Astronauts enter space station’s new module, fix balky toilet
By Xinhua,
Washington : The U.S. space shuttle Discovery's crew and residents on the International Space Station opened the newly installed Japanese Kibo science module and solved the pressing toilet issue on Wednesday.
At 5:09 p.m. EDT (2109 GMT), Japanese astronaut Akihiko Hoshide entered the bus-sized module for the first time, followed by his fellow space shuttle and space station crew members.
Hoshide floated toward a television camera with a sign that said "welcome" in English and Japanese.
Google mania continues amid sense of deja vu
By DPA
San Francisco : With Google's share price climbing above $700, an eerily familiar debate raged Wednesday in the blogosphere, on Wall Street and across Silicon Valley: was the latest internet wonder vastly overvalued? Or is the Google phenomenon just beginning?
Google's stratospheric valuation ranked it as the fifth-most valuable company in the US by share value, with stock worth $219 billion.
Annular solar eclipse begins in Delhi
By IANS,
New Delhi : The millennium's longest annular solar eclipse began in the national capital Friday but fog and cloudy skies marred a clear view of the celestial spectacle.
Although seen only partially from here, it nevertheless enthralled enthusiastic onlookers who gathered to watch the celestial phenomenon at the Nehru Planetarium and other places where special arrangements were made to view the event.
New Google service solves sudoku
By DPA,
Berlin : If you're stuck on your sudoku puzzle, there's hope. New photo recognition software for Android mobiles - Goggles - can help solve the puzzle.
Biometrics is no guarantee for secure data
By DPA
Darmstadt (Germany) : Police are not the only ones taking fingerprints these days. Starting on Nov 1, fingerprint data will even be stored in the passports issued by many countries.
As fingerprints are unique, they have also drawn attention from manufacturers of equipment designed to limit access to computers.
After all, pressing your fingertip against a reading device is simpler than learning and inputting a password. But are fingerprint sensors really more secure? The answer is both yes and no.
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.
Narcissists use Facebook for self-promotion
By IANS,
Washington : People with excess of self-love might choose networking sites like Facebook for unabashed self-promotion and publicity.
They are more likely to choose glamorous pictures for their main profile photos, while others are more likely to use snapshots, according to a Georgia University study.
"We found that people who are narcissistic use Facebook in a self-promoting way that can be identified by others," said Laura Buffardi, a doctoral student in psychology who co-authored the study with associate professor W. Keith Campbell.
NASA clicks first 3D image of the sun
By IANS,
London : A NASA-led mission has provided the world's first ever 3D image of the sun's surface.
New virus test technology experimented
By Xinhua
Hangzhou (China) : A new diagnostic technology to detect epidemic diseases has entered the phase of clinical experiments, claimed a Chinese scientist.
Different from traditional methods that rely on antigen or antibody test, the new technology is based on genetic substances of the viruses, namely DNA or RNA, to confirm epidemic diseases such as hepatitis or AIDS, said Charlie Xiang, chief scientist of the Microarray Centre of US National Institutes of Health (NIH).
India emerging as global hub for data hosting services
By Fakir Balaji, IANS,
Mumbai/Bangalore : Convergence of technologies, domain expertise and falling bandwidth tariffs are making India a hot data hosting and remote infrastructure management (RIM) site for global enterprises, says a top industry player.
For the next wave of outsourcing in back office operations, top Indian players such as Reliance Infocomm, Tata Telecommunications, Sify and Netmagic Solutions are bracing up to provide a range of IT managed services, including data hosting, mission critical applications, networking and RIM to domestic and overseas enterprises.
Russian rocket sends US satellite into orbit
By Xinhua,
Moscow : A Russian Proton-M rocket Tuesday sent a US telecommunications satellite, the Inmarsat-4 F3, into Earth orbit, a spokesman for a Moscow-based producer of space launch systems said.
The rocket was launched from the Baikonur space centre in Kazakhstan at 2.43 a.m., said Alexander Bobrenyov, spokesman for the Khrunichev state research and production space centre.
Altered photos play tricks on memory
By IANS
New York : Doctored photos have a way of affecting your memory, according to a new study that used digitally altered images of public events.
The study, initiated by the University of California at Irvine, found that doctored photos of public events can make them appear bigger and more violent than they actually were.
Findings of the study have been published in the latest issue of the journal Applied Cognitive Psychology, Sciencedaily.com reported.
Making IT play knight in shining armour
By IANS
New Delhi : Can the computer enter the home and the street in a way that helps minimise violence against women? An initiative from Sri Lanka believes that information and communication technology (ICT) can do just that.
The Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA) has awarded a grant to the Centre for Women and Development for a project to use technology to document violence against women in the north of the country via a database.
Russia launches US communications satellite
By IANS,
Moscow : Russia Wednesday launched a US communications satellite into space from the Baikonur Space Centre in Kazakhstan, the Russian space agency Roscosmos said.
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.
Flowers don’t smell as sweet in polluted air
By IANS
Washington : A rose smells as sweet by any other name but not in any other air, especially polluted air. A new study has found flowers are fast losing their fragrance, and the culprit is air pollution.
Air pollution is also gradually eroding the quality of our life, besides undermining our health and well being, according to the study that found smoke from power plants and automobiles is destroying something as basic as fragrance of flowers and diminishing the ability of pollinating insects to follow scent trails to their source.
Soviet test site offers insights on nuclear monitoring
By IANS,
Washington : Newly released data from Semipalatinsk, the primary nuclear weapons testing site of the former Soviet Union during the Cold War, can help today's atomic sleuths fine-tune their monitoring of nuclear detonations, according to a study
The data is especially important in light of the fact that only three nuclear tests - back-to-back tests in India and Pakistan in 1998 and a 2006 test in North Korea - have been conducted since the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty of 1996, said Paul Richards of Columbia University
Russian academy honours Indian scientist
Moscow, Sep 28 (RIA Novosti) The Russian Academy of Sciences has given the title of honorary academician to Goverdhan Mehta, director of the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. He received the title, which is rarely awarded to non-Russians, for "his outstanding achievements in applied chemistry".
The presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences gave Mehta a special diploma and a commemorative sign. The ceremony took place at the 18th Mendeleev Congress currently underway in Moscow. After the ceremony, the scientist gave a lecture on molecular synthesis.
Global investors to invest Rs.4.11 bn in Moser Baer unit
By IANS,
New Delhi : Technology leader Moser Baer India Ltd Thursday said its wholly-owned photovoltaic (PV) subsidiary has entered into definitive agreement with a consortium of global investors to raise Rs.4.11 billion for its expansion.
The global investors include Nomura, CDC Group, Credit Suisse, Morgan Stanley, IDFC Pe and IDFC.
"Moser Baer plans to use the funds to expand capacity of crystalline silicon and thin film solar vertical," Moser Baer group chief financial officer Yogesh B. Mathur told reporters.
Agra based firm launches free astrology software for mobiles
By IANS,
Agra : Star gazers and those interested in astrology can now prepare their horoscopes on their mobile phone itself, and that too free of cost.
A free software developed by Ojas Softech's research wing in Agra, was Wednesday launched by Surendra Sharma of the Brahmin Maha Sabha.
"With the number of star gazers going up and the younger generation getting hooked to astrology, the new software will prove a useful tool," Sharma said.
For those who follow Jyotish (astrology) personally and professionally, Ojas has launched free Jyotish software for mobile phones.
Symantec unfolds vision to safeguard digital world
By Fakir Balaji, IANS
Mumbai : Symantec Corp, the $5.2-billion leading security and information management solutions provider, Thursday unveiled its vision for securing the digital world and ensuring stakeholders stay connected anywhere, anytime.
Outlining the vision, Symantec India managing director Vishal Dhupar told about 1,000 delegates that securing IT infrastructure from end-to-end had become critical in the digital world, as pervasive technology was not only converging but also connecting everyone through multiple devices and applications.
‘Iran n-deal done, yet not a time to celebrate’
Beijing: The Tehran nuclear deal has finally been done, yet this is "not a time to celebrate as Iran and the international community should...
Don’t fear, watch solar eclipse with proper gadgets
By IANS,
New Delhi : It is an excitement coupled with fear and superstition for many in India prior to the solar eclipse Aug 1.
Despite a well known scientific phenomenon behind the solar eclipse, people have not been able to do away with the superstitious beliefs related to the celestial activity.
"There are several false beliefs prevalent in our society regarding solar eclipse. Some people even lock themselves in their homes to avoid 'the bad rays' from the eclipse," Nehru Planetarium Director N. Rathnashree said.
Do animals think like autistic savants?
By IANS
New York : Animal scientist Temple Grandin's argument that animals and autistic savants share cognitive similarities could spur a better understanding of autism.
Grandin had put forth the idea in her best-selling 2005 book "Animals in Translation", which provides an unprecedented look at the autistic mind, according to an essay in the latest edition of the journal PloS Biology.
Grandin said animals, like autistic humans, sense and respond to stimuli overlooked by 'normal' humans.
Obama hails Apollo 11 crew as ‘genuine American heroes’
By DPA,
Washington : US President Barack Obama welcomed the crew of Apollo 11 to the White House Monday to mark the 40th anniversary of their journey to the moon and called the three men "genuine American heroes."
On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were the first humans to set foot on the lunar surface, while fellow crew member Michael Collins circled the moon in the command vehicle.
Understanding IP addresses in computers
By DPA,
Washington : Internet Protocol or IP addresses are common in today's world of networked computers. That's because every computer connected to a single network has an IP.
An IP address is a number that uniquely identifies a computer on a network. Every computer that's connected to a network, whether that network is the Internet or a private home or office network, has a unique IP address.
British team plan a 1,000 mph car
By IANS,
London : A British team is designing a car to break the 1,000 miles per hour speed barrier.
The current world record is 763 mph, set by Andy Green, a Royal Air Force fighter pilot and mathematician, in 1997.
Green and his teammate Richard Noble, who directed the 1997 attempt, are now testing the new car in an aircraft hangar in Bristol. The 12 million pound car is called Bloodhound SSC, named after the British supersonic air defence missiles of the cold war era.
New smartphones with killer applications could replace PCs
By Andy Goldberg, DPA
Las Vegas : Think that cellphone in your pocket is pretty neat? Think again. Spurred by the phenomenal launch of the iPhone, the prospect of a Google phone and open networks, inventors and entrepreneurs around the world are feverishly developing plans to expand what mobile phones can do.
"They want to combine the computing power of the latest phones with social networks and location-tracking technologies to create a new generation of cell phones," says Simon Blitz, who runs a large cell phone wholesale company in the US.
Stop accusations over Internet freedom, China tells US
By IANS,
Beijing : China Friday asked the US to "respect facts and stop unreasonable accusations in the name of so-called Internet freedom".
Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu made the remarks while responding to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's comment in Washington.
"Countries or individuals that engage in cyber attacks should face consequences and international condemnation," DPA quoted Clinton as saying in a speech on internet freedom.
Microsoft, Intel To Launch CMPC In Nepal
By Bernama
Kathmandu : Microsoft and Intel are set to launch the Intel Classmate PC (CMPC) for schoolchildren in Nepal soon, China's XINHUA news agency reported Wednesday quoting a local daily as saying.
Tilden Wu of Intel said at a press meeting in the capital on Tuesday that the laptop would cost between US$200 and US$300 and would be available in Nepali market in a month or two.
A part of Intel's World Ahead Program, the CMPC is targeted at providing one computer per student in emerging markets.
Germany’s first driverless mass-transit train goes to work
By DPA,
Nuremberg (Germany) : Germany's first driverless mass-transit train went into operation Sunday without fanfare in the southern city of Nuremberg, with a computer in charge for the whole day.
Driverless trains are already in use in other nations, including the Singapore's North East Metro Line (NEL) operating since 2003, but Nuremberg says its system is unique because it mixes human-driven and computer-controlled trains on the same track.
Toronto firm celebrates ‘victory’ over Microsoft
By Gurmukh Singh, IANS,
Toronto : A tiny Canadian IT firm, which won a big patent-infringement victory against software giant Microsoft Tuesday, couldnt have wished for a better Christmas gift. They are hoping the global publicity will spell growth in its fortunes.
Toronto-based i4i Inc, which will also get $290 million in damages from Microsoft for stealing its software Word, says its victory is "a war cry for talented inventors whose patents are infringed" by corporate sharks. Tuesday's victory will serve as a springboard for growth, i4i executives told the media Wednesday.
IBM creates world’s smallest 3D map
By IANS,
Washington : IBM scientists have created a 3D map of the earth so small that 1,000 of them could fit on a single grain of salt.
They accomplished this through a new, breakthrough technique that uses a tiny, silicon tip with a sharp apex -- 100,000 times smaller than a sharpened pencil point -- to create patterns and structures as small as 15 nanometre at greatly reduced cost and complexity.
Scientists, farmers fast to protest Bt Brinjal
By IANS,
Kolkata : A group of scientists, academicians and farmers observed a day's protest fast at the Kolkata Book Fair Saturday against the possible release of genetically modified crop Bt Brinjal for commercial cultivation.
"The volunteers from Green Peace, city-based green body Development Research Communication and Services Centre (DRCSC) and the farmers of an organisation called Seva participated in the fast," Green Peace's sustainable agricultural campaigner R. Jaykrishna told IANS.
Ancient ocean-floor sediment shows asteroid sizes
By Xinhua,
Beijing : Countless asteroids have struck Earth during its multi-billion-year history, leaving few clues to their size because they vaporize on impact and leave no crater or fall into the ocean.
However, a new study suggests the asteroids may have left behind certain chemical traces in ancient ocean-floor sediments that can act as a telltale sign of their impact and record what was floating around in the seawater in the distant geologic past.
Space technology to identify whale sharks off Gujarat
By Sanjeeb Baruah, IANS,
New Delhi : Indian scientists will try to distinguish individual whale sharks off the Gujarat coast, using a technique employed by NASA to identify galaxies.
Just as each tiger is distinguished by its stripes, whale sharks too can be identified through a unique pattern of spots that form points of numerous triangles on their bodies, say experts.
As the whale shark grows, the distance between these spots increases, but angles of these triangles remain the same, thus identifying the whale shark.
The method is also used by NASA to identify galaxies.
Secret UFO files revealed to British public
By DPA,
London : Secret files about the sighting of Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) over Britain were opened to the public for the first time Wednesday, arousing anew the interest of "sceptics and believers", officials said.
The information, recording among many others a saucer-shaped UFO hovering over Waterloo Bridge in London, is based on details kept by police stations and airbases around the country.
It is being published by the National Archives in Kew, near London, which has kept the information secret for the past 30 years in line with legislation.
Endeavour astronauts complete third spacewalk
By RIA Novosti
Washington : US space shuttle Endeavour astronauts have completed their third spacewalk, preparing a new robot designed for the maintenance of the International Space Station for activation, NASA said Tuesday.
Mission specialists Rick Linnehan and Robert Behnken outfitted the Canadian-built Dextre robot with tools for its work. The two-armed robot, assembled during the previous two spacewalks, is the final element in the station's Mobile Servicing System.
Khamenei congratulates Iranian scientists on satellite launch
By IANS,
Tehran : Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has complimented Iranian scientists for their success in sending the first domestically-produced satellite into orbit, IRNA reported.
In a message Tuesday in response to a letter from President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Ayatollah Khamenei expressed appreciation for the efforts of Iranian officials and scientists "for their efforts which made such a praiseworthy move possible".
"This is another sign that the hope that the Islamic Revolution has brought to hearts is true," he stated.
From launch to landing – Indian moon mission’s journey
By IANS,
Bangalore : India's first probe into moon landed on the lunar surface Friday night after riding on Chandrayaan-1, the country's first unmanned spacecraft to the moon, after travelling around 384,000 km in 24 days days after blasting off from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh Oct 22.
Soon after the launch at 6.22 a.m. the spacecraft carrying 11 scientific payloads was put in an orbit of 22,860 km apogee (farthest point to the earth) and 225 km perigee (nearest point to the earth).
Navy gets lab-on-wheels to test radioactivity
By IANS
New Delhi : An environmental survey vehicle (ESV) - a radiological laboratory on wheels - developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) was formally handed over to the Indian Navy here Monday.
DRDO chief M. Natarajan handed over the ESV to the Indian Navy vice-chief, Vice Admiral Nirmal Verma.
Designed and developed by the Defence Laboratory at Jodhpur, the ESV is equipped with state-of-art instruments to measure radioactivity levels in solids, liquids and in the air.
Indian-origin scientist creates first single-molecule device
Washington: A team of Columbia Engineering researchers led by an Indian-American scientist Latha Venkataraman has created a single-molecule electronic device which has a potential...
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.
Camera with ability to “see” under clothes
By Xinhua
Beijing : A British company has developed a camera that can detect weapons, drugs or explosives hidden under people's clothes from up to 25 meters away, according to British media reports Monday.
The T5000 camera, created by a company called ThruVision, uses what it calls "passive imaging technology" to identify objects by the natural electromagnetic rays -- known as Terahertz or T-rays -- that they emit.
Experimental flight of GSLV Mark 3 in December: ISRO chief
New Delhi : India will conduct an experimental test of its Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) Mark 3 in mid-December, Indian Space Research Organisation...
Airport scanner can damage diabetes device
By IANS,,
Washington : Full-body scanners used at airports can damage the insulin pump or continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) device used by diabetics, caution experts.
Sunita is like Shah Rukh in Swades, says US official
By IANS
New Delhi : One could not help comparing American-Indian astronaut Sunita Williams with Shah Rukh Khan, who played the role of a National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) engineer who came back to India to ignite the minds of people in the Hindi movie "Swades".
The metaphor may sound somewhat remote, but a senior US embassy official Monday drew a comparison between the two stars in a programme where Williams interacted with around 150 school students.
Connect science, policy for progress on climate change: Pachauri
By DPA,
New York : The chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Monday said there remained a "glaring gap" between the policy and science on climate change.
"We need to connect science and policy," Rajendra Pachauri said at a news conference organised by the United Nations Environment Programme.
The IPCC shared the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 with former US vice president Al Gore.
Repair to Discovery may delay scheduled flight
Washington, Sep 18 (Xinhua) Shuttle managers of the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) have decided to repair a leaking hydraulic seal of the space shuttle Discovery, which may delay its scheduled October flight.
Technicians will begin repair work Wednesday on the leaking hydraulic seal in Discovery's right main-gear strut, NASA officials said at a meeting Monday.
NASA shuttle managers will assess the ongoing repair work to decide how it might affect Discovery's Oct 23 target launch date.
Strange molecule in sky cleans acid rain
By IANS,
Washington : Researchers have stumbled upon an unusual molecule that helps break down pollutants, especially the compounds that cause acid rain.
Marsha Lester and Joseph Francisco, of Pennsylvania and Purdue Universities, found the molecule that had exercised scientists for more than 40 years.
Somewhat like a human body metabolising food, the earth's atmosphere has the ability to "burn," or oxidise pollutants, especially nitric oxides emitted by factories and automobiles. What doesn't get oxidised in the air falls back to earth in the form of acid rain.
Microsoft issues emergency flaw fix
By DPA,
San Francisco : Microsoft issued an emergency patch Monday to correct a critical Windows bug that had allowed attackers to gain control of infected machines via program shortcuts.
Microsoft usually issues patches to fix software flaws just once a month. But the seriousness of the bug forced the software giant to issue an emergency patch outside the normal schedule.
Widely publicized last month, the flaw was used to attack industrial control systems in manufacturing and utility control systems via the so-called Stuxnet worm.
SAARC satellite to be launched by December 2016: ISRO
Bengaluru : India will launch a dedicated satellite for the eight SAARC countries by December 2016 to provide a range of public services, space...
Mexico creates pest resistant wheat
By IANS/EFE,
Mexico City : Mexican scientists have developed a new variety of wheat that is more resistant to disease.
It is expected to reduce the use of fungicides and boost grain production, the Agriculture Secretariat said Sunday. It is resistant to leaf rust (a fungus that attacks the plant).
Scientists from the National Forestry, Agriculture and Livestock Research Institute (INIFAP) developed the wheat.
The study was conducted from 2006-2009 in Yaqui Valley in northern Sonora state. The output from the new variety was similar to that of common wheat strains.
Facebook gets notice for tobacco promotion
By IANS,
Chandigarh : Popular social networking website Facebook has been caught in a 'smoky' row. An anti-tobacco activist here has served a notice to the website, accusing it of "promotion of smoking culture" through its web pages.
Anti-tobacco activist Hemant Goswami Tuesday said he has served a notice to Facebook Inc. in California (US) and Facebook Ireland Ltd, which run the social networking website facebook.com, for violation of Indian laws that ban advertisement and promotion of tobacco products.
India considering manned space mission
By IANS
Bhopal : India is considering a manned mission to space soon, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman G. Madhavan Nair said Thursday.
"We are seriously considering a manned space mission. But we will first have to study and prepare a report within a year on newer technologies to develop capsules to send men to space and bring them back safely," Nair told a press conference here.
The study report would be sent to the government for approval, he said.
Russia launches Proton carrier rocket
By RIA Novosti
Moscow : Russia has successfully conducted a delayed launch of a Proton carrier rocket from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan, the Federal Space Agency (Roskosmos) said Friday.
The Proton-K rocket, which has been on the launch pad since Monday, lifted off at 11.35 a.m. Moscow time (7.35 a.m. GMT) and put in orbit three Glonass (Global Navigation Satellite System) satellites, the space agency said.
NASA spacecraft spots new moonlet in Saturn’s rings
By Xinhua,
Washington : Scientists have found a new moonlet hidden in one of Saturn's dazzling outer rings, the Scientific American website has reported.
Saturn's G ring, a faint band of material near the outer bounds of the planet's famed ring system, hosts a bright arc about 150,000 km long.
The arc, or partial ring, which stretches through about a sixth of the G ring's length, is believed to provide the rest of the ring with dust and ice, but its evolution has remained a mystery.
Scientists develop fast, accurate test to detect bio-terror agent
By IANS,
Washington : Scientists have developed a simple, accurate and highly sensitive test to detect and quantify ricin, a highly lethal toxin with potential use as a bioterrorism agent.
Ricin, a protein extracted from castor beans, can be in the form of a powder, mist, pellet or solution. When injected or inhaled, as little as one-half mg of ricin is lethal to humans.
Some plant species seem to defy climate change: study
By IANS,
London : Some plants defy odds and adapt to changes in patterns of temperature and rainfall, according to what is being described as the longest-running study of the impact of climate change on natural vegetation.
For instance, the study, which has thrown up new insights into the effects of warming on plant ecosystem, found that grasses clinging to steep cliffsides in England have shown an exceptional ability to adapt.
"Contemporary wisdom suggests that climate changes cause plants to move or die," said Jason Fridley of Syracuse University and the study’s co-author.
NASA delays space shuttle launch over poor weather
By RIA Novosti,
Cape Canaveral : The launch of the U.S. space shuttle Endeavour has been delayed by 24 hours due to cloudy weather over the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA officials said on Sunday.
The delay was announced just nine minutes before the launch. The shuttle was scheduled to lift off at 4:39 a.m. EST (09:39 GMT) on Sunday with an 80% chance of favorable weather for launch.
The next launch attempt has been scheduled for 4:14 a.m. EST (09:14 GMT) on Monday, NASA said.
Dancing electrons could open way to new devices
By IANS,
Washington : Researchers have discovered a new way that electrons behave in materials, which could spur the development of futuristic electronic devices.
A team led by N. Phuan Ong, professor of physics at Princeton University, has shown that electrons in an element like bismuth display a highly unusual pattern - a dance of sorts - when subjected to a powerful magnetic field at ultra-low temperatures.
Plastic nanosheets can capture solar energy cheaply
By IANS,
Washington : Plastic sheets arrayed with billions of nanoantennas will help collect abundant heat energy generated by the sun and other sources cheaply. The technology, developed at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL), is the first step toward a solar energy collector that could be mass-produced on flexible materials.
Microsoft opens Windows 8 in india
By IANS,
Bangalore: Global software major Microsoft late Thursday unveiled its Windows 8 version of the operation system in India as part of its worldwide launch.
How do we sense? Rat whiskers have the answer
By IANS
Washington : Insights derived from how rats sense objects could enable a better understanding of hearing and touch in all mammals, including humans.
A high-speed video of rats using their whiskers to explore different surfaces has provided researchers with a window into the subtle mechanics of their tactile sensory system.
The information is significant because the rat's tactile machinery is a widely used lab model for studying how energy from sound or touch is translated into neural activity.
Scientists discover hottest ever planet
By IANS,
London : An exoplanet has been found to be the hottest planet discovered so far with a record-breaking temperature of 3,200 degrees Celsius.
India to rollout 3G services by mid-2008: A. Raja
By IANS
New Delhi : Indian mobile users will be able to use 3G services by the middle of next year, Communications and IT Minister A. Raja said here Thursday.
"We are hopeful that some spectrum for both 2G and 3G services will be vacated by the end of this year. I hope that could pave the way for a rollout of 3G services by mid next year," the minister said at a 3G summit.
On being asked how much spectrum would be vacated, the minister replied, "That is up to the defence ministry to decide."
Microsoft unveils new security software
By DPA,
San Francisco : Hoping to dispel fears about the vulnerability of Windows to viruses and other malware, Microsoft Tuesday released a trial version of a new free security package called Microsoft Security Essentials.
The software is designed to replace the Windows Defender tool that Microsoft released in 2007, but which was widely derided as being inadequate to protect computers from the constant and ever-evolving threats posed by hackers.
Microsoft: surf skies from desktop
By Xinhua,
Beijing : Microsoft unveiled a public beta of its WorldWide Telescope (WWT) web application that allows star gazers and astronomers deep into the universe Tuesday.
"The WorldWide Telescope is a powerful tool for science and education that makes it possible for everyone to explore the universe," said Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft. "Our hope is that it will inspire young people to explore astronomy and science, and help researchers in their quest to better understand the universe."
NASA spacecraft takes look at comet from closest
By IANS,
London : NASA's Deep Impact craft flew within 435 miles (700 km) of comet Hartley 2 -- the closest ever any man-made object got to such a celestial body.
Asteroid could hit Earth in 2029: Russian astronomer
By RIA Novosti
Moscow : An asteroid, discovered in 2004, could pose a threat to Earth in 2029, the director of the Russian Institute of Astronomy said.
Boris Shustov said at an international space forum in Moscow Monday that the Apophis asteroid, which is due to cross earth's orbit in 2029 at a height of 27,000 km, could under certain conditions hit earth in 2029.
The explosion could surpass the famous Tunguska explosion of June 30, 1908, which affected a 2,150 square km area of Russia felling over 80 million trees in the Krasnoyarsk Territory in Siberia.
Can genetic research spur racist attitudes?
By IANS,
Toronto : People might be different in many ways but genetically they are quite similar. However, is it possible that genetic research may evoke racist attitudes, asks University of Alberta's Tim Caulfield. He organised a seminar to examine the issue.
Last year, Nobel Prize winning geneticist James Watson claimed there are genes responsible for creating differences in human intelligence. These comments made international headlines and Watson later apologised.
NASA launches 2.7 bn-km voyage to Jupiter
By IANS,
London : NASA has launched a 2.7-billion km voyage to Jupiter that will try to discover the secrets behind the largest planet in the solar system.
Single solar flare releases destructive equivalent of 100 mn H-bombs
By DPA,
Washington : A solar flare can release the destructive equivalent of a 100 million hydrogen bombs, obliterating everything in its neighbourhood, including every single atom, according to scientists.
"We've detected a stream of perfectly intact hydrogen atoms shooting out of an X-class solar flare," said Richard Mewaldt of the California Institute of Technology.
"If we can understand how these atoms were produced, we'll be that much closer to understanding solar flares," he added.
China launches its first moon orbiter
By Xinhua
Xichang, Sichuan : China launched its first lunar probe on Wednesday, the first step into its ambitious three-stage moon mission, marking a new milestone in the country's space exploration history.
The circumlunar satellite Chang'e-1 blasted off on a Long March3A carrier rocket at 6:05 p.m. (10:05 GMT) from the No. 3 launch tower in the Xichang Satellite Launch Center of southwestern Sichuan Province.
Chandra observatory detects new space X-ray source
By IANS
New York : Astronomers studying a nearby galaxy with NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory have detected a rare type of star system with a black hole that has begun glowing with a new X-ray source.
Usually, when astronomers study the galaxy, called Centaurus A, it's the giant X-ray jets emanating from its heart that steal the show, according to Gregory Sivakoff of Ohio State University.
Moon landing myth? Decades later, conspiracy theories remain
By Peer Meinert, DPA,
Washington : Even conspiracy theories must sometimes be taken seriously.
Every week Roger Launius, chief historian at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, devotes his time to debunking one of history's favourite such theories: That astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin never landed on the moon.
The entire July 20, 1969, landing and the spacewalk several hours later was just a show, all lies, filmed in a Hollywood studio or in a desert, the sceptics say.
Few other conspiracy theories have proven so popular or long-lived.
India on the moon, with tricolour
By Fakir Balaji, IANS,
Bangalore : India Friday became the fourth country in the world to land a man-made object on the lunar surface when its moon impact probe (MIP), with the tricolour painted on it, landed on the earth's only natural satellite at 8.31 p.m. after ejecting from the Chandrayaan-I spacecraft.
The MIP impacted on the moon's surface 25 minutes after it was separated from Chandrayaan at 8.06 p.m., orbiting at 100 km above.
Japan launches communication satellite
By Xinhua
Tokyo : Japan Saturday launched a high-speed data transmission satellite, the nation's space agency said.
A H-2A rocket carrying the satellite 'Kizuna' lifted off at 17.55 p.m. from the space centre on the island of Tanegashima off the southern tip of Kyushu Island in southern Japan.
A spokeswoman for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said the launch went smoothly.
The initial launching was successful despite a delay due to bad weather and an unexpected ship entry in restricted waters near the space centre, the official said.
‘Free software allows cheaper long distance phone calls’
By Frederick Noronha, IANS,
Panaji : Free software and open source solutions offer a huge potential to link your computer to the mobile phone and the inexpensive Skype networks -- that allows you to make international calls over the internet -- and for sending out SMSes too.
This could help significantly narrow the digital divide "at the social level between rich and poor and geographical levels, between city and village", says Giovanni Maruzzelli, an Italian expert in the field currently touring India.
‘Spy aircraft’ that weighs just three grams
By IANS,
Amsterdam : Dutch engineers have developed a miniature remote-controlled aircraft that flies by flapping its wings like a dragonfly, has an on-board camera and weighs just three grams.
Delfly Micro, made by engineers at Delft University of Technology, can fly for approximately three minutes and has a maximum speed of five meters per second, reports Eurekalert.
Solar eclipse blocked by clouds in Tibet
By Xinhua,
Lhasa : Tibet's Cona county was one of the first places in China to view the solar eclipse, which occurred at 8:01 a.m Wednesday, according to an observatory under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).
However, the solar view from Cona was blocked by overcast, according to sources from the CAS Purple Mountain Observatory based in Nanjing, eastern Jiangsu province.
The sun sunshine was blocked behind clouds in Lhasa, Tibet's capital.
White stuff on Mars is ice: NASA
By DPA,
Washington : The white material on Mars uncovered by the robotic arm of the Phoenix probe is ice, scientists at the US space agency NASA have said.
"We have found proof that this hard bright material is really water ice and not some other substance," Peter Smith of the University of Arizona said in a transcript of a press briefing released late Friday.
Yahoo Unveils Voice Search Service For Mobile Device Users
By Bernama
Los Angeles : Yahoo has become the first major search engine to let people search the Internet by talking to a mobile device, China's XINHUA news agency quoted a newspaper, as saying on Thursday.
Through the technology from a Massachusetts start-up, Yahoo's mobile search engine, known as oneSearch, could allow users of popular PDAs like BlackBerry Curves, Pearls or the 8800 series to scour the Web with their voice, the San Jose Mercury News daily reported.
ISS austronauts contacted from ancient Incan city
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Buenos Aires : The ancient Incan civilisation city of Machu Picchu in Peru made history Thursday when a radio contact was established from there with the Intetrnational Space Station (ISS).
The Russian and Peruvian delegations talked with the ISS crew for 10 minutes Thursday.
The conversation was made in three languages -- Russian, Spanish and the Peru Indian language of Quechua. ISS Commander Alexander Skvortsov said it was the first time Quechua had ever been heard on the ISS.
Quechua is spoken by some 10 million native South American Indians.
MySpace ejects 90,000 convicted sex offenders
By DPA,
San Francisco : Social networking website MySpace.com has said that it had ejected more than 90,000 registered sex offenders following an agreement last year with state attorneys general to improve child safety.
The figure, which MySpace provided to Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, was more than double the number that MySpace had predicted that it would find when it launched the crackdown on online threats to minors.
NASA SpaceX mission to ISS explodes after launch
Washington : The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket-propelling Dragon spacecraft laden with crucial supplies to the International Space Station (ISS) exploded shortly after lift-off in...
Launch of Discovery shuttle put off to Feb 27
By DPA,
Washington : NASA is eyeing Feb 27 as the earliest possible date for launch of the next shuttle mission Discovery, a postponement blamed on worries over the possibility that pieces of a faulty fuel valve could strike the shuttle on takeoff.
In a statement over the weekend, NASA said it would give an update on plans next Friday.
Discovery was originally aiming for a Feb 12 launch from Cape Canaveral in Florida, a date that had been put back to Feb 19.
Unitech allotted spectrum for three service areas
By IANS,
New Delhi : Real estate major Unitech has been allotted 4.4 MHz of spectrum in three service areas, the company said Monday.
“The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has issued the letter to the company`s telecom subsidiaries for allotment of 4.4 MHz of spectrum in 1800 MHz GSM band in respect of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Kolkata service areas,” a company statement said.
With this, the company has been allotted initial spectrum in 16 service areas out of the total 22 service areas.
Microsoft releases first Vista service pack
By DPA
San Francisco : Microsoft released its first major update to its Windows Vista operating system Wednesday, prompting a flood of complaints from users who said the service pack fouled up their computers.
Microsoft made the free update available via its Windows Update website and said the software improved the stability, security and performance of the Vista. However it also warned that the service pack could clash with some security software and other programs customers may have installed on their machine.
Platypus genome holds key to mammalian evolution
By IANS,
Washington : Scientists have decoded the genome of one of the most unusual creatures in existence - the duck-billed platypus. And now they know why it is part bird, part reptile and part mammal.
The platypus represents the earliest offshoot of mammalian lineage - a branch-out that occurred 166 million years ago from primitive ancestors with both mammalian and reptilian features.
"At first glance, the platypus appears as if it was the result of an evolutionary accident," said Francis S. Collins of the National Human Genome Research Institute.
NASA’s Mars rover Spirit begins new chapter
By IANS,
Washington : After six years of unprecedented exploration, NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit will no longer be a fully mobile robot.
NASA has designated the once-roving scientific explorer a stationary science platform after efforts during the past several months to free it from a sand trap were unsuccessful.
The venerable robot's primary task in the next few weeks will be to position itself to combat the severe Martian winter.
Future computers will talk and feel
By IANS
London : A computer that can interact with humans and react to their non-verbal gestures is being developed by a European team.
Known as SEMAINE, the project will build a sensitive artificial listener (SAL) system, which will perceive user's facial expression, gaze, and voice and then engage with the user.
When engaging with a human, the SAL will be able to adapt its own performance and pursue different actions, depending on the non-verbal behaviour of the user, reports Sciencedaily.
Insects might help make cheaper biofuels
By IANS,
Washington : The help of insects might be required to make a biofuel like bioethanol commercially viable, according to an entomologist.
Michael Scharf, entomologist at the University of Florida, Gainesville and his colleague Aurélien Tartar informed how enzymes produced by both termites and the micro-organisms that inhabit their gut - known as symbionts - could help to produce ethanol from non-edible plant material such as straw and wood.
CISF to protect techies, not intrude on their private space
By IANS,
Bangalore : The ceremony to welcome the latest "entrants" to IT bellwether Infosys Technologies at its Electronic City campus here Friday was a grand one, with the company's co-founder, chairman and chief mentor N.R. Narayan Murthy himself doing the honours.
The 101 "new entrants" were, however, no IT geeks joining the country's second largest software exporter as its recruits.
Researchers locate ‘lost’ Greek town
By IANS
Washington : Along an isolated, rocky stretch of the Greek shoreline, researchers are unlocking the secrets of a partially submerged "lost" harbour town, possibly built by the ancient Mycenaeans nearly 3,500 years ago.
The settlement, referred to as Korphos-Kalamianos, rests on the shores of the Saronic Gulf in the western Aegean Sea about 60 miles to the southwest of the Greek capital, Athens, reports ScienceDaily.
U.S. space shuttle Discovery enters launch countdown
By Xinhua,
Washington : The U.S. space shuttle Discovery enters its official launch countdown at 3 p.m. EDT (1900 GMT) on Wednesday, aiming at a targeted launch on Saturday, NASA TV reported.
The launch team at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida is tracking no issues as technicians continue preparing Discovery for liftoff on Saturday at 5:02 p.m. EDT (2102 GMT), said NASA's shuttle program.
Indian IT industry on alert to prevent swine flu fallout
By Pupul Dutta and Fakir Balaji, IANS,
New Delhi/Bangalore: The $60-billion Indian IT industry is on an alert mode on account of the pandemic swine flu that has affected travel and led to postponement of events, according to a top industry official.
"Though we are taking preventive measures, we have postponed a few events, including one in Pune," said Som Mittal, president of the National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom), the industry's representative body.
Nanotech breakthrough paves way for next-generation equipment
By IANS
Washington : Scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have used nanotechnology to dramatically improve conversion between heat and power, paving the way for a new generation of products that are cheaper and run cleaner.
The latest breakthrough in the conversion, called the thermoelectric effect, would mean a host of more efficient and cheaper products - from semiconductors and air conditioners to car exhaust systems and solar power panels.
Lenovo launches online auction of Olympic theme PCs
By IANS,
Kolkata : Lenovo, Chinese manufacturer of PCs and partner of the Beijing Olympic torch relay, Saturday launched its second phase of three online auctions in India as part of the countdown to the games.
The auction features notebook PCs inspired by the Olympic torch and is signed by Saif Ali Khan.
Saif was one of the torchbearers who ran in the New Delhi leg of the relay April 17.
Scientists pinpoint presence of female sex hormone in plant
By IANS,
Washington : Scientists have unearthed female sex hormone progesterone in a plant, upsetting conventional wisdom that only animals secreted it.
A steroid hormone produced by the ovaries, progesterone prepares the uterus for pregnancy and maintains it. A synthetic version, progestin, is used in birth control pills and other medications.
"The significance of the unequivocal identification of progesterone cannot be overstated," said the study by Guido F. Pauli, College of Pharmacy, Chicago and colleagues.
Indian device for cancer treatment gets EU certification
By IANS,
Bangalore : Cytotron, a device developed by the city-based medical technology firm Scalene Cybernetics for treatment of cancer and osteoarthritis, has received the European Union (EU) certification from Underwriters Laboratories, a worldwide independent product safety certification organisation.
The Conformity Europa (CE) certificate, a regulatory requirement for compliance, will enable Scalene to sell the 2,400 kilogram medical device to hospitals and institutes in European and other international markets.
NASA probe flies by Mercury in 1st visit since 1975
By Xinhua
Beijing : NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft on Monday flew within 200 kilometers above the surface of Mercury, making the first pass of the planet since 1975, media reported.
The car-sized probe traveled at about 25,800 kilometers miles per hour as it passed over Mercury on a mission designed to resolve some of the mysteries about the solar system's innermost planet, officials said.
Beijing : NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft on Monday flew within 200 kilometers above the surface of Mercury, making the first pass of the planet since 1975, media reported.
The car-sized probe traveled at about 25,800 kilometers miles per hour as it passed over Mercury on a mission designed to resolve some of the mysteries about the solar system's innermost planet, officials said.
European Space Agency launches first robot freighter into space
By Xinhua
Paris : The European Space Agency on Sunday launched its first Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) into space, French media reported.
The ATV blasted into the skies at 1:03 a.m. (0403 GMT) aboard an Ariane 5 rocket from Europe's spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.
The launch was initially scheduled for Saturday but was delayed for technical checks.
The ATV is scheduled to separate from the Ariane rocket at 0535 GMT and reignite its propulsion system 30 minutes later.
US to develop new navigation system for moon
By Xinhua,
Washington : The US space agency, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), is seeking to develop a new navigation system for use on the moon, an official said.
The space agency has awarded $1.2 million to an Ohio State University research team who would develop the new system over the next three years.
The device would be a lot like the Global Positioning System (GPS) on Earth, the university announced Monday.
However, a GPS can't be used on the moon since it doesn't have satellites to send its signals to.
Chemicals in consumer products likely to cause premature births
By IANS,
Washington : A common contaminant present in consumer products, including cosmetics, may be causing an alarming rise in premature births, according to a new study.
Phthalates are commonly used compounds in plastics, personal care products, home furnishings (vinyl flooring, carpeting, paints etc.) and many other consumer and industrial products.
Researchers at the University of Michigan School of Public Health (SPH) found that women who deliver prematurely have, on average, up to three times the phthalate level in their urine compared to women who carry to term.
$40,800 bid to name butterfly after a loved one
By IANS
New York : An unidentified person bid $40,800 for the naming rights of a new species of butterfly -- and scientists will use the money to continue their research.
Researchers at the University of Florida discovered the new owl butterfly in Mexico's Sonoran desert earlier this year and decided, in a first, to offer its naming rights in an online auction.
The new butterfly's scientific name is Opsiphanes blythekitzmillerae, but its popular name, chosen by the winning bidder, is Minerva -- in memory of Margery Minerva Blythe Kitzmiller of Ohio.
India to launch exclusive satellite to study sea level rise
By IRNA,
New Delhi : With ocean scientists reporting a nine mm rise in sea levels in four years, India will launch an exclusive satellite later this year to study the changes in the environment.
The SARAL-Altika satellite will complement the current observations of the sea made by current satellites like Jason-2 of the French Space Agency and NASA.
Astronauts become as weak as 80-year-olds in space
By IANS,
London : The US researchers have found that astronauts in the prime of life, spending months in space, become as weak as 80-year-olds.
The researchers made the discovery after examining muscle tissues of crew members on the International Space Station (ISS).
The calf biopsy samples revealed that after six months in space, the physical work capacity of astronauts fell by 40 percent, reports the Daily Telegraph.
Asteroids to fly by Earth Wednesday: NASA
By DPA,
Washington : Two asteroids are to zip close by Earth within hours of each other Wednesday, the US space agency said.
Scientists make windpipe from stem cells, usher in new era of surgery
By IANS,
London : British scientists were hailed Wednesday after the first tissue-engineered windpipe, built from the patient's own stem cells, was successfully transplanted into a young woman with a failing airway.
Scientists at Bristol University were in a European team that conducted the operation on a young woman from Colombia living in Spain, they announced Wednesday. The operation was performed in June at the Hospital Clinic in Barcelona.
Scientists discover Milky Way’s most recent exploding star
By DPA,
Washington : A group of scientists has discovered the galaxy's newest supernova - as exploding stars are known - providing clues to what happens when stars die.
The supernova is just 140 years old, a baby in galactic terms, and is "by far the youngest identified supernova in the galaxy and the only one we know at its stage," researcher David Green of Britain's University of Cambridge told reporters Wednesday.
Can we get oil from space?
By Andrei Kislyakov, RIA Novosti,
Moscow : Scientists from the Royal Observatory in Edinburgh have said that judging by the chemical composition of stars in the Milky Way, our galaxy could contain anywhere between 300 and 38,000 highly developed extraterrestrial civilizations potentially capable of contacting planet Earth.
Although current generations are unlikely to shake hands with little green men from Mars, humankind has already discovered sizeable mineral deposits on other planets. But should we pin any hopes on them?
Countdown to India’s mission moon begins
By Fakir Balaji, IANS,
Sriharikota (Andhra Pradesh) : As the countdown for the Wednesday launch of lunar mission Chandrayaan-1 on board the polar satellite launch vehicle (PSLV-C11) started early Monday, this spaceport off the Bay of Bengal coast was bustling with activity, excitement and a bit of anxiety.
With the countdown starting at 5.22 a.m., about 1,000 top scientists and technologists are working round-the-clock to send India’s first spacecraft mission beyond earth orbit from the picturesque spaceport, located on an island about 80 km from Chennai.
NASA’s Phoenix Mars lander commanded to unstow arm
By Xinhua,
Washington : U.S. Mars lander Phoenix, which touched down on Sunday at northern polar plains on Mars, successfully unstowed its robotic arm on Wednesday, according to NASA mission updates.
Early Wednesday, scientists leading Phoenix mission from the University of Arizona sent commands to move the lander's robotic arm for the first time after its touchdown.
UN says ozone hole shrinking due to weather, not recovery
By NNN-SPA
United Nations, New York : Although the ozone layer over the Antarctic this year is relatively small, it is due to mild temperatures experienced in the region’s stratosphere this winter and is not a sign of global recovery, the U.N. World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said Thursday.
Since 1998, only the ozone holes of 2002 and 2004 have been smaller than this year’s-both in area and amount of destroyed ozone-and this is not indicative of ozone recuperation, WMO said in a statement.
India’s rocket goes into space with 10 satellites
By IANS,
Sriharikota (Andhra Pradesh) : The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) C9 lifted off successfully with 10 satellites - two Indian and eight foreign - at 9.23 a.m. Monday from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre here.
Officials said the satellites' launches were progressing as expected. Around 16 minutes into the flight, the satellites will be injected into the polar sun synchronous orbit inclined at an angle of 97.94 degree to the equator.
Indian researcher creates compound that knocks out TB pathogen
By IANS,
Washington/New Delhi : An Indian researcher has created a compound that knocks out four of the tuberculosis bacterium's crucial metabolic pathways simultaneously, ultimately crippling the pathogen.
The development opens the way to designing a single drug that is safe and effective, and may replace the costly cocktail of drugs that people with tuberculosis (TB) must currently take to cure their disease.
Researchers convert carbon into green energy
By IANS,
Singapore : Scientists here have succeeded in converting a greenhouse gas like carbon dioxide into a green energy source.
Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN) researchers said they used organocatalysts to help carbon dioxide (CO2) produce methanol, a widely used industrial feedstock and clean-burning biofuel.
Organocatalysts are catalysts that comprise non-metallic elements found in organic compounds. They can be produced easily at low cost.
Agarwallas’ Scrabulous computer game is faster now
By Parveen Chopra, IANS
New York : A faster version of Scrabulous, developed by two Kolkatans, has been uploaded on Facebook that sees half a million daily users of the Scrabble-like game. The US social networking site has also opened up the game and other plug-in applications to its competitors.
Released by brothers Jayant and Rajat Agarwalla, two software developers, on Facebook in June, the game's popularity prompted the new version to make match uploads faster for the online players.
Robot pinpoints best locations for seafloor lab
By IANS,
Washington : Sentry, an unmanned submersible, operating on its own in harsh environments, has helped scientists pinpoint and finalise the best locations for two sites of a proposed pioneering seafloor lab.
Successful site selection is a vital step in developing an extensive sensor network above and below the seafloor on the Juan de Fuca Plate, according to John Delaney, University of Washington oceanographer and chief scientist for a two-week mapping expedition.
India plans major incentives for clean technology
By IANS
New Delhi : India's forthcoming action plan to address climate change will provide significant incentives for clean technologies, Minister for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences Kapil Sibal said here Tuesday.
Sibal, who headed the Indian government delegation at the Dec 3-14 UN conference on climate change in Bali, reiterated on his return that India was not going to take on any legal caps on emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) that are warming the atmosphere and leading to climate change.
Phoenix Mars lander examines new soil sample
By DPA,
Washington : The Phoenix Mars lander is examining a sample of soil from an "intermediate depth" of the Martian earth to determine if it is different from dirt at the planet's surface and from a lower icy layer, NASA said Friday.
The lander's robotic arm dug up the sample, called Burning Coals, from a trench dubbed Burn Alive 3 and delivered it to one of the craft's many small ovens early Thursday.
Phoenix had earlier confirmed the existence of ice about four centimetres below the surface and is now looking at a layer about one centimetre above the ice.
Russia earmarks $25 bn for secientific research in 2008-10
By RIA Novosti,
Moscow : Russia will spend around 600 billion rubles, or about $25 billion, on scientific research in 2008-2010, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Thursday.
"We have allocated substantial resources for the development of such promising areas as nano- and biotechnology, nuclear energy, aerospace and other research in 2008-2010. Federal target programmes alone will receive about 600 billion rubles for these purposes," Putin told a meeting of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
New technique to stamp out microchip piracy, save billions
By IANS
Washington : A new technique developed by Rice University will block piracy of microchips, something that causes billions of dollars in losses to chipmakers every year.
The cutting edge technology will allow designers to lock and remotely activate chips with a unique ID tag. Only the patent-holder can decipher the key and activate the chip, rendering stolen chips worthless.
Hardware piracy has worsened as the skyrocketing costs of microchip production have led chip-design companies to get out of the manufacturing business.
Facebook stops 600,000 hacking attempts daily
By IANS,
London : Social networking website Facebook has said it prevents at least 600,000 attempts every day by hackers trying to break into user accounts, using stolen usernames and passwords.
Scientists find solar system similar to ours
By Xinhua
Beijing : An international team of astronomers has discovered a miniature version of our own solar system nearly 5,000 light years away, according to a report published Friday in the journal Science.
"We found a solar system that looks like a scaled-down analog of our solar system," Scott Gaudi of Ohio State University, who led the study, told reporters.
Beijing : An international team of astronomers has discovered a miniature version of our own solar system nearly 5,000 light years away, according to a report published Friday in the journal Science.
"We found a solar system that looks like a scaled-down analog of our solar system," Scott Gaudi of Ohio State University, who led the study, told reporters.
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...
China to introduce nuclear power technologies from Westinghouse
By Xinhua
Beijing : China's State Nuclear Power Technology Co. (SNPTC), officially inaugurated Tuesday, is set to introduce third-generation nuclear power technologies from the Westinghouse Electric Co.
Yahoo unveils new search engine, but can anyone catch Google?
By DPA
San Francisco : Yahoo Inc. has unveiled a new internet search technology in a bid to close the gap on search leader Google, but executives at Yahoo admitted that the best they could hope for was to "chip away" at their rival's lead.
The new Yahoo Search, previously codenamed Panama, was launched Tuesday and introduces features like 'universal search', which automatically includes different content types in search results.
Mars, Venus very different, very similar
By Xinhua
Beijing : Two nearly identical spacecraft orbiting Mars and Venus has sent back data that reveals the two planets have more in common than heretofore thought.
The ESA's Mars Express and Venus Express have discovered the two worlds'atmospheres, while quite different, are much alike as to how they interact with solar radiation. The data show that charged particles from the gas layers around both planets are being scavenged by solar wind and storms.
Communication malfunction delays Phoenix Mars lander digging
By Xinhua,
Beijing : Phoenix lander's first scoop of the Martian soil was delayed Wednesday as a result of a communication malfunction on a spacecraft that relayed commands from Earth to Mars, according to media reports Thursday.
The orbiting Odyssey satellite failed to send instructions to the lander to dig into the permafrost to search for evidence of life, said Chad Edwards, chief telecommunications engineer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena.
When monkeys flew: 50 years since forgotten space pioneers
By Charlotte Horn, DPA,
Washington : Yuri Gagarin and Neil Armstrong are names printed in bold in the history books. But two smaller, unknown space pioneers who helped make their advances possible had their first flight 50 years ago.
Two monkeys were shot into space by the US space agency NASA on May 28, 1959 - paving the way for humans, like the Russian who became the first man to orbit the Earth and the US astronaut who was the first to set foot on the moon.
New Microsoft deal eyes break-up of Yahoo
By DPA,
San Francisco : Microsoft's latest deal proposal to Yahoo envisages the internet portal selling off its valuable properties in Asia and Microsoft buying its search business in the US, media reports said.
The Software giant also proposed buying a minority stake in the whittled down Yahoo that would remain after the sell-off, the Wall Street Journal reported late Monday.
India successfully launches Israeli satellite Polaris into orbit
By KUNA
New Delhi : India Monday launched an Israeli satellite "Polaris" from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota in the Southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.
The satellite was put into orbit by indigenously developed Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), a spokesman of the Indian Space Research Organisation told reporters, news agency Press Trust of India reported.
Last year, Italian satellite Agile was also put into the orbit by PSLV, the spokesman said.
Polaris is a radar-imaging, remote-sensing satellite and weighs about 300 kgs.
China begins to build space centre
By Xinhua,
Wenchang (China) : China Monday began construction of its new space launch centre in Wenchang city, on the northeast coast of the tropical island province of Hainan. It is scheduled to be completed by 2013.
The launch centre would allow China to take part in more international commercial space launches, said Wang Weichang, director of the Hainan Space Center Project Headquarters.
He said the new launch site will be mainly used for launching synchronous satellites, heavy satellites, large space stations, and deep space probe satellites.
IPCC chief goes mum on Himalayan glacier blunder
By IANS,
New Delhi : An embattled R.K. Pachauri, head of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Thursday refused to answer any question on the goof-up by the global scientists' group which made it carry in its 2007 report an unsubstantiated claim that Himalayan glaciers would disappear by 2035.
Pachauri convened a press conference here to unveil a roadmap for India's energy security, prepared by the other organisation he heads, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI).
NASA found no evidence of drunken astronauts on flights
By DPA
Washington : NASA administrators have said they could find no evidence that astronauts had flown drunk, despite accusations that had arisen in an independent report last month.
An internal review by the space agency found no evidence of cases in the past 20 years when astronauts were allowed to launch despite protests from flight surgeons or other officials, NASA administrator Michael Griffin said at a press conference Wednesday.
Science alliance strengthened during Merkel’s India visit
By T. V. Padma, IANS
New Delhi : The deepening and strengthening scientific collaboration between India and Germany, that included the setting up of a joint science and technology centre here, was in some ways overshadowed by the media focus on the nuclear deal during Chancellor Angela Merkel's visit this week.
The two nations have agreed to enhance collaboration and networking across a range of issues, with a focus on reducing the impact of climate change and developing clean energy technologies, according to the science portal www.scidev.net.
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.
Indian Army readies for Prithvi-1 trial
By IANS
Balasore (Orissa) : The Indian Army is all set to test the surface-to-surface medium range Prithvi-1 missile next week, officials said.
In Argentina, a fungus that produces diesel
By IANS,
Washington : Researchers have isolated a fungus that produces a new kind of diesel fuel, describing the find as promising.
The discovery may offer an alternative to fossil fuels, said Gary Strobel, Montana State University (MSU) professor of plant sciences. The find is even bigger, he said, than his 1993 discovery of fungus that contained the anticancer drug taxol.
Vodafone reaches 100 million subscribers in India
By IANS,
New Delhi: Mobile telephony provider Vodafone Essar has crossed the landmark of 100 million subscribers in India, the telecom operator said Thursday.
After Bharti Airtel and Reliance Communications (RCom), Vodafone is the third company in India to reach the milestone of 100 million customers. In terms of revenue, it is India's second largest operator.
Partial lunar eclipse Sunday
By IANS,
New Delhi : Sky gazers throughout India will get an opportunity Sunday to watch a partial lunar eclipse.
"A partial eclipse of the moon will occur in the early hours of Sunday from 1.06 a.m. to 4.15 a.m.," said a statement issued by the ministry of earth science department here.
The lunar eclipse is a partial one and 80 percent of the moon will be eclipsed. But unlike the solar eclipse, it can be seen with naked eyes.
The actual event and its different phases of the lunar eclipse would be seen at the same time all over the world.
Russian ‘internet blacklist’ site faces attack
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Moscow: A Russian website with a special register of "blacklisted" sites came under attack shortly after it went online Thursday, said the federal agency which runs it.