.
Work begins on Tata helicopter cabins facility
By IANS,
Hyderabad: The work on Tata Advanced Systems' facility on the outskirts of Hyderabad to manufacture Sikorsky helicopter cabins formally began Thursday as Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy unveiled a plaque for the project.
The facility to assemble fuselages of Sikorsky S-92 helicopters is coming up at the Aerospace Special Economic Zone (SEZ) being developed by the Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (APIIC) in Adibatla.
Huge asteroid flies past Earth
By Xinhua,
Washington : An asteroid as big as a 10-storeyed building flew past Earth Tuesday, the US space website has said.
The space rock was perhaps a bit larger than one thought to have created a colossal explosion in the air above Siberia in 1908 that flattened 500,000 acres (2,000 square km) of forest.
Asteroid 2009 DD45 was closest to Earth Tuesday at about 8.40 a.m. It was some 72,000 km away, which is twice the height of a geostationary communications satellite.
Can tropical forests save the world?
By Nalin Srivastava, IANS,
Expectations about a new global climate deal have reached a fever pitch with only a few weeks to go before the start of the 15th annual United Nations climate change conference in Copenhagen to finalise a global climate pact beyond 2012, when the first term of the Kyoto Protocol will expire.
Indian-origin engineers create device for faster wireless technology
Washington: Using an inexpensive Rs.3,600 inkjet printer, two Indian-origin electrical engineers at the University of Utah have for the first time produced microscopic structures...
Police to quiz Gwalior scientists over human sacrifice bid
By IANS,
Bhopal : Two senior scientists of the Defence Research and Development Establishment (DRDE) in Gwalior, who allegedly tried to kill their junior colleague in a human sacrifice bid, will be interrogated as soon they return from leave, police said Monday.
"We can't say anything right now. The picture would be clear after the scientists' statements are recorded," Gwalior Additional Superintendent of Police Manohar Verma told IANS.
Google smart phone may be launched Tuesday
By IANS,
New York : Apple's iPhones will have a big competition on their hands as Google is set to launch its much discussed smart phone next week.
The new smart phone, Nexus One, may be unveiled Jan 5 when the internet search engine giant holds a media briefing about its smart phone business at its Mountainview headquarters in California. The Google-branded device will use its latest Android operating system called Anrdoid 2.1.
Android is already being used in more than a dozen smart phones by many vendors, including Motorola and Samsung.
The computer helper: Gearing up for Skype
By DPA
Washington : You've probably heard of Skype - the Internet telephony application that enables you to make free phone calls with your PC - but you may not know whether it's right for you.
Telephoning through the Internet, after all, has been available for years, but most applications that purported to make the process painless were actually difficult to use, unreliable, and impractical.
Microsoft plans new Windows operating system for mobile devices
By DPA,
San Francisco : Microsoft is working on a new Windows system for mobile devices like tablet computers, according to reports.
European Business and Technology Centre to be launched in India
By EuAsiaNews,
New Delhi : A European Business and Technology Centre (EBTC) will start to operate in New Delhi from 1 October, following the signature Thursday of the financing contract between Daniele Smadja, Ambassador and Head of the Delegation of the European Commission to India and Arnaldo Abruzzini, Secretary General of Eurochambres.
The creation of the Centre has been endorsed by EU-India leaders last year during their yearly Summit in New Delhi.
US scientist gets tech award for intelligent drug delivery
By Jaideep Sarin, IANS,
Helsinki (Finland) : The world's biggest technology award, the euro 1.15 million 2008 Millennium Technology Prize, was Wednesday conferred on Robert Langer of the US for his innovative creation of biomaterials for controlled drug release.
The award was conferred on Langer, touted as the father of the controller drug delivery and tissue engineering, by Finland's President Tarja Halonen at a ceremony at the Finlandia hall here before a select gathering of scientists, industry representatives and others.
Indian jacks support world’s biggest accelerator at CERN
By K.S. Jayaraman, IANS,
Bangalore : The Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the world's biggest atom smasher commissioned Wednesday in Geneva, has the strong "support" of India - literally.
The 88,000 tonne 27 km underground magnetic ring through which the protons race at lightning speed are propped up by 7,080 jacks supplied by the Indian Department of Atomic Energy (DAE).
‘Northeast space centre not getting data from central agencies’
Shillong : The North East Space Application Centre (NE-SAC), set up by the Centre to develop high-tech infrastructure support for the northeastern states, is...
Countdown begins for Insat-4CR launch Sunday
By IANS
Bangalore : The final countdown for the Sunday launch of India's latest communication satellite Insat-4CR began Saturday afternoon at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, about 100 km from Chennai.
A top Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) official told IANS on phone from Sriharikota that the go-ahead for the 27-hour final countdown was given after the met department gave an all-weather clearance earlier in the day.
Chandrayaan on course, will begin moon orbit by Saturday
By IANS,
Gandhinagar : Indian space scientists are hopeful that Chandrayaan-1 will Saturday start orbiting the moon.
"If everything goes right, by Nov 8, Chandrayaan-1 will start circling the moon," said Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman Madhavan Nair here Tuesday.
The last orbit-raising manoeuvres to enter the lunar transfer trajectory were completed Tuesday by the Spacecraft Control Centre at ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC) in Bangalore, he said.
IIM-A placement process going great guns
By IANS,
Gandhinagar: The second phase of the placement process at the Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad (IIM-A) is going on well with over 20 offers made Sunday.
Deloitte made 10 offers (including lateral offers) for consulting roles while other regular recruiters like TAS and Feedback ventures offered general management and consulting roles and hired six students each.
‘N-submarines with missiles offer best second-strike chance’
By IANS,
Kalpakkam (Tamil Nadu): Nuclear-powered submarines with capacity to launch ballistic missiles offer the best second-strike capability for a nation, an Indian naval officer said here Sunday.
"It is the only system that offers safe second-strike capability. The normal range of submarine-launched ballistic missiles will be 8,000 km. Compared to land-based missile launch pads, submarines are difficult to detect," Rear Admiral Michael Moraes, Flag Officer (submarines), told reporters at Kalpakkam, around 45 km from Chennai.
U.S., China space debris still orbiting Earth
By Xinhua,
Beijing : Debris from the U.S. intercept of a spy satellite in February and from China's anti-satellite test in Janaury 2007 is still orbiting Earth, according to a space debris expert.
T.S. Kelso's CelesTrak satellite tracking software shows some 15 pieces of the busted up USA 193 spysat are still flying around, although when the successful intercept was reported, estimates were that all pieces would re-enter Earth's atmosphere within 40 days.
A recent analysis shows the last piece of clutter will decay about 100 days post-intercept, Kelso reported.
Computer glitch blamed for Russian nuclear sub accident
By RIA Novosti,
Moscow : The accident on the Russian nuclear submarine Nov 8 that killed 20 people could have been caused by a computer glitch, a Russian daily reported Wednesday.
The accident occurred when nuclear submarine Nerpa was undergoing sea trials in the Sea of Japan. Three submariners and 17 shipyard workers died in the accident. There were 208 people, 81 of them submariners, on board the vessel at the time.
Russia puts US satellite in orbit
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Moscow : Russia's Proton-M carrier rocket successfully put a US telecom satellite into orbit Monday, space officials said.
India emerges third highest steel producer
Bengaluru : Union Minister of Steel and Mines Narendra Singh Tomar on Tuesday said Indian steel production reached the third highest position in the...
India to build world’s largest solar telescope
By IANS,
Bangalore : India is inching closer towards building the world's largest solar telescope in Ladakh on the foothills of the Himalayas that aims to study the sun's microscopic structure.
The National Large Solar Telescope (NLST) project has gathered momentum with a global tender floated for technical and financial bidding by the Bangalore-based Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA).
Nuclear energy the holy grail of lunar explorers
By DPA
Beijing : It may be decades into the future but lunar scientists from China and other nations are already eyeing the immense potential of nuclear fusion from a precious mineral found on the moon's surface, a top scientist said Wednesday.
"To explore the moon is to solve the resource issues of the Earth," Qiao Xiaolin, an adviser to China's lunar exploration programme, told DPA over telephone.
"Nuclear energy is the most hopeful form," said Qiao, a professor at the Harbin Institute of Technology in north-eastern China.
Dubai-based scientists produce region’s first identical twin camels
By NNN-WAM,
Dubai : In an unprecedented breakthrough in the GCC region, Dubai-based scientists have successfully produced the first identical twin camel using the embryo splitting technology.
Zahi and Baih, the two identical twins, were naturally born to two surrogate camel mothers on Feb 10 and 23 respectively after a pregnancy period of 13 moths.
According to the scientists team at Dubai Camel Breading Centre, the genetically identical cubs are in a good health.
Five minor planets named after Chinese scientists
By IANS,
Beijing : Five minor planets have been named after top Chinese scientists with the approval of the International Astronomical Union (IAU).
India planning 60 space missions in five years: Chavan
By IANS
Hyderabad : India is planning to conduct 60 space missions over the next five years to achieve multiple objectives in navigation, positioning, advanced communications, space transportation, earth observation and space science, Minister of State in the prime minister's office (PMO) Prithviraj Chavan said here Monday.
Inaugurating the 58th International Astronautical Congress (IAC), Chavan said the ambitious Indian space programme would unfold huge opportunities for commercial and scientific cooperation among the space-faring nations the world over.
PM greets citizens on National Technology Day
New Delhi : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday greeted the people on National Technology Day and said the use of technology should be...
Sentinel birds sing the ‘watchman’s song’
By IANS,
London : Like soldiers guarding their posts in hostile territory and keeping comrades informed by radio that all is well, birds too are just as conscious about discharging similar "responsibilities", according to a study.
Researchers from the University of Bristol have demonstrated that by warbling a distinctive "watchman's song", birds scanning for danger ensure their larger feathered family can focus on foraging, and so get more food.
Infosys pitches for greater affirmative action
By Rajeev Ranjan Roy, IANS
New Delhi : India's software giant Infosys Technologies wants to expand its affirmative action initiative for the country's disadvantaged groups in association with the government.
Having already trained around 100 graduate and postgraduate science students free of cost as a pilot project in 2007, Infosys has written to the social justice and empowerment ministry, offering to continue the training programme for poor students, mainly from the Scheduled Castes (SC) and Other Backward Classes (OBC).
Indian American challenges gene cure based on Nobel winning work
By Parveen Chopra, IANS
New York : A research team led by an Indian American scientist has challenged the validity of a prototype gene treatment based on Nobel prize winning work that has attracted billions of dollars in investment for developing cures for cancer, diabetes and other diseases.
Discovery docks at space station
By DPA
Washington : Space shuttle Discovery docked with the International Space Station early Thursday after performing a spectacular 360-degree slow-motion backflip before cameras on the station.
The photographs will serve as a second check to examine Discovery's heat shield for any damage sustained during takeoff. The shuttle crew already performed one inspection with their on-board robot arm on their way to the station Wednesday.
Keeping a flower beautiful for years – Indian researchers tell how
By IANS,
Lucknow : Imagine preserving the colour and shape of a flower for nearly 15 years! A team of researchers at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) museology department claims to have developed a technique that can do just that.
The technique, according to the researchers, will benefit the flower business across the globe and help scientists preserve and conserve endangered, vulnerable and useful species of plants for study purposes.