NASA to launch space shuttle Atlantis Dec 6
Washington(Xinhua) : NASA will launch its space shuttle STS-122 Atlantis on Dec 6 to deliver the European-built Columbus laboratory to the International Space Station (ISS), NASA TV reported.
The announcement was made at a press conference late Friday, following a two-day flight readiness review at NASA's Kennedy Space Centre in Florida.
The shuttle mission management team conducts the traditional review two weeks prior to the launch of each space shuttle mission.
Solar eclipse begins at India’s southernmost tip
By IANS,
Kanyakumari (Tamil Nadu) : The longest annular solar eclipse of the millennium began at 11.06 a.m. Friday in this Tamil Nadu city as thousands of people converged here to watch the celestial spectacle.
Annular solar eclipse occurs when the Sun and the Moon are exactly in line, but the apparent size of the Moon's shadow is smaller than the visible disc of the sun, making it appear like a ring of fire. The eclipse is expected to peak to annular eclipse at 1.15 p.m.
IBM inks outsourcing deal with Rajasthan cooperative bank
By IANS,
Bangalore : Global IT major IBM has signed a five-year outsourcing agreement with Madhav Nagrik Sahakari Bank, a leading cooperative bank in Rajasthan, the company said Monday.
As part of the deal, IBM India will host and manage the IT infrastructure of the bank and reduce its capital expenditure. The end-to-end IT-enabling environment will also help the bank focus on its expansion plans, the IT firm said in a statement here.
Beware of hacker attacks via Orkut, Facebook
Bangalore, April 22 (IANS) If you belong to the generation of net savvy Indians, beware of browsing social networking sites for long as your PC or laptop could easily fall prey to cyber attacks from hackers.
As per the 2007 Internet Security Threat Report (ISTR) compiled by anti-virus and security solutions major Symantec, social networking sites have become the latest target of hackers to attack home and enterprise computers.
Understanding Vista’s Windows experience index
By DPA
Washington : In the past, it was difficult to measure exactly how fast one computer ran Windows versus another computer. Now, thanks to Windows Vista's new experience index, the guesswork has been taken out of evaluating performance.
Understand the experience index and you'll be ahead of the game when it comes to judging the performance of a new PC or determining how best to upgrade your existing box.
Found: Second smallest planet outside solar system
By IANS,
Washington : Astronomers have detected an extrasolar planet with a mass just four times that of Earth.
The planet, which orbits its parent star HD156668 about once every four days, is the second-smallest world among the more than 400 exoplanets (planets located outside our solar system) that have been found to date.
It is located approximately 80 light-years from Earth in the direction of the constellation Hercules.
Our moon uncommon, say astronomers
By IANS
New York : Though moons are common enough in the universe, ours is rather uncommon, according to a new study by US astronomers.
The Earth's moon, the subject of much art, myth and poetry, was formed out of a tremendous collision, a rare event seen in less than 10 percent of moon formations, Sciencedaily.com reported.
The study, based on new observations by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, was undertaken by researchers at the University of Florida and appears in the latest edition of the Astrophysical Journal.
Large Hadron Collider gets research programme cracking
By IANS,
London : Beams collided at seven trillion electron volts in the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN, the European Organisation for Nuclear Research, as the research programme got underway Tuesday.
The LHC lies in a tunnel 27 km in circumference, as much as 175 metres beneath the Franco-Swiss border near Geneva, Switzerland.
Particle physicists worldwide are looking forward to a potentially rich harvest of new physics as the LHC begins its first long run at an energy three-and-a-half times higher than previously achieved at a particle accelerator.
Pollution a reason for birth of girl children?
By IANS,
New York : Women exposed to high levels of certain kinds of pollutants are less likely to give birth to male children.
That's the startling finding of a new study that reviewed data on pregnant women in San Francisco who were exposed to high levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) - a group of banned environmental pollutants - in the 1950s and 1960s.
And it's not an isolated finding either, reports ScienceDaily.
Scientists dig up remains of chicken-sized dinosaur
By IANS,
Washington : Remains of an unusual chicken sized dinosaur, the smallest ever that darted on two legs looking for termites on the forest floor, has been dug up near Red Deer, Alberta in Canada.
"These are bizarre animals. They have long and slender legs, stumpy arms with huge claws and tweezer-like jaws. They look like an animal created by Dr. Seuss," said Nick Longrich, paleontology research associate at the department of bio-sciences, Calgary University.
Russia’s Glonass satellite system to be fully operational in 2010
By RIA Novosti,
Moscow : Russia's Glonass satellite system is expected to become fully operational in 2010, if it receives sufficient financing, the head of the Russian Space Agency (Roscosmos) said on Saturday.
Glonass (Global Navigation Satellite System) is the Russian equivalent of the U.S. Global Positioning System (GPS), which is designed for both military and civilian use, and allows users to identify their positions in real time.
Office 2010: Did Microsoft get it right?
By Jay Dougherty, DPA,
Washington : Will Office 2010 rescue Microsoft's ubiquitous productivity suite in the same way that Windows 7 resuscitated the reputation of Windows?
That's the billion-dollar question. And this week, with the official unveiling of Office 2010, answers begin to emerge.
Boasting a host of collaborative features, interface improvements, and seamless integration with the new, free Office 2010 Web Apps, Office 2010 is Microsoft's best attempt to redress the complaints that users had about Office 2007 while not throwing out the 2007 experiment entirely.
Spacewalkers add hands to international space station robot
By SPA
Houston : Spacewalking astronauts added hands to a robot outside the international space station early Friday as experts on the ground devised a plan they hope will fix a problem getting power to the giant machine, AP reported.
The Canadian robot, named Dextre, needs to have power to heat its joints, limbs and electronics. The $200 million machine designed to help maintain the orbiting outpost could be damaged if left cold for days.
Canadian engineers initially suspected the trouble could be with a timer, and they created the software patch to fix it.
‘Even microbes at risk from climate change’
By IANS,
Washington : Not just humans, climate change will also impact the microscopic world of bacteria, fungi and other microbial populations that support life on Earth.
“Microbes perform a number of critical functions for ecosystems ... we are only starting to understand the impact that global climate change is having on them,” said Kathleen Treseder of the University of California.
Treseder studied the effect of rising temperatures and fungi on carbon stores in Alaskan boreal forests, one area of the globe that is experiencing greater warming than others.
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.
Nanotubes spun into threads open new possibilities in communications
By IANS,
Washington : Taking already proven technology to grow carbon nanotubes of record lengths, researchers have now found new applications in communications for these fibres by spinning them into strong threads.
David Mast, an associate professor of physics at the University of Cincinnati's (UC) McMicken College of Arts and Sciences, took a 25-micron carbon nanotube thread and created a dipole antenna using double-sided transparent tape and silver paste. He was immediately successful in transmitting radio signals.
Did you know you can access your computer from anywhere?
By Nabeel A. Khan, IANS,
New Delhi : Did you know that through the Internet you can access your computer from almost anywhere?
Relatively few of us have taken advantage of facilities like Google Document, Zoho Offline Office or Hotmail co-founder Sabeer Bhatia's Live Document.
These provide softwares like Word, Excel or Power Point. You can use them without having MS office installed in your PC.
Brain imaging shows cell phone use affects driving
By IANS
New York : Using a mobile phone while driving could be as dangerous as being under the influence of alcohol, according to a new study.
In fact, the study by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University found that drivers under the influence of alcohol and those speaking on cell phones tend to commit the same errors.
Using brain imaging, the study has documented how mobile phone use alone reduces 37 percent of brain activity engaged in driving. For instance, drivers using a simulator while on the phone were found to zigzag out of their lanes.
ISRO earns Rs.1 bn by launching foreign satellites
By IANS,
New Delhi : The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has earned over Rs.1 billion in the last three years by launching foreign satellites. And much of this has come from Israel and Italy.
"Twelve satellites were launched for other countries during the last three years including six nano-satellites during the current year," Science and Technology Minister Prithviraj Chavan informed the Lok Sabha Wednesday.
Stabilising current CO2 emission levels not enough to save coral reefs
By IANS,
Washington : Even if greenhouse gas emission is stabilised at current levels, it would still be enough to cause acidification of oceans and sound the death knell of coral reefs.
Ocean acidification could devastate coral reefs and other marine ecosystems even if atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) stabilizes at 450 parts per million (PPM), a level well below that of many climate change forecasts.
Toonz celebrates World Animation Day
By IANS,
Thiruvananthapuram : Toonz Animation, the training division of the city-based Toonz Animation India Pvt Ltd, Tuesday celebrated the seventh International Animation Day (IAD) with the children of Trivandrum International School here.
Toonz Animation director (special projects) Prosenjith Ganguly led a two-hour interactive workshop with the children, aimed at familiarising them with the world of animation.
"Animation is more of fun and therefore when you teach animation, you need to bank on the fun element," Ganguly said.
Technologies that don’t disappoint
By Jay Dougherty, DPA
Washington : Some technology products can really improve your life, allowing you to work more productively or accomplish tasks that you couldn't before. Others just promise to fall into that category but ultimately lead you to question why you bothered.
The challenge for buyers, of course, is discerning the must-haves from the rest. While all new technologies these days vie for your attention, there are a few out there now that truly deserves it. Here's a rundown.
Robot kills worker in Germany
London: In a bizarre incident, a robot crushed a worker to death at a Volkswagen car plant in Germany, the media reported on Thursday.
The...
Space industry part of efforts to achieve vision 2020 – Malaysian PM
By NNN-Bernama
Ipoh (Malaysia) : The country's involvement in space industry is part of broader efforts to attain the Vision 2020 objective of turning Malaysia into a developed country, said Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.
He said to bring about progress, the government had to implement various initiatives, one of which was Malaysia's foray into space science.
Russia to use Baikonur space centre until 2050: Roscosmos
By RIA Novosti
Moscow : Russia will use the Baikonur space centre in Kazakhstan until 2050, the head of the Russian space agency said.
"The Russian president has set the task to use the Baikonur space centre in full until 2050. We have approved the proposal," Anatoly Perminov, head of the federal space agency Roscosmos told journalists on Cosmonautics Day Saturday.
Baikonur, built in Kazakhstan in the 1950s, was first leased by Russia from Kazakhstan under an agreement signed in 1994 after the break up of the Soviet Union.
World’s most powerful microscope turns Canada into nanotech hub
By Gurmukh Singh, IANS,
Toronto : Canada's famous McMaster University at Hamilton near here is set to become the world leader in nanotechnology with the installation of the world's most advanced and powerful electron microscope.
The Titan 80-300 Cubed, installed last summer, has turned the world famous university into a global nanotechnology research.
Built by the world nanotech leader FEI Company in the Netherlands at a cost of $15 million, the Titan can examine at the nano level hundreds of everyday products in order to understand, manipulate and improve their efficiency.
Insat-4CR launch delayed by two hours
By IANS
Sriharikota : The launch of India's latest communication satellite Insat-4CR has been rescheduled by two hours to 6.10 p.m. after three delays caused by a technical hitch 15 seconds before the scheduled blast-off.
The satellite was to be launched at 4.21 p.m. by the geo-synchronous satellite launch vehicle GSLV-F04 and was initially put off by 50 minutes.
It was then pushed back to 5.40 p.m. and again.10 p.m. as scientists worked furiously to get over the technical glitch that had arisen, an official here said, without specifying what the problem was.
India has just two unique IP addresses per 1,000 people
By IANS,
New Delhi : India has only two unique Internet Protocol (IP) addresses per 1,000 people. But a just-released study says the country's net penetration could "significantly increase in the coming years", with its economic boom and growing IT adoption.
Every machine that is permanently connected to the Internet has a unique identifying number, called an IP address. A typical IP address looks like this: 59.95.29.46.
Master your Windows 7 desktop
By Jay Dougherty, DPA,
Washington : Who's in control of your Windows 7 desktop - you or the operating system?
With applications and icons scattered all over the place, constant pop-up notifications, and programmes hidden deep within the Start menu, you might feel like Microsoft has done its best to hinder your productivity rather than enhance it.
But with a little know-how and a few free tools, you can take charge of your desktop like never before.
AK-47’s inventor Kalashnikov hospitalised
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Moscow: Mikhail Kalashnikov, the inventor of AK-47 assault rifle, has been hospitalised, his assistant Nikolai Shklyaev said Tuesday.
After 3.5 millon years, Pacific creatures set to invade Atlantic
By IANS,
Toronto : With global warming hastening the shrinkage of the Arctic Ocean ice cover, scientists have warned that the North Pole may face ice-free summers as early as 2013.
Further, a US study by two researchers of Indian origin - Geerat Vermeij of University of California at Davis and Peter Roopnarine of the California Academy of Sciences - has predicted that once the Arctic Ocean becomes navigable after 3.5 million years of ice cover, sea creatures from the Pacific Ocean could invade it and subsequently the Atlantic Ocean.
Google Helps US Intelligence Expand
By Prensa Latina
Washington : US intelligence bought Google data base to enhance espionage on the Internet through restricted Intellipedia network for the 16 intelligence agencies.
San Francisco Chronicle says several branches within the community, among them the National Security Agency, the CIA and FBI, are now able to process information collected from Google.
The contracts are part of the accords the company sales team promoted with the Feds that already signed similar pact with the Coast Guard, National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration.
China leads in outer space pollution: Russian space agency
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Moscow : China has topped the list of the world's major polluters of the near-Earth space environment, followed by the US and Russia, the Russian Federal Space Agency Roscosmos said Friday.
All together, the three main space powers produce 93 percent of space debris, according to a statement published on the agency's website.
Airbus announced further delays of A380 program
By Xinhua,
Paris : European aircraft manufacturer Airbus on Tuesday announced further delays in the delivery of its A380 super-jumbo jet, saying that the projected production timetable was "not entirely feasible," according to reliable sources.
"Airbus has completed a review of the A380 program and would now like to inform its customers of changes in the timing of the deliveries," Airbus, a subsidiary of the European aerospace group EADS, said in a statement.
Century’s longest eclipse sweeps into clouds in Himachal
By IANS,
Shimla : Partly cloudy sky Wednesday morning in most parts of Himachal Pradesh marred the early moments of one of nature's greatest spectaculars - the century's longest total solar eclipse, weather officials here said.
"Clouds in most parts of the hill state remained an intermittent problem, with most areas reporting partly overcast conditions," meteorological office Director Manmohan Singh said.
On the historic Ridge in Shimla, a large number of people, especially schoolchildren, have gathered to witness the eclipse through clouds.
NASA gives “go” for space shuttle launch on May 31
By Xinhua,
Washington : U.S. space shuttle Discovery's STS-124 mission to the International Space Station is officially scheduled for launch on May 31, NASA announced Monday after the final Flight Readiness Review.
"Preparations are going really well," Shuttle Launch Director Mike Leinbach said, pointing out that Discovery's remarkably smooth processing flow will allow shuttle work crews to take off the Memorial Day holiday.
Microsoft’s Kinect sets record as fastest-selling tech gadget
By DPA,
San Francisco : Microsoft's Kinect has been named the fastest-selling tech gadget of all time after racking up sales of 10 million units since its launch in November.
India to send two astronauts into space in 2016
By IANS,
Bangalore : India will launch its first manned mission in 2016 with two astronauts for a week-long odyssey in space, a top Indian space agency official said Wednesday.
"We are planning a human space flight in 2016, with two astronauts who will spend seven days in the earth's lower orbit," Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman K. Radhakrishnan told reporters here.
Nine of 10 e-mails are spam
By DPA,
Mainz (Germany) : Most daily e-mails are not sent between friends or even business partners. Instead, 92 percent of e-mails sent between January and March 2008 were spam.
This was revealed by Sophos, a Mainz-based information technology security firm that regularly monitors internet mail.
The United States remains the world champion when it comes to spam as more than 15 percent originated there, the firm said.
Sophos, however, did not track the number of spams actually reaching the mailboxes of internet users.
How to avoid computer-induced arm pain
By Aliki Nassoufis, DPA,
Cologne (Germany) : Repetitive strain is a creeping threat for any 21st century computer user. Steady mouse clicking may seem innocent, but many computer users find that pain starts in their arm and eventually spreads to their wrist and shoulder.
In the days of the good old typewriter, people suffered from so-called writer's cramp. Although the phrase has since been shelved, the problem still applies to anyone who spends hours at a desk.
Robots to race for the cookie jar in Pune contest
By IANS
Pune : The traditional Indian version of the cookie jar race is baby Krishna atop a human pyramid, reaching out to a pot of butter. It is enacted every year. This year, robots are going to do it, and they will be in a race.
The national robotic contest "Mission Govinda" to be held in Pune this weekend (March 8-9) will see 38 teams from all over the country including the IITs and regional and private engineering colleges compete in this one-of-a-kind contest at the Maharashtra Institute of Technology. Govinda is another name for Krishna.
Korean Astronaut To Dock At Space Station Thursday
By Bernama
Seoul : A Russian spacecraft carrying South Korea's first astronaut will dock Thursday at the International Space Station (ISS) as scheduled after a three-day voyage in space, Russia's Itar-Tass news agency quoted officials as saying Wednesday.
Yi So-yeon, a 29-year-old female biosystems engineer who blasted off from the Baikonur launch pad in Kazakhstan on Tuesday with two cosmonauts, "spent her first night in space safely," the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology said in a statement.
Failure of imported components behind loss of satellites?
By V. Jagannathan, IANS,
Chennai : The recurring loss of Indian satellites because of power supply glitches may be due to the failure of imported components, according to Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) scientists.
ISRO has lost two of its satellites earlier -- Chandrayaan in 2009 and INSAT-2D in 1997 -- and INSAT-4B partially now.
Scientists of the Indian space agency are working to fix the power snag that switched off 12 transponders of the INSAT-4B communications satellite Wednesday night.
The most influential tech products in 2007
By DPA
Washington : The year 2007 was good for technology fans. Whether you were largely desktop bound or constantly on the go, this year's technology products went some way towards making your life easier, more fun or more productive.
But a few stood out - not necessarily because they broke new ground but because it was clear that their influence would be felt well into the future. Whether you own one of these products or not, it's likely that their presence will have an impact on how you work or play in the year to come.
Windows Vista
World’s biggest airship on way to US by ship
By DPA,
Friedrichshafen (Germany) : The world's biggest airship, the 75-metre-long Zeppelin NT, is on its way to the US by ship.
The airship is making the journey across the Atlantic to Beaumont in Texas, its manufacturer said Saturday.
Because of the rigid construction of the craft, it is being transported in its full length. Only the two engines mounted on the side and the tail unit were dismantled for the journey.
The ultimate goal of Zeppelin NT is San Francisco, from where passengers will be able to board the airship for pleasure flights.
World’s largest experiment to test particle physics theory underway
By IANS,
Washington : A machine that took 20 years to build could either shake the foundations of particle physics or entrench it more firmly, besides addressing some of the most fundamental questions facing science now.
CERN's Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is a historic multi-billion dollar project involving over 8,000 scientists from 85 countries. CERN is the European Organisation for Nuclear Research, located in Geneva, Switzerland.
NASA orbiter ready for Mars lander’s arrival in 2016
Washington : With its biggest orbit manoeuvre since 2006, NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) is preparing for the arrival of NASA's next Mars lander...
70-mn-year-old footprints shed new light on dinosaurs
By IANS,
Sydney : Scientists have stumbled on the first ever dinosaur footprints in New Zealand, going back some 70 million years.
Geologist Greg Browne of GNS Science said the footprints shed considerable light on how fast dinos moved, how big they were as well as how soft the sediment was when they moved through the area.
Browne made the discovery while investigating the properties of the rock and sediment formations in the northwest Nelson region of the country.
France to introduce `Google tax’ Jan 1
By DPA,
Paris : France will introduce its so-called "Google tax" on online advertisements Jan 1, parliament decided Tuesday.
“Death Star” galaxy blasts smaller neighbor
By Xinhua
Beijing : A "Death Star" galaxy is blasting a smaller neighbor with a powerful jet of particles and magnetic radiation, NASA astronomers said on Monday.
They said the two galaxies appear to be merging and the disturbance in the magnetic field caused by this movement may have awakened a dormant, supermassive black hole in one of the galaxies.
Twitter may allow app advertisers use video
New York: App ads on Twitter may soon have the option to be video-based, the microblogging site has announced.
In a blog post celebrating one...
Astronauts replace failed electric motor of space station
By Xinhua
Beijing : Two U.S. astronauts replaced a failed electric motor and gave the international space station a much-needed power boost, which added to the power margin at the orbiting outpost and cleared the way for deliveries of two science labs, media reports said Thursday.
Beijing : Two U.S. astronauts replaced a failed electric motor and gave the international space station a much-needed power boost, which added to the power margin at the orbiting outpost and cleared the way for deliveries of two science labs, media reports said Thursday.
Current carbon dioxide levels also prevailed 15 mn years ago
By IANS,
Washington : You would have to go back at least 15 million years to find carbon dioxide levels as high as they are today, say scientists.
Then "global temperatures were five to 10 degrees Fahrenheit higher than they are today, sea level was approximately 75 to 120 feet higher than today, there was no permanent sea ice cap in the Arctic and very little ice on Antarctica and Greenland," said Aradhna Tripathi, who led the study.
Astronomers discover new planet in constellation Leo
By Xinhua
London : British and Spanish scientists have discovered a possible terrestrial-type planet orbiting a star in the constellation of Leo, science news weibsite Alpha Galileo reported on Wednesday.
A team of astronomers from the Spanish Research Council (CSIC) working with Jean-Philippe Beaulieu, a visiting astrophysicist at University College London (UCL), made the discovery from model predictions of a new exoplanet (extrasolar planet) orbiting a star in the constellation of Leo.
Rural areas fuel telecom growth in India
By Pupul Dutta, IANS,
New Delhi : When most sectors are bearing the brunt of global economic slowdown, India's telecom industry is continuing with its high growth saga, thanks to the expanding subscriber base in the rural areas.
India last month saw the highest number of subscriber addition, 15.87 million, about three times the population of countries like Finland, Denmark and Singapore.
Copenhagen aims to be first carbon neutral capital
By IANS,
Copenhagen : The capital of Denmark has set itself the ambitious target of becoming the world's first carbon-neutral capital by 2025 by bringing its net carbon dioxide emissions down to zero.
The target was announced by the seven mayors of Copenhagen here Tuesday, while they launched the city's new climate plan. The plan has 50 specific initiatives to achieve the city's target of a 20 percent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by 2015.
Indian social activists leverage free software
New Delhi, May 16 (IANS) Indian voluntary groups are being offered solutions in free software - with training and support thrown in - to give them options to using illegally copied software for their work and campaigns.
A series of workshops are being held across India over the next two years, and each participant organisation will enjoy free software support until 2009.
The first workshop was held in Lonavala, Maharashtra, and drew participants working on a diverse range of issues from HIV/AIDS to water resource management.
BMW developing cars that ‘sense’ danger to pedestrians
By DPA,
Munich : BMW is refining a car-to-car communication system that offers more pedestrian protection by "sensing" situations and persons that cannot normally be seen by motorists, according to the car maker.
In a typical situation a child could suddenly jump onto the road from between two parked vehicles. In such a case the moving vehicle would communicate with an electronic transponder carried by the child or cyclist for protection.
Invasive weeds threatening India’s biodiversity
By IANS,
Bhubaneswar : Toxic weeds, which came along with wheat that India imported over the last few years, now pose a serious threat to its crops, people and livestock, says a scientist associated with the National Invasive Weeds Surveillance Programme.
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.
India set to laun ch five British satellites
Chennai: The Indian space agency on Wednesday morning began the countdown for the July 10 rocket launch that would carry five British satellites.
According...
Here comes the world’s most accurate quantum clock
By IANS
New York : An atomic clock, based on a single aluminium atom and applying computer logic to the peculiarities of the quantum world, now rivals the world's most accurate clock, relying on a mercury atom.
Both clocks are at least 10 times more accurate than the current US time standard, according to a new study, Sciencedaily reported.
The measurements were made in a yearlong comparison of the two next-generation clocks, both designed and built at the US Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
The perfect kid: part computer, part robot
By IANS
New York : Here's one kid who lives up to the dictum that children must be seen and not heard. Meet Wizkid. Part computer, part robot, this Swiss machine is as endearing as any child, but unlike most kids, it doesn't walk or talk, and it pays perfect attention.
More important, it will also hopefully change the way people interact with machines.
Wizkid will be on display at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) here and will be part of its Design and the Elastic Mind exhibit, which opens Feb 24.
Future robots will perform surgery in remote locations
By IANS,
Washington : Robots may possibly play more complex roles in future such as performing surgeries in remote or dangerous locations like the battlefield or in space.
Duke University engineers have taken the first concrete step towards realising this space age future, based on feasibility studies conducted in their lab.
On a more immediate level, the technology that they have developed could make existing medical procedures safer and better for patients.
Footpaths to generate electricity from pedestrians’ footsteps
By IANS,
London : A new technology under development by a British company would allow harnessing of the power of footsteps of pedestrians to generate electricity for lighting up public places.
The technology, developed by London-based The Facility, uses a flooring system that incorporates a matrix of hydraulic compression pads. The pressure of the footsteps on these pads pushes fluid through a micro-turbine and generates electricity.
Trying to lose hair? Measure the loss with new software
By IANS,
Sydney : Researchers have developed maths-based imaging technology to measure hair on different parts of the human body.
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation's (CSIRO) Biotech Imaging team, which specialises in developing software to analyse images automatically, worked with a British company to find a way to test how well their hair removal products work.
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.
ISS orbit adjusted
By IANS,
Moscow : The orbit of the International Space Station (ISS) has been elevated for the upcoming docking of a Russian manned spaceship.
Manmohan advocates nuclear technology for world growth
By Arun Kumar, IANS,
Washington: Advocating greater use of nuclear technology to meet today's developmental challenges, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Tuesday announced India's ambitious plans to increase India's installed capacity for nuclear energy more than seven fold by 2022.
"Our target is to increase our installed capacity more than seven fold to 35,000 MWe by the year 2022, and to 60,000 MWe by 2032," he told world leaders from 47 nations gathered here for the global Nuclear Security Summit hosted by President Barack Obama.
Himachal roadways starts 3D online booking
By IANS
Shimla : The Himachal Roadways Transport Corporation (HRTC) has become the first state roadways in the country to provide three dimensional (3D) secure online booking and cancellation facilities, transport officials said Saturday.
Midas touch: scientists discover gold nanoparticles
By IANS,
Sydney : Scientists have for the first time discovered gold nanoparticles, setting to rest speculation about whether they existed at all.
Scientists of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) said they discovered these particles in western Australia.
“In the southern areas of the state, groundwater is very salty and acidic. This water dissolves primary gold and re-deposits it as pure gold crystals on fracture surfaces and in open pore spaces,” said Rob Hough, who led the search for the nanoparticles.
Reliance launches 3G services in Punjab
By IANS,
Chandigarh: Leading telecom service provider Reliance Communications (RCOM) Thursday launched its 3G services in Punjab.
India-US pact for low-cost medical technologies
By IANS
New Delhi : India and the US Thursday signed an agreement to develop low-cost medical technologies and share expertise on biomedical research.
The agreement was signed here between the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, a body of the National Institute of Health (NIH), the US, and the Department of Biotechnology under India's ministry of science and technology.
According to the ministry, the objective of the collaboration is "development of low-cost diagnostics and therapeutic medical technologies".
Ignore superstitions, watch solar eclipse with proper gear
By IANS,
New Delhi : As the world looks forward to the millennium's longest annular solar eclipse Friday, there are superstitions galore in India. But science experts have urged people to shed "false beliefs" and watch the celestial spectacle the right way.
"People have various false beliefs regarding solar eclipse. Some think that during eclipse 'bad rays' come to earth and they lock themselves up in their homes to avoid it. This is really rubbish and people should shed such superstitions," Nehru Planetarium director N. Rathnashree told IANS.
Iran presents first space research satellite
By IANS
Tehran : Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad Monday inaugurated the country's first space research satellite being designed and developed by its scientists, official IRNA news agency reported.
The Omid (Hope) satellite would be launched into orbit in near future, the president said and felicitated the scientists and the engineers for their efforts.
Ahmadinejad said the space research unit would take Iran into the select comity of nations having space expertise and would accelerate the country's progress.
Endeavour docks with ISS
By RIA Novosti
Washington : The U.S. space shuttle Endeavour has docked with the International Space Station, NASA's mission control center in Houston said.
The shuttle has delivered the first part of the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency's (JAXA) huge Kibo space laboratory, as well as Dextre, a Canadian-built robotic system.
During their 16-day voyage, crew members will carry out a total of five spacewalks. The first spacewalk will be made by U.S. astronauts Rick Linneham and Garrett Reisman.
Report: iPhone system hacked, made usable in Israel
By Xinhua
Jerusalem : Three Israeli computer engineers have managed to hack Apple's iPhone system, and made it available for use through Israeli carriers, local daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported on its website on Sunday.
According to the report, the three were also able to lend the iPhone a Hebrew interface, thus breaking Apple's restriction on using the phone only through the AT&T company in the United States.
Jerusalem : Three Israeli computer engineers have managed to hack Apple's iPhone system, and made it available for use through Israeli carriers, local daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported on its website on Sunday.
According to the report, the three were also able to lend the iPhone a Hebrew interface, thus breaking Apple's restriction on using the phone only through the AT&T company in the United States.
Filling fuel for cryogenic engine to start
By IANS,
Sriharikota (Andhra Pradesh) : Scientists were Thursday getting ready to launch an Indian-designed and built cryogenic engine to inject an advanced communication satellite into space. The filling of liquid fuel that will power the third stage of the 50-metre tall, 416-tonne Indian rocket to inject the satellite in geo-synchronous orbit is expected to start around 11.30 a.m.
US spacecraft finds Mars colder than expected
By Xinhua,
Washington : The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has announced that the crust and upper mantle of Mars are stiffer and colder than previously thought.
The new observations from its Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter suggest any liquid water that might exist below the planet's surface and any possible organisms living in that water would be located deeper than scientists had suspected.
"This implies that the planet's interior is more rigid, and thus colder, than we thought before."
Tiny bubbles help bugs survive underwater
By IANS,
Washington : Hundreds of insects remain underwater. But how do they manage to breathe? A University of Alberta has found they create tiny air bubbles around them.
The rough, waxy surfaces of insects and spiders are water-repellent. In some species, water-repellence is so pronounced that creatures may survive underwater for indefinite periods.
Household robots? Sooner than you think
By Saurabh Yadav, IANS,
New Delhi : As tech companies around the world - and in India - develop smarter robots, it is only a matter of time before the big three of housework - vacuuming/cleaning, dishwashing and cooking - are done successfully by robots, thus liberating urban households from dependence on the almighty housemaid.
Japanese auto giant Toyota has announced that it intends to start selling next-generation household robots by 2010 and the South Korean government has said that it aims at having a robot in each home by 2013.
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.
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.
Retaining talent major challenge for Indian scientific organisations
By Venkatachari Jagannathan, IANS,
Chennai : Retaining an experienced nuclear scientist has become a major challenge now for the Indian nuclear establishment, with the private sector casting its net wide for talent, says a top scientist.
"Last year we lost around five percent of our scientists and engineers. Ten of them were groomed by me over two decades," Baldev Raj, director of the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR), told IANS in an interview.
According to him, managing a scientific research organisation is tougher than running a company.
Volcanic eruption in 1600 caused global disruption
By IANS,
Washington : The eruption of Huaynaputina in Peru in 1600 AD led to global disruption, triggering famines and cold winters in many places, according to a new study of records by geologists.
The eruption is known to have put a large quantity of sulphur into the atmosphere, and tree ring studies show that 1601 was a cold year, but no one had looked at the agricultural and social impact, said Ken Verosub of University of California, Davis.
"We knew it was a big eruption, we knew it was a cold year, and that's all we knew," Verosub said.
Microsoft-Yahoo search deal imminent: Report
By DPA,
San Francisco : Microsoft and Yahoo will announce a search and advertising partnership Wednesday, capping months of negotiations aimed at challenging the Internet dominance of Google, The Wall Street Journal reported late Tuesday.
The paper's blog AllThingsD said that under the terms of the deal, Yahoo will use Microsoft's new search engine on its sites, while Yahoo would handle some advertising sales for Microsoft. The two companies will share search-related advertising revenue, the report said.
Neither companies would comment on the reports.
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.
Real-time traffic updates available in 12 more Indian cities: Google
New Delhi: Starting Tuesday, people can see traffic information for 12 new cities, including Kolkata, Thiruvananthapuram and Bhopal, on Google Maps, a company statement...
NASA says Atlantis launch doubtful amid rough weather
By RIA Novosti
Washington : The launch of the Atlantis shuttle from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, scheduled for Thursday afternoon, could be delayed by the turbulent weather continuing to sweep the U.S. south, NASA said.
Meteorologists have given a mere 30% chance of acceptable weather conditions for the launch, set for 2:45 p.m. (7:45 p.m. GMT). Nearby Arkansas, Kentucky and Alabama have been hit by major tornadoes in the last few days that have killed at least 52 people.
Maveric Systems develops automated software test tool
By IANS
Chennai : Targeting a higher share in the $8 billion Indian offshore testing opportunity, Chennai-based independent software testing company Maveric Systems Limited has come out with an automated software testing tool.
Developed at an investment of around $1 million, the proprietary software tool called Testac promises to reduce software testing time by 30 percent, CEO Ranga Reddy told reporters.
According to him, Maveric Systems is the only Indian software testing company to have such a proprietary tool.
Pakistani Scientist invents world’s lowest profile antenna
By SPA
Islamabad : A Pakistani scientist working at the Institute of Space Technology has invented the world's lowest profile omni-directional antenna with dual polarization that does not require a ground plane.
Dr. Muhammad Amin listed in biographical directory published by Marquis "Who's Who in the World" of the year 2008 has invented the antenna that has adequate signal strength.
The antenna can generate equal vertical and horizontal electric field components and has a helical shape with feed at the centre of the helical section of one side.
Obama grants $8 billion to build nuclear reactors
By DPA,
Washington: US President Barack Obama Tuesday announced $8 billion worth of loan guarantees to build the country's first new nuclear reactors in three decades.
The loan will go towards two new nuclear reactors to be built at an existing power plant in Burke, Georgia, and is part of an effort by the Obama administration to ramp up nuclear power generation as a clean alternative to more polluting fossil fuels.
Scientists fear another round of mass extinction
By IANS,
London : One in five of the world's mammals, birds and fish are now endangered, indicating a possible sixth round of mass extinction in the Earth's history, scientists say.
Spacecraft images show rings of Saturn’s 2nd largest moon
By Xinhua
Los Angeles : Saturn's second largest moon, Rhea, may have rings, according to images from a spacecraft managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Los Angeles.
The finding was described in a study published in the March 7 issue of the journal Science.
Scientists at NASA believe the rings may be the remnants of an asteroid or comet collision, which circulated large quantities of gas and solid particles around Rhea.
Google opens store for Chrome users
By DPA,
Mountain View (US) : Google has started up a portal for downloading extensions and web applications to its Chrome internet browser.
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.
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.
How do people respond to e-mails?
By IANS,
Washington : Over the last decade the e-mail has grown from a novelty into a necessity. But how do people respond to e-mails? Do they respond to the most important first, making sure the process is efficient?
Or do they send e-mails randomly, when they are at their computers or when they have time, without any regard to efficiency?
These are questions that Luís Amaral, associate professor of chemical and biological engineering in the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science at Northwestern University, and his associates set out to answer.
Tech-savvy British students forgetting how to write
By Venkata Vemuri, IANS,
London : Writing in long-hand is becoming a vanishing art among British students, thanks to mobile texting and computer literacy.
So acute is the problem that thousands of them are asking for 'scribes' to write their examination papers for them.
Education groups are now asking for introduction of hand-writing classes to see that students do not altogether forget how to write, more so during examination time.
India set to join exclusive cryogenic club
By Venkatachari Jagannathan, IANS,
Chennai : After its maiden moon mission, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is hoping to cross another milestone in December - take India into the exclusive club of countries that have developed their own cryogenic engines to power satellites in space.
ISRO is hoping to end 2009 in style with the take-off of its fully indigenous geosynchronous satellite launch vehicle (GSLV) carrying an experimental satellite GSAT 4 in mid-December.
China for ‘constructive role’ in Iranian nuclear talks
By Xinhua,
Sanya (China) : China has expressed its willingness to play a "constructive role" in the negotiations on the Iranian nuclear crisis.
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said his country respects Iran's nuclear programme meant for peaceful purposes and is willing to play a mediator's role in the talks to resolve the standoff.
Egypt starts manufacturing new satellite
By NNN-KUNA,
Cairo : Egypt has started to manufacture a new satellite in cooperation with France to meet the growing demand for its satellite in the Arab region, especially after NileSat has used up all existing capacities of the existing Nilesat 101 and NilSat 102.
The Egyptian Satellite Company (Nilesat) said in a statement Thursday that it will launch its new satellite NileSat 201 in the first quarter of 2010, the first second-generation NileSat satellite based on a contract with a French company.
US scientist wins Finnish award for drug delivery systems
By DPA,
Helsinki : Bioscientist Robert Langer of the US Wednesday won the Finnish Millennium Technology Prize for his contributions to developing drug delivery systems.
In all six researchers in four categories were nominated for the prize worth a total of 1 million euros ($1.5 million).
Langer collected 800,000 euros ($1.2 million), becoming the third winner of the prize that was created in 2004, and is awarded every two years. The first winner was Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the worldwide web.
Bangalore declared as ‘nano city’ of India
By IANS,
Bangalore : Vice President Hamid Ansari Saturday declared Bangalore the "nano city of India" after the Karnataka government announced it would take measures to encourage research and development in nanoscience and facilitate development of the nanotechnology industry in the state.
Making the declaration at the second 'Bangalore Nano 2008' conference-cum-exposition here, Ansari said nanotechnology, which was changing the face of industry and economy, would be a transformative force in India in the coming years.
Sea-level to rise by one-metre this century: scientists
By DPA,
Berlin : Global warming calculations have been too optimistic, and the sea level round the globe is likely to rise a full metre this century, two senior German scientists warned Wednesday.
Hans Joachim Schellnhuber, who heads the Potsdam Institute for Research on Global Warming Effects and Jochem Marotzke, a leading meteorologist, said UN-backed data on climate change, predicting a rise of 18 to 59 centimetres, was out of date.
"We now have to expect that the sea level will rise by a metre this century," said Schellnhuber in Berlin.
Atlantis roars into space after two-month delay
By DPA
Washington : The US space shuttle Atlantis has lifted off for the International Space Station (ISS) to deliver a long-awaited European-built laboratory.
After days of iffy weather, Atlantis roared off the launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida at 2.45 p.m. (19.45 GMT) Thursday under clear blue skies and climbed steeply to orbit powered by seven million pounds of thrust.
Within minutes, Atlantis shed its booster rockets and external fuel tank as it departed the Earth's atmosphere, set to rendezvous with the space station Saturday.
Global warming brings tropical birds to Hong Kong
By DPA,
Hong Kong : The sighting of two rarely seen tropical birds in Hong Kong could be due to climate change, bird experts here have said.
The birds - a great frigate and the white-tailed tropic-bird - were both spotted around Po Toi, Hong Kong's southern most island, over the last month.
It was the first time the white-tailed tropic has ever been spotted in Hong Kong and only the fourth sighting of the frigate.
Both birds are usually seen in more tropical climates such as the Pacific and Indian Oceans.
SMS not bad grammar but linguistic renaissance: study
By IANS,
Toronto : Parents need not worry - a new study contends that SMSes and online chats actually help teens hone their linguistic abilities, rather than degrade them.
Parental worry has stemmed from the lack of grammar and the extensive use of often unintelligible abbreviations like LOL, OMG and TTYL in SMSes - also known as instant messaging (IM).
But the study has concluded that IM represents "an expansive new linguistic renaissance" being evolved by GenNext kids.
Trees, fungi set unique example in cooperation
By IANS
London : Over millennia, trees and fungi have developed a delicate interdependence that allows both to flourish in adverse conditions, according to a new study.
The study, by researchers at Ghent University, Belgium, also suggests that understanding this interdependence could help us monitor climate change, a university press release said.
Trees grow better and faster when certain specialised micro-organisms interact with their roots. One of them is Laccaria bicolour, a soil fungus that draws on the sugars in the roots.
Intel apologises over ‘racist’ ad
By IANS
New York : Intel, the world's largest semiconductor company, was forced to apologise after a print ad circulated by the company around blog-land invited wrath from around the world over its racist connotation.
The ad shows six black sprinters crouched in the start position in front of a white man wearing a shirt and chinos (khaki pants) in an office.
In a statement on its website Friday, Intel said: "We made a bad mistake. I know why and how, but that simply doesn't make it better."
Yahoo to spend $100 mn to promote its brand
By Xinhua,
San Francisco : Yahoo Inc. said Tuesday it will spend $100 million to promote its brand globally.
"Our vision is to be at the centre of people's online lives - to be at the place where their world meets the larger world," Yahoo said in a statement quoting the company's chief marketing officer Elisa Steele.
"This is much more than an advertising campaign," Steele added. "It's about how Yahoo delivers its promise to the market in everything we do. Our brand strategy shows our commitment to delivering personally relevant online experiences."
U.S. Mars rovers still on the job after five years
By Xinhua,
Washington : Five years ago, NASA's rover Spirit landed safely on Mars, followed by its twin, Opportunity, three weeks later. Though it was hoped the rovers would work for three months, the duo may still have big achievements ahead as they reach the fifth anniversary of their memorable landings.
Of the hundreds of engineers and scientists who cheered at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California, on Jan. 3, 2004, none predicted the team would still be operating both rovers in 2009.
Two more satellite launches this year: ISRO chief
Sriharikota (Andhra Pradesh) : Two more navigational satellites will be launched this year, said ISRO chairman K.Radhakrishnan Friday after an Indian rocket successfully placed...
Scientists find smallest planet
By Xinhua
Beijing : The smallest planet discovered outside our solar system has been found by Spanish scientists.
"I think we are very close, just a few years away, from detecting a planet like Earth," team leader Ignasi Ribas told a news conference Wednesday.
Russian space freighter to be ‘buried’ in Pacific
By RIA Novosti,
Moscow : Russia's last space freighter with an analogue control system will reenter the Earth's atmosphere Sunday before plunging into a "spaceship cemetery" in the southern Pacific, the Russian Mission Control said.
The Progress M-67 cargo spaceship, which arrived at the International Space Station July 29, bringing 2.5 tonnes of supplies, including fuel, water and various equipment, successfully undocked from the world's sole orbiter Sep 21.
TV signals caused Russian rocket to miss ISS: NASA
By DPA,
Moscow/Washington : Television signals caused a Russian cargo rocket to miss its rendezvous with the International Space Station (ISS), NASA officials said Saturday.
The engineers indicated they would avoid activating the system during Sunday's second attempt to dock, NASA officials said.
The Progress 38 cargo rocket missed its rendezvous with the ISS by three km late Friday. A new effort to dock is to be made at 1600 GMT Sunday and be broadcast life on NASA television.
Spacewalking astronauts repair Hubble gyroscopes
By DPA,
Washington : US astronauts Friday completed a delicate spacewalk to replace three pairs of gyroscopes aboard the Hubble Space Telescope.
In the second of five planned spacewalks during the mission, astronauts Mike Massimino and Michael Good removed and replaced the gyroscopes that keep the telescope aligned and pointed toward celestial bodies being examined by astronomers.
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.
Micro gyroscopes to improve navigation in future
By IANS,
Washington : A new array of cheap, high-performance tiny gyroscopes would help airplanes, submarines and automobiles navigate better in the near future.
They are being developed by a team of Panos Datskos, Slo Rajic and Nickolay Lavrik of Oak Ridge National Laboratory. They are radically different from existing ones, which are both big and costly.
These consists of multiple, highly sensitive and accurate silicon chip-scale gyroscopes.
India must market for global satellite contracts
By R. Ramaseshan, IANS,
The success of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Monday in putting into orbit 10 satellites with a single launch is certainly a commendable achievement marking as it does the second largest number of satellites launched at one go. Now it needs to push aggressively for more contracts in this niche market.
Besides ISRO's own two primary satellites, Cartosat-2A (690 kg) and IMS-1 (83 kg), Monday's payload included seven nanosatellites (1-10 kg class) and one microsatellite (10-100 kg class) from foreign customers, which together weighed about 50 kg.
BITS to offer technology course for Maytas employees
By IANS
Hyderabad : Maytas Infra Ltd, a Hyderabad-based construction and infrastructure development company Friday entered into a strategic partnership with BITS-Pilani, a global leader in technology education to offer off-campus work-integrated learning programmes to Maytas employees.
The initiative is named as M-BITS. P.K. Madhav, CEO, Maytas Infra and L.K. Maheshwari, vice chancellor, BITS Pilani signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to this effect here Friday.
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.
Corals recover – over half a century after nuclear blasts
By IANS,
Sydney : It took over half a century for life to re-assert itself - but not entirely. Corals have sprouted again on Bikini Atoll, a good 50 years after it was ravaged by dozens of nuclear bombs detonated by the US over an eight-year period.
But compared to the early 1950s, some 42 species of corals are missing, a new study has found.
The gaping Bravo crater, some two km wide and 73 metres deep, was gashed by the impact of nuclear weapon 'Bravo' - said to be a thousand times more powerful than the Hiroshima bomb.
Shuttle undocks from ISS, heads home
By RIA Novosti
Washington : The U.S. shuttle Endeavour has undocked from the International Space Station (ISS) ending its 12-day mission, which saw a record breaking five space walks, a NASA spokesperson said.
Endeavour, which delivered the first part of the Kibo Japanese laboratory and the Dextre Canadian-made robot, is due to land at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday.
The second and main part of the Japanese laboratory is due to be delivered by space shuttle Discovery in late May.
Now a computer programme to keep drug abusers off
By IANS,
Washington : A computer-assisted programme, along with traditional counselling, has helped drug abusers stay straight longer than those who received counselling alone, according to a new study.
As part of the study, 77 people who sought treatment for drug and alcohol abuse were randomly assigned to receive traditional counselling or to get computer-assisted training based on the principles of cognitive behavioural therapy as well as sessions with a therapist.
Israel successfully launches communications satellite
By SPA,
Tel Aviv : Israel says it has launched a new communications satellite, the Associated Press reported.
According to the satellite's operator, Spacecom, the AMOS-3 lifted off Monday from Russia's main space facility, the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan. Later in the day, it is to enter orbit at an altitude of 36,000 kilometers (22,500 miles).
The $170 million (¤109 million) satellite is designed to offer increased capacity, expanded coverage and improved links between the Mideast and Europe and the eastern U.S.
Chandrayaan pushed closer to lunar orbit
By IANS,
Bangalore : India's first unmanned lunar mission Chandrayaan-1 was pushed closer to lunar orbit Wednesday after the fourth orbit-raising manoevure lifted the spacecraft to 267,000 km away from the earth (apogee) and 465 km perigee (closest to the Earth), an official of the Indian space agency said.
"The 440 Newton liquid engine aboard the spacecraft was fired for 192 seconds (three minutes and 12 seconds) in the fourth orbit-raising operation carried earlier in the day," Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) director S. Satish told IANS.
Saudi prince buys into Twitter
By IANS,
London: Saudi billionaire prince Alwaleed bin Talal has invested $300 million in the microblogging company Twitter, becoming its latest major investor.
Discovery spacewalk postponed till Saturday
By RIA Novosti
Washington : Discovery shuttle planners have rescheduled a spacewalk to Saturday for fixing a ripped solar wing of the International Space Station (ISS), US space agency NASA's website said Thursday.
The spacewalk, originally due to take place Thursday, will be undertaken by Scott Parazynski and Doug Wheelock. The two astronauts plan to use the space station's robotic arm to fix the damaged solar wing.
Microsoft rules out new takeover bid for Yahoo
By DPA,
San Francisco : Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer Wednesday ruled out a new takeover bid for troubled web portal Yahoo, but stressed that the software giant was still interested in partnering with Yahoo on search-related products.
Mars probe fit to peek under Earth’s ice sheets
By Xinhua,
Beijing : A space-based radar aboard a European Mars probe could not only peer under the frozen extraterrestrial seas of moons such as Europa and Titan, but also see beneath the surface of ice sheets on Earth.
The space radar would take its cue from the Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionosphere Sounding (MARSIS) instrument, which has probed the Red Planet's underground for evidence of water from the European Space Agency's (ESA) Mars Express spacecraft.
Mars rovers exceed all expectations to mark fifth birthdays
By DPA,
Washington : When the Spirit rover landed on Mars five years ago, no one expected it or its sister rover Opportunity to make it to their first birthdays, let alone their fifth.
The rovers had predicted life spans of just 90 days, but instead US space agency NASA this month marks the fifth anniversary of the mission that is still going strong.
Snip of hair can nail criminal now
By IANS,
Sydney : A snip of human hair, recovered from a crime site, would now be enough to nail its perpetrator, thanks to a new technique developed by researchers.
Called Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS), the portable tool has the advantage of being readily available and could be used for forensic analysis.
Sarina Brandes, a chemistry masters researcher at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) who adapted this technique, said it was independent of analysis of DNA, which could break down quite quickly, especially during disasters.
Thailand tree apes use song as warning
By DPA
Hamburg : Humans aren't the only "big apes" who use songs to impress one another. German researchers have found that gibbons in Thailand have developed an unusual way of scaring off predators - by singing to them.
Literally singing for survival, the gibbons appear to use the song not just to warn their own group members but those in neighbouring areas.
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.
Bangalore goes hi-tech to tackle traffic snarls
By IANS
Bangalore : Electronic billboards, SMSs and handheld devices are among the new technologies that will now be used to check traffic jams on the narrow and potholed roads of India's IT capital.
A mobile-based security system for BPO employees
By Prashant K. Nanda, IANS
New Delhi : Even as the rape and murder of a Pune call centre employee by her cab driver is fresh on everyone's mind, a software analyst has developed a mobile phone-based system that may provide better protection to BPO staff in transit.
"After two cases of rape and murder of female call centre employees, BPO firms have an uphill task so far as security is concerned. And here comes our system - simple and effective," said Chennai-based V.M. Sankaran Nampoothiri.
Bus bombed to test new forensic video camera
By IANS,
Washington : Would cheap, lightweight video cameras survive a big costly blast and still retain images of the destruction?
That was the question bothering the US department of homeland security as well as scientists and managers who watched the blast from behind three feet of reinforced concrete.
Outside was an old public bus, rigged with explosives, a series of baseball-sized video cameras mounted on its walls.
There’s an ethane lake on Saturn’s moon
By IANS,
Washington : Scientists have discovered a lake-like feature on Saturn's satellite Titan, the second body in the solar system to posses a liquid surface, apart from the Earth.
Astronomers detected the presence of the ethane lake with the help of the visual and infrared mapping spectrometer or VIMS, on board NASA's Cassini orbiter.
The instrument, run by Arizona University (AU), identifies the chemical composition of objects by the way matter reflects light.
Study confirms Darwinian idea of speciation
By IANS
New York : In the first experiment of its kind conducted in nature, a biologist has come up with strong evidence for one of Charles Darwin's cornerstone ideas - adaptation to the environment accelerates the creation of new species.
After studying walking-stick insects in southern California, University of British Columbia evolutionary biologist Patrik Nosil concluded that "the more ways a population can adapt to its unique surroundings, more likely it will ultimately diverge into a separate species".
NASA to launch five rockets
By IANS,
Washington : NASA is scheduled to launch five rockets in just over five minutes Wednesday night as part of a study of the high-altitude jet stream, the US space agency announced Monday.
Astronauts at space station kick off first of five spacewalks
By Xinhua
Washington : Two astronauts at the International Space Station kicked off the first of a series of spacewalks to assemble new components for the orbital outpost, NASA TV reported Thursday.
The U.S. space shuttle Endeavour's crew member Rick Linnehan and Expedition 16 Flight Engineer Garrett Reisman stepped out of the station at 9:18 p.m. EDT on Thursday (0118 GMT on Friday). The excursion will last for about six hours and a half.