Hoax, Wiki-style: Internet encyclopaedia spoofs mock reality
By DPA
Bad Salzuflen (Germany) : Most surfers get annoyed when they fall for fake or fictional news on the web. Some web users thrive on that kind of hoax, though: spoof encyclopaedias bring together all manner of nonsense and push rumour and innuendo to the limits.
Their makers parody the online encyclopaedia Wikipedia by turning the concept on its head.
The German website Kamelopedia.org, for example, has gathered around 10,000 joke articles explaining the world's doings from the point of view of camels.
Israel ready to share aviation security technology with India
Tel Aviv : Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said his country was "ready and willing" to share with India technology in areas such...
India hopes to send spacecraft to moon: PM
By IANS,
New Delhi : Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Friday said that India hopes to send a spacecraft to the moon this year and called it "an important milestone".
"This year we hope to send an Indian spacecraft, Chandrayan, to the moon. It will be an important milestone in the development of our space programme," he said on the occasion of India's independence day.
"I want to see a modern India, imbued by a scientific temper, where the benefits of modern knowledge flow to all sections of society," he added.
Climatic changes hastened death of ancient empires
By IANS,
Washington : Unfavourable climatic changes might have hastened the decline of Roman and Byzantine empires more than 1,400 years ago.
Based on chemical signatures in a piece of calcite from a cave near Jerusalem, a team of American and Israeli geologists pieced together a detailed record of the area's climate from roughly from 200 B.C. to 1100 A.D.
Their analysis reveals increasingly dry weather from 100 A.D. to 700 A.D. that coincided with the fall of both Roman and Byzantine rule in the region.
Google unveils $4.4 trillion “Clean Power by 2030” plan
Washington, Oct 2 (IANS) Search engine giant Google has unveiled a $4.4 trillion plan dubbed Clean Power by 2030 that calls for all energy in the US to come from renewable sources.
The web giant in a release posted on its site said: "While this plan will cost $4.4 trillion (in undiscounted 2008 dollars), it will ultimately save $5.4 trillion, delivering a net savings of $1 trillion over the life of the plan".
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.
Dutch robot wins international LEGO competition
By DPA,
Amsterdam : A robot built entirely from LEGO bricks by Dutch students has won the LEGO robot championship held in Tokyo, the Dutch newswire ANP reported Thursday.
The robot, built by three students aged 11, 12 and 15 from Eindhoven in the southern Netherlands, was the best of a total of 56 teams originating from 23 countries.
Initially, some 10,000 teams registered for the international competition. All participating robots had to perform certain assignments, including placing a wind turbine or a solar panel or recycling a car.
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.
Endeavour shuttle astronauts conduct first spacewalk – NASA
By RIA Novosti
Washington : Two astronauts from the U.S. space shuttle Endeavour are conducting the first spacewalk of their current mission to the International Space Station (ISS), NASA said on Friday.
Astronauts Rick Linnehan and Garrett Reisman began the spacewalk at 01:18 GMT on Friday.
"Spacewalkers have finished preparing the Japanese Logistics Module - Pressurized Section (JLP), the first component of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory, for removal from space shuttle Endeavour's payload bay," NASA said on its website.
BlackBerry Bold home launch fails to create buzz
By Gurmukh Singh, IANS,
Toronto : Canadian wireless giant Research In Motion (RIM) quietly launched its latest BlackBerry Bold smartphone in the home country Thursday.
The BlackBerry Bold, which is considered to be RIM's response to the iPhone 3G launched here last month, didn't generate the euphoria that the Apple device created here last month.
Like the iPhone 3G, the Blackberry Bold is also supported by third-generation wireless networks.
Rogers, the country's biggest telecom service provider, will support the BlackBerry Bold service across Canada.
CNN claim of hologram use not true: scientist
By IANS,
Toronto : A Canadian scientist has contested CNN's claim of showing three-dimensional holograms during its coverage of the US election.
CNN made this claim Tuesday night when anchor Wolf Blitzer in New York announced at 7 p.m. that he was now speaking live to the network reporter Jessica Yellin in Chicago "via hologram".
As the fuzzy-looking reporter appeared a few feet in front of Blitzer in the studio, he said, "You are a terrific hologram".
Solar plane takes off for Hawaii from Japan
Tokyo : The Swiss-made solar-powered plane, Solar Impulse 2, on Monday started its second bid at a record-breaking flight across the Pacific Ocean.
According to...
Computer model of brain can help victims of anxiety disorder
By IANS,
Washington : The brain is a complex system made of billions of neurons (nerve cells) and thousands of connections that relate to every human feeling, including one of the strongest emotions, fear. Researchers have started using computer models of the brain to study the connections.
Most neurological fear studies have been rooted in fear-conditioning experiments. Now, University of Missouri (U-M) researchers are using computational models to study the brain's connections.
10 Russians found guilty of terrorism
By IANS,
Moscow : A group of 10 Russian teenagers were Thursday found guilty of terrorism, illegally making bombs, damaging property and humiliating people on the basis of race or nationality.
Russia’s Progress cargo spacecraft ‘buried’ in Pacific
By RIA Novosti,
Moscow : The Progress M-65 cargo spacecraft, which undocked from the International Space Station on September 17 and served as a temporary space lab, has been "buried" in the Pacific Ocean, Russia's Mission Control said Sunday.
"The cargo spacecraft's remaining fragments fell into the ocean after re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere is 11:49 a.m. Moscow time [8:49 GMT] on Sunday," Mission Control said.
SAARC nations urged to join hands for disaster management
By IANS
New Delhi : Indian Home Minister Shivraj Patil Monday called upon the SAARC nations to use their strength in science and technology to build a robust system of prevention, mitigation and preparedness to reduce the risks of natural and manmade disasters.
Chandrayaan gives first glimpse of moon’s darkest craters
By IANS,
New York : India's first unmanned moon mission, Chandrayaan-1, is providing scientists with the first look inside the moon's coldest and darkest craters, US space agency NASA has said.
The NASA radar on board the Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft has sent back its first images which "show the floors of permanently-shadowed polar craters on the moon that aren't visible from Earth," NASA said in a press release.
"Scientists are using the instrument to map and search the insides of the craters for water ice," it said.
New H-1B visas rule bars multiple requests for same worker
By Arun Kumar, IANS
Washington : Amidst demands for raising the cap on H-1B visas for skilled professional, authorities have issued a new rule prohibiting employers from filing more than one petition for a single employee in a fiscal year.
The change is intended to promote a fair and systematic process for H-1B petitioners, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said Wednesday announcing the new rile.
Solar cell windows to help reduce carbon emissions
By IANS
Sydney : Here is an innovative and aesthetic, alternative energy idea - transparent solar cells that replace windows.
Australian engineers are working on such cells that will act as energy generators in houses even as they cut down carbon emissions by 50 percent.
John Bell of Queensland University of Technology said they would make a significant difference to home owners' energy costs and generate excess energy that could be stored or sold, ScienceAlert reported.
Shuttle Discovery returns safely to Earth
By DPA,
Washington : The space shuttle Discovery landed safely at the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida Saturday.
Commander Lee Archambault guided the shuttle to a picture-perfect landing at 1914 GMT, ending the shuttle's 13-day mission to the International Space Station (ISS).
"Welcome home after a mission to bring the ISS to full power," the NASA ground crew said, adding a special welcome to astronaut Sandra Magnus, who returned to Earth after spending 129 days living aboard the ISS.
"Thank you very much. It's good to be back home," Archambault replied.
NTPC to hire 6,000 people over five years
By IANS,
Chennai: India's NTPC Ltd, one of Asia's largest power generation companies, plans to hire 6,000 people over the next five years, a senior company official said here Tuesday.
"For the past four years we have been hiring around 1,200 people every year. This trend will continue for the next five years," R.C. Shrivastav, director (Human Resources), told reporters on the sidelines of a press meet.
Taking into account the retirements and attrition, the annual addition of manpower will be around 700 people, he said.
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.
Microsoft to strip Internet Explorer browser from European Windows
By DPA,
San Francisco : Microsoft is to strip its Internet Explorer browser from the new version of its Windows 7 operating system that it sells in Europe, the company announced Thursday.
Microsoft said the move was designed to meet criticism from European Union (EU) regulators who have launched an investigation into whether bundling the browser with the operating system is in breach of European anti-trust rules.
Nobel laureate for GM food, against biofuel and cloning
By IANS,
Chennai : For Nobel laureate microbiologist Sidney Altman, biofuels and clones are "no, no" but genetically modified (GM) food is a big "yes".
The renowned professor at Yale University thinks biofuels "cannot be the solution" the mankind is looking for.
"There is no indication that biofuels can ever substitute fossil fuels," Altman said in the keynote address at a Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)-organised interaction on "what business and society can learn from basic research" here Saturday.
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.
India offers space data to manage Asia-Pacific calamities
By IANS
Bangalore : India is ready to offer data from its group of satellites to other countries in the Asia-Pacific region for disaster management.
"India will provide appropriate inputs and near real-time data for Asia-Pacific countries and share its expertise with them in setting up disaster management support systems to deal with floods, cyclones, earthquakes and droughts," Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman G. Madhavan Nair said here Thursday at a space conference.
Rise of Google Chrome threatens Internet Explorer, Mozilla
By IANS,
London : Web browser Google Chrome, which emerged in mid-2008, has hit Internet Explorer hard and stalled the rise of Mozilla Firefox.
ET, where are you? NASA to launch Kepler camera
By DPA,
Washington : The search for extraterrestrial life will take another step in March, when NASA launches its Kepler satellite to systematically look for Earth-type planets orbiting other stars.
The Kepler mission, named after the 17th century German astronomer, is to be launched March 5 and target 100,000 stars in the Milky Way galaxy that scientists believe could have planets orbiting in a "habitable" zone, NASA scientists said Thursday.
Indian American develops software to help motorists
By IANS
Los Angeles : A tech firm owned by an Indian American has developed a software that combines speech-recognition and text messaging to provide free directions to motorists.
Dial Directions, a California based firm, began its services early this week in the Bay Area, Los Angeles and New York with the promise of turning a cell phone into a global positioning system (GPS) and search-enabled device.
The software can work on any mobile phone, the online edition of San Francisco Chronicle reported.
Smart cars with black boxes
By IANS,
London : Computer scientists in the US are developing technology that will transform cars into intelligent vehicles fitted with aircraft-style black boxes that can record information about driving behaviour during accidents.
The car, which is being developed by researchers at computer chip giant Intel, will record information about the vehicle speed, steering and braking along with video footage from inside and outside the vehicle, The Telegraph reported.
Google Earth helps youth to trace lost home – after 13 years
By Brij Khandelwal, IANS
Agra : Orphaned at seven, he ran away from home to escape the tyranny of his uncle and was taken care of by an affluent Muslim family in northern India. Now at 20, Rakesh Singh has through Google Earth traced his village near Agra and is fighting to get his property back.
Rakesh, who developed an early fascination for computers, has found his village in Kiraoli, about 22 km from the Taj Mahal city, thanks to his interest in the internet.
Malicious software can invade smart phones, warns Indian American
By IANS,
Washington : Malicious software can now invade new generations of smart mobile phones, potentially with more serious consequences, says an Indian American computer scientist.
"Smart phones are essentially becoming regular computers," said Vinod Ganapathy, assistant professor of computer science at the Rutgers University' School of Arts and Sciences.
APJ Abdul Kalam to inaugurate ‘Aero Tech 2008’
By IANS,
Chandigarh : Enthused by the success of Chandrayaan-I mission, the aero scientists of India are all geared up to discuss advances in aerospace technologies at the two-day national level seminar, 'Aero Tech 2008' that will start here Friday. APJ Abdul Kalam, former president of India, will inaugurate the Aero Tech 2008 Nov 14.
India to launch Astrosat in 2015
By Venkatachari Jagannathan,
Sriharikota (Andhra Pradesh) : The Indian space agency is developing Astrosat - an astronomical satellite to study stars and other celestial bodies...
3G: The Untold Story and What it means to a Mobile User
By Hitesh Raj Bhagat, IANS,
Today (Dec 11, 2008) is a big day. Third generation or 3G mobile networks are finally here, for MTNL users in parts of Delhi and NCR. Mumbai will follow as soon as the pilots in Delhi are successful.
India has been making do with ancient mobile technology for long now. The current Second generation or 2G networks were designed to carry only voice, which does not require high data transfer speeds. With the advent of new technologies -- video streaming, mobile TV and mobile gaming, higher transfer speeds were necessary.
Scientists observe major climate changes in Arctic
By RIA Novosti
St. Petersburg : Scientists have reported substantial changes in the climate of the Arctic Region, a senior official at the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (AARI) said Thursday.
"We have observed global climate changes in the Polar Ocean," said Igor Ashik, acting head of the AARI ocean science department.
He said the ocean was clearing itself of drifting ice "for the first time in decades of Polar research".
New measurements reveal slimmer Milky Way
By Xinhua,
Berlin : New measurements adopted by an international team of researchers have revealed a much "slimmer" Milky Way compared with previous estimates.
According to a press release from Germany's Max Planck Institute for Astronomy (MPIA) on Tuesday, the research led by Xiangxiang Xue of the National Astronomy Observatories of China has put the mass of the Milky Way at slightly under one trillion times the mass of the sun.
Lots of watts don’t rev up vacuum cleaner
Berlin, May 18 (DPA) When buying a vacuum cleaner, consumers should not be led astray by high wattage.
The amount of electricity used has little to do with performance, according to a recent test of 17 vacuum cleaners by Stiftung Warentest, the Berlin-based independent German consumer-protection group reported in its April issue.
Suction power depended on the appropriate interplay of the basic device, nozzle construction, suction pipes and airflow, the group added.
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.
Mobile phones to notify namaz timings through image
By IANS,
Washington : A new software application meant for mobile phones can alert Muslim users to namaz timings through an image combined with audible alerts.
The screen of the mobile phone shows an image of the sun lining up with a green circle when it is time to pray.
"Users told us that tracking the sun was the most religiously valued method to determine prayer times," said Susan Wyche, doctoral candidate at Georgia Institute of Technology, and member of the team that developed the application.
Polaris Software to enter real estate business
By IANS,
Chennai : Banking software company Polaris Software Lab Ltd has decided to get into the real estate business, subject to regulatory approvals.
A decision to this effect was taken by the company's board here Thursday, Polaris said in a stock exchange filing.
While Polaris executives were not available to comment on the diversification, sources close to the development told IANS that the company has some surplus land in Gurgaon near the national capital after building its software development centre.
New format to ensure disruption-free images on TV
By IANS,
London : Video coding techniques still have their flip side - digital images are not always disruption-free. Now, an extension of the coding format known as H.264/AVC will help protect the most important data packets to ensure they reach the receiver.
For instance, your favourite detective series has just reached its climax when a thunderstorm raging outside interferes with the digital image on your TV.
Scientists create billions of particles of anti-matter
By IANS,
Washington : When you shoot laser through a gold bit the size of a pinhead, suddenly more than 100 billion particles of anti-matter materialise.
The anti-matter, also known as positrons, shoots out of the target in a cone-shaped plasma "jet."
This new ability to create a large number of positrons in a small lab opens the door to several fresh avenues of anti-matter research, including an understanding of the physics underlying phenomena such as black holes and gamma ray bursts.
Iran ready to send six satellites into space
By IANS,
Tehran : Iran is preparing to launch five to six satellites into the space as part of its aerospace development programme.
"We are currently carrying out a project which will see the design, production and launch of 5 to 6 satellites. We hope to send one satellite into space in the first half of the coming year," Iranian Telecommunications Minister Reza Taqipour said.
"Iran has laid the foundation for the development of its aerospace industry in the past three to four years," Taqipour told Fars News Agency.
Plans afoot for astronauts to orbit moon’s far side
By IANS,
London : Scientists want to explore the far side of the moon using a manned spacecraft for the first time since the Apollo landings of 1968.
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.
Technology Frontiers targets retail chains and malls
By IANS
Chennai : City-based Technology Frontiers (I) Pvt Ltd (TFPL) is targeting growing malls and retail chains for its digital kiosks, said a top official here.
"We have signed deals with Future Group to install our kiosks in their malls," M.S. Muralidharan, managing director of TFPL, told IANS on the sidelines of the press conference after launching a multi-broadcast digital kiosk TOUCHME Tuesday.
Sky gazers in for celestial treat Tuesday
By IANS,
New Delhi : Sky gazers can look forward to an exhibition of celestial fireworks as the night sky will be lit up by Geminid meteor showers that are expected to peak Tuesday.
Scientists map genes behind bipolar disorder
By IANS,
New York : In a first, scientists have comprehensively mapped the genes believed to cause bipolar disorder.
Indiana University neuroscientists combined data from the latest gene hunting studies for bipolar disorder with information from their own studies to zero in on the best candidate genes for the illness.
Their findings, reported in the latest issue of the American Journal of Medical Genetics, describe how researchers analysed how these genes work together to create a comprehensive biological model of bipolar disorder.
European team discovers smallest extrasolar planet
By IANS,
London : A European satellite has discovered the smallest planet outside of our solar system, which is twice as large as earth and orbiting a star slightly smaller than the sun.
The planet is believed to be composed of rock and water, and takes 20 hours to orbit its host star, the shortest orbital period of all exoplanets found so far.
Astronomers infer its temperature over 1,000 degree Celsius, hot enough to make it covered in lava or superheated water vapour.
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.
China’s lunar probe to photograph Bay of Rainbows
By IANS,
Beijing : China's lunar probe Chang'e-2 was manoeuvered to an experimental orbit Tuesday evening for taking pictures of the moon's Sinus Iridium or Bay of Rainbows.
Railway plans hi-tech security gadgets in Orissa
By IANS,
Bhubaneswar : East Coast Railway authorities have decided to install high tech security gadgets at leading stations of Orissa in view of the recent terror attacks in different places of Mumbai, a railway official said Monday.
A high level meeting was conducted by East Coast Railway authorities Monday to review the security situation at railway stations, especially in Bhubaneswar, Puri and Cuttack.
The meeting took stock of the security scenario at these stations and additional measures required to be taken were discussed, an East Coast Railway press release said.
Mars to be closest, brightest Jan 27
By IANS,
New Delhi : Skygazers will get to watch the red planet Mars from close quarters as it comes closest to Earth and shines brightest Jan 27. It will not be so close or so bright over the next two years.
Look towards the east an hour after sunset Jan 27 and Mars would be shining brighter than every other star in the sky except Sirius, which is slightly more dazzling in brilliant bluish white.
Global warming affecting world’s largest freshwater lake
By Xinhua,
Washington : Russian and American scientists have discovered that the rising temperature of Lake Baikal, the world's largest lake located in freezing Siberia, shows that this region is responding strongly to global warming.
The research team reported their results Thursday on-line in the journal Global Change Biology. "Warming of this isolated but enormous lake is a clear signal that climate change has affected even the most remote corners of our planet," said Stephanie Hampton, a leading author of the study.
Amateur astronomer chances upon ‘cosmic ghost’
By IANS,
New York : Yale astrophysicist Kevin Schawinski and colleagues at Oxford never envisioned the strange object amateur astronomer Hanny van Arkel found in archived images of the night sky.
The Dutch school teacher, volunteer in the Galaxy Zoo project, co-founded by Schawinski that allows public participation in astronomy research online, discovered a mysterious object some are calling a 'cosmic ghost'.
Unseen for 112 years, dwarf cloud rat captured
By Xinhua,
Beijing : Unseen in the canopies of tall trees in the Philippines for more than 112 years, a greater dwarf cloud rat has been found and captured in the island nation's Mount Pulag National Park.
The fist-sized mammal has dense, soft, reddish-brown fur, a black mask around large dark eyes, small rounded ears, a broad and blunt snout, and a long tail covered with dark hair.
Smelling carbon-dioxide can impact ageing
By IANS,
Washington : Specific odours that represent food are capable of altering an animal's lifespan and physiological profile by activating a small number of highly specialised sensory neurons, says a new study.
Nematode worms and fruit flies that were robbed of their ability to smell or taste, for example, lived substantially longer. However, the specific odours and sensory receptors that control this effect on ageing were unknown.
Genetically modified plants likely to yield more biofuel
By IANS,
Washington : Genetically modified plants will open up ways to make cheaper, greener biofuels, besides helping turn agricultural waste into food for livestock.
Lignin, a major component of plants, is woven in with cellulose and provides plants with the strength to withstand strong gusts of wind and microbial attack. However, this protective barrier or "plastic wall" also makes it harder to gain access to the cellulose.
Indian group crowned world energy champion
By IANS,
London : An Indian technology and alternative energy group has been crowned 'Energy Champion' of the world by a prestigious British environmental organisation.
Bangalore-based Technology Informatics Design Endeavour, or Tide, was awarded the title along with a prize of 40,000 pounds by Nobel laureate and environmentalist Wangari Mathai at a ceremony in London.
Indian navigation systems to guide rockets in 2008
By IANS
Chennai : Rocket navigation systems developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) are all set to guide a satellite launcher slated for launch next year.
The geo-synchronous launch vehicle (GSLV), which will launch INSAT-type satellites into geostationary orbit, is to be launched in 2008, guided by avionics designed by ISRO.
ISRO tested its new avionics on board the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) that was launched in April. The vehicle had a second equipment bay - apart from the primary one - housing the navigation and telemetry systems.
Android set to overtake iPhone
By DPA,
San Francisco : Phones running Google's Android operating system are selling at the rate of 200,000 a day, according to Google chief executive Eric Schmidt.
Schmidt made the comments at the Techonomy Conference Thursday, in a video of his talk posted on YouTube.
Schmidt said that the success of Android has more than made up for the huge amounts of money the company poured into its development.
"Trust me that revenue is large enough to pay for all of the Android activities and a whole bunch more," he said.
Scientists mine Twitter to discover drug side-effects
Washington: Using Twitter data, scientists have invented a new technique for discovering potentially dangerous drug interactions and unknown side-effects.
The results can help build a...
Chandra observatory to help ‘weigh’ giant black holes
By IANS,
Washington : A new technique relying on data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory could help weigh something as unimaginably heavy as the biggest black holes in the universe.
Black holes are such dense masses that they would compress a 90,000-tonne cruise ship into the size of a teaspoon, but with the same weight.
By measuring a peak in the temperature of hot gas at the centre of the giant elliptical galaxy NGC 4649, scientists determined the mass of the galaxy's super massive black hole.
Astrologers to astronomers: Oct 22 good day for moon mission launch
By Venkatachari Jagannathan, IANS,
Chennai : There are astrologers among the astronomers in the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) too. They have declared that the day set for the country's first moon mission, Oct 22, will be aupicious.
Seven years ago, on Oct 22, 2001, ISRO had successfully launched a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV C3) carrying three satellites - one of its own and two from overseas.
Scientists zoom in on infant solar system
By IANS,
Washington : A team led by University of Arizona astronomer Joshua Eisner has observed in unprecedented detail the processes giving rise to stars and planets in nascent solar systems.
The discoveries provide a better understanding of the way hydrogen gas from the protoplanetary disk is incorporated into the star.
They are swirling clouds of gas and dust that feed the growing star in its centre and eventually coalesce into planets and asteroids to form a solar system.
Drop in CO2 triggered polar ice sheet formation
By IANS,
Washington : A drop in carbon dioxide (CO2) levels seems to have triggered Antarctic ice sheet formation.
Arctic to be ice-free in summer by 2050
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Moscow : The Arctic will have no ice during the summer by the mid-21st Century, says the head of the Russian Meteorological Centre.
"In 30-40 years, the Arctic may have no ice in the summertime, including the North Pole," Alexander Frolov said, quoting data from an Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report.
Frolov said levels of ice reduction in 2010 could exceed the record levels of 2007.
Micromax to invest Rs.400-Rs.500 crore in Hyderabad plant
Hyderabad: Mobile phone manufacturer Micromax will set up its manufacturing plant in Hyderabad with an investment of Rs.400 crore to Rs.500 crore, a Telangana...
World record: Artificial insemination of blackbuck
By IANS
Hyderabad : Scientists here have succeeded in artificial insemination of a blackbuck by using a non-invasive method, leading to the birth of a live fawn. Encouraged by the feat, they now plan to implement it for saving other endangered species also.
Scientists at the Laboratory for Conservation of Endangered Species (LaCONES) of the prestigious Centre for Cellular Molecular Biology (CCMB) here are excited about the success achieved for the first time in the world.
Using the internet as a knowledge tool
By IANS
New Delhi : India's National Knowledge Commission is laying special emphasis on the internet to act as a "powerful and democratic source of information and knowledge" and is planning to open a series of web portals for the purpose.
"These portals should become a decisive tool in the popular movements in support of the right to information, decentralisation, transparency, accountability and people's participation," commission chairman Sam Pitroda has said.
India adds record 15.6 mn new phone users in March
By IANS,
New Delhi : Showing no signs of any slowdown and backed by heavy rural demand, India added a record 15.87 million new phone connections in March, to take its telecom density to nearly 40 percent, fresh data said Wednesday.
India, which already boasts of the second-largest telecom user base in the world after China's and ahead of the US, now has 429.72 million telecom subscribers, both in the wireless and mobile segments, with a record growth of 59.48 percent last fiscal.
Indian science conquers new frontiers
By IANS
New Delhi : Sixty years after independence, Indian science has taken giant strides in virtually every arena - from space vehicles to vaccines. Starting out 60 years ago as a poor country with a history of famines and underdevelopment, India today stands poised as the surprise powerhouse of cutting-edge science and technology.
Science and technology (S and T) has been key to India's development strategy right from the time of independence in 1947.
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.
Germans developing battery that never needs recharging
By DPA
Hamburg : Tired of mobile phones that always need recharging at the worst moments, researchers in Germany are developing a revolutionary new battery that will never need recharging.
Mobile phones, notebook computers and iPods are all devices dependent on rechargeable lithium-ion batteries to deliver power.
But the German researchers have developed a new class of inorganic ionic conductor with a structure analogous to that of the mineral argyrodite.
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.
‘Jaws of steel’ helped primitive man crack hard nuts, seeds
By IANS,
Washington : Our ancestors, going back 2.5 million years, had jaws of steel with which they cracked open hard nuts and objects, unlike human species today with much more delicate and smaller teeth, a research study has shown.
Mark Spencer, Arizona State University (ASU) assistant professor and evolutionary scientist, and doctoral student Caitlin Schrein used futuristic computer modelling and simulation technology to build a virtual model of the A. africanus skull to see how the jaw operated.
Indian satellite launch postponed to June
By Venkatachari Jagannathan, IANS,
Chennai : The Indian space agency is likely to launch its rocket, Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C15), carrying its cartography satellite Cartosat-2B and couple of other payloads, sometime in June.
Originally scheduled for launch May 9, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Thursday decided to postpone the flight to a future date as it found "a marginal drop in the pressure in the second stage of the vehicle during mandatory checks".
Fake ‘dislike’ button spreads across Facebook
By IANS,
Washington : Social networking website Facebook, which offers its subscribers only a "like" button for anyone's updates, is now faced with a fake "dislike" button, which is spreading like a virus across the site.
The fake dislike button is followed with a link that takes people to a fake application. Instead of installing a dislike button, the application uses the person's network to continue spreading the fake programme.
Graham Cluley of the British security firm Sophos wrote in a blog that the fake dislike buttons "are going viral" on Facebook.
Sunita Williams heading back to space again
By Arun Kumar, IANS,
Washington: Indian-American astronaut Sunita Williams is all set to return to to the International Space Station, where she spent a record six months in 2006.
Preparations begin for lunar mission countdown
By IANS,
Bangalore : Preparations for the countdown to launch India's first unmanned lunar spacecraft Chandrayaan-1 Oct 22 has begun at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, a top space agency official said here Sunday.
"Launch rehearsal exercises are nearing completion. Preparations for the 52-hour countdown Monday from 02:20 a.m. have been initiated despite inclement weather and heavy rain since morning at Sriharikota (about 80km from Chennai) off the Bay of Bengal," Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) director S. Satish told IANS.
Laptop fashion: Mobile computer makers discover colour
By DPA
Frankfurt : Black, grey or silver: laptop buyers have generally had to accept one of those three options. But colourful times lie ahead. The latest models from laptop makers now feature casings in blue, green, pink and yellow. After all, having increasingly impinged on the domain of the desktop PC, the laptop has now become a lifestyle accessory.
Remains of 10,000-year-old giant sloth found
By IANS/EFE,
Brasilia : Scientists have found bones in Brazil that belonged to a 20-foot-tall sloth that lived some 10,000 years ago.
IIT Delhi to conduct 12th edition of Open House
New Delhi : The Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, has announced the 12th edition of Open House which will be held on April 23...
Climate change wreaks havoc on coral reefs worldwide
By IANS,
Sydney : Ocean warming is spurring the incidence of virulent coral diseases, already wreaking havoc on reefs worldwide.
David Bourne and colleagues at the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) said global warming and increased sea surface temperatures presented a major challenge to the health of the world's coral reefs.
Warming has caused significant damage to reefs in recent hot years (particularly 1998 and 2002) by sparking coral bleaching, which is a breakdown in the symbiotic relationship between the coral and its bacterial partner (zooxanthellae).
Apple to offer newspaper subscriptions for iPad
By DPA,
San Francisco : Apple is ready to launch a subscription service for newspapers on its Pad tablet computer, according to a report by a Silicon Valley newspaper Wednesday.
NASA satellite pins down timer in ‘stellar bomb’
By IANS,
Washington : A NASA satellite helped astronomers pin down the timing mechanism in a ticking “stellar bomb” some 20,000 light years away.
The twin-neutron star, designated as 4U 1636-53, produces between seven and 10 bursts daily, releasing more energy in 10 to 100 seconds than the sun radiates in an entire week.
The astronomers said they were equivalent to 100 hydrogen bombs detonating simultaneously on a city-sized surface.
Conclave on nano-technology in Tamil Nadu
By IANS
Chennai : India's nano-technology destination was outlined Wednesday at an annual conclave here with experts announcing that Japan will become a major technology transfer partner.
Three centres of excellence for nano-technology have been identified in the country. Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Maharshtra and West Bengal are emerging as hubs for nano-technology incubation, they said.
‘India can become World No. 1 in science’
By Prashant K. Nanda, IANS
New Delhi : India may never become the number one military power in the world but eminent scientist C.N.R. Rao believes that it has the potential to become number one in science and technology.
"We will never become number one in economy or in military power but we can definitely become a superpower and world number one in science and, over all, in knowledge," Rao, chairman of the Science Advisory Council to the prime minister, told IANS in an interview.
NASA remembers storied past, but looks to uncertain future
By Anne K. Walters, DPA,
Cape Canaveral (Florida) : As the world marked the 40th anniversary of the first human on the moon this year, the future of the space programme that pioneering astronauts Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong and Michael Collins helped found looks more uncertain than ever.
The Apollo astronauts are old men now. In July, it seemed like they recreated that golden age of space flight when they shook hands with US President Barack Obama, who praised them for their contributions.
After more than four-year wait, Endeavour set for launch
By DPA
Washington : The last time space shuttle Endeavour flew to the International Space Station (ISS) was November 2002 - the last mission before the accident that destroyed shuttle Columbia in February 2003, killing seven astronauts including Indian born Kalpana Chawla.
Since the tragedy, Endeavour has remained on the ground - a time US space agency NASA used to outfit the shuttle with all available safeguards. Now the newly equipped Endeavour is getting ready for its premiere.
Large companies snooping on employees’ e-mails
By IANS,
New York : If you are an employee in a large company and are thinking of using your work e-mail for job hunting or online dating, watch out.
A new survey finds that 41 percent of large companies (those with 20,000 or more employees) are employing staffers to read or otherwise analyse the contents of employees' outbound e-mail, technology website cnet.com reports.
Humans first covered their nakedness 170,000 years ago
By IANS,
Washington : A research suggests that humans first covered their nakedness some 170,000 years ago, something which helped them move out of Africa.
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.
ISRO preparing for GSAT 4 launch in two months
By Venkatachari Jagannathan, IANS,
Chennai : While the preparations for launch of India's ocean monitoring satellite Oceansat 2 and six other nano satellites Sep 23 is on, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is getting ready for the bigger launch slated in the next two months -- that of the communications satellite GSAT 4.
Spiderman, squid inspire innovative ways of stopping runaway drivers
By IANS,
Washington : Celluloid superhero Spiderman and the giant squid are inspiring scientists to think of innovative ways to stop erring drivers in their tracks.
Runaway drivers are a common problem for law enforcement. They just won't stop unless 'persuaded' by bullets, barriers, spikes, or snares, all of them a risky business indeed.
Shooting up a fugitive's car may be a possibility - but what if children or hostages are in it? Lay down barriers, and the driver might swerve into a school bus. Spike his tires, and he might fishtail into a van - if the spikes stop him at all.
Shuttle Discovery carries out safety checks
By RIA Novosti,
Washington : The Discovery crew have carried out a partial-wing inspection of the space shuttle to check for launch damage prior to docking with the International Space Station, a NASA spokesperson said.
The 14-day Discovery mission will deliver its heaviest payload to the ISS, the Japanese Pressurized Module (JPM), which is the second unit of the massive Kibo laboratory complex. Discovery will also deliver a pump and parts for the ISS toilet, which has been malfunctioning.
Seeking the roots of the modern potato
By IANS
New York : New research into the history of the potato has rubbished two popular theories about how they travelled from their homeland in South America to Europe - and then to the rest of the world.
The study, by researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, used DNA to conclude that a whopping 99 percent of all modern potatoes are descendents of varieties once grown in south-central Chile.
UN to turn off lights for Earth Hour Saturday
By IANS,
New York: The UN will observe Earth Hour Saturday in its facilities across the world to show its commitment to action on climate change, WAM news agency reported.
Earth Hour, promoted by WWF (World Wide Fund For Nature), the global conservation organisation, has asked people and organisations to turn off the lights for one hour Saturday night (March 27) between 8.30 p.m. and 9.30 p.m. in whatever time zone they may be located.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has called Earth Hour "both a warning and a beacon of hope".
Indian-born’s company ties up with Boeing for US space supplies
By Khushwant Singh,
Chandigarh, Oct 27 (IANS) As India's Chandrayaan-1 cruises to the moon, marking the nation's foray into the big league of space missions, an Indian-born American's company tied up with aircraft manufacturer Boeing for a role in the US' manned space missions.
New Delhi-born Chirinjeev Kathuria's is a true story of an Indian immigrant aiming for the stars.
Astronauts Ready Return to Earth
By Prensa Latina
Washington : The astronauts aboard space shuttle Endeavour ready their return to Earth after 12-day stay at the International Space Station where they set a record of five space walks.
The crew will undock at 23:56 GMT to land Wednesday night at Kennedy Space Station in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Mission STS-123 of NASA installed the first piece of Module Kibo, the largest Japanese grant to the outer space platform and completed the Canadian space robot Dextre that will assume many of today's risky space walks.
New digital map reveals more secrets about Antarctica
By IANS,
Sydney: A new digital map configured by British and Australian scientists has revealed astonishing new geological facts about Antarctica, not known till now.
Delhi gets India’s first remote controlled street lights
By IANS,
New Delhi: In a bid to conserve energy, the capital's main civic agency Tuesday launched the country's first remote-controlled street lights that can be switched on and off using an internet-enabled main server located in the heart of the city.
The first phase of this street light upgradation project, under the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), became operational Tuesday and covers a distance of 101 km on 52 city roads.
Propulsion problems solved, Jules Verne ATV on target
By Xinhua
Beijing : Jules Verne, Europe's first space station cargo carrier, has overcome problems with its propulsion system and has initiated orbit-raising maneuvers, European Space Agency (ESA) officials said Tuesday.
The 41,887-pound (19,000-kg) Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV), was slated to use its onboard engines to raise its orbit by about 53 miles (85 km), to 214-miles (345-km), in preparation for a series of test maneuvers that should end with a docking with the International Space Station April 3, mission managers said.
Apple launches world’s thinnest notebook in India
By IANS
Mumbai : Apple unveiled the world's thinnest notebook, MacBook Air, in India Wednesday.
Angeline Tan, product marketing manager of Apple, introduced the notebook here, which measures 4 mm at its thinnest point.
The MacBook Air was first launched at the MacWorld expo in San Francisco Jan 15.
In India, it will ship in two weeks through Apple authorized resellers and authorized dealers for a suggested retail price of Rs.96,100 ($2,421).
The features of the MacBook Air include a 13.3-inch liquid crystal display, a full-size backlit keyboard and a built-in video camera.
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...
Teleperformance mulling expansion in India
By IANS
New Delhi : Teleperformance India, a wholly owned subsidiary of US-based Teleperformance Group Inc., a leading global contact centre, said it is planning major expansion in India.
"The increased penetration of telecom, financial services and consumer products as also growing competition have resulted in the need for stronger customer services to retain customers," Sanjay Mehta, managing director, Teleperformance, said in a statement Saturday.
India acquires capability to fire missiles from under water
By IANS,
New Delhi : The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the country's premier military research organisation, Monday said it had successfully acquired the technology to launch missiles from the ocean depths, becoming the world's fifth country to do so.
The acknowledgement came when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh gave away the performance excellence award 2007 to A.K Chakrabarti, under whose leadership a team of 86 scientists achieved the success under this project called K-15.
Carbon dioxide dictates global climate pattern
By IANS,
Washington : Scientists have found the apparent role of carbon dioxide in the intensification of the Ice Ages and corresponding temperature changes in the tropical oceans.
The research, led by a team of Brown University, has established that the climate in the tropics over the last 2.7 million years changed with the cyclical spread and retreat of ice sheets thousands of miles away in the Northern Hemisphere.
Parents are always stricter with older kids
By IANS,
Washington : Parents are more inclined to punish their teen's risky behaviour when there are younger kids in the family, just to set an example, according to a new research.
"Interestingly, the youngest sibling, knowing that they can get away with much more than their older brothers and sisters, are more likely to engage in risky behaviours," said Ginger Gin, one of the study's co-authors, a parent of two and herself an older sister.
NASA set to give update on long-delayed Atlantis mission
By KUNA
Washington : NASA will hold a meeting Thursday to discuss the status of the shuttle Atlantis and ongoing work to repair a fuel circuitry problem that grounded the mission to the International Space Station (ISS) in early December.
Last week, NASA's space shuttle Atlantis was still no closer to lift off. Officials pushed-back the Atlantis mission's target launch date of January 10, stating that date was "no longer achievable", but they did not indicate when it will be ready for the mission to carry a new European Columbus space laboratory up to the ISS.
US carbon-dioxide emissions dropped 7 percent in 2009
By DPA,
Washington : US emissions of carbon dioxide tumbled seven percent in 2009, government figures have showed, marking the largest one-year decline in the heat-trapping gas blamed for global warming since records began in 1949.
The Energy Information Administration (EIA) Wednesday attributed the sharp fall to a drop in energy use as the United States battled through its worst recession in decades, coupled with a smaller 2.3-percent drop in the "carbon intensity" of energy sources.
Pune gears up for two-day international robotic competition
By IANS,
Mumbai/Pune : Pune gears up to see robots co-ordinate as a team as they form a pyramid to enact a high-tech 'dahi handi' (taking butter from a pot hanging high above) sequence at the two-day 7th ABU International Robocon Competition Saturday.
The event is the culmination of a yearlong competition among teams from over two dozen colleges spread across 17 countries of the Asia-Pacific region.
Nirma Institute of Technology, Ahmedabad and Maharashtra Institute of Technology, (MIT) Pune are representing India at the event.
Microsoft ordered to stop selling Word software by Jan 11
By IANS,
Toronto : Upholding patent-infringement charges by a small Toronto firm agaist Microsoft Tuesday, a US appeals court ordered the software giant to stop selling Word by Jan 11 and pay $290 million in damages.
Microsoft said it will introduce the copies of Word 2007 and Office 2007 without the offending technology by the court-ordered deadline. Tuesday's ruling upholds an earlier injunction against Microsoft that banned the technology giant from selling Word.
What’s new in Internet Explorer 8
By DPA,
Washington : Microsoft has kept development of Internet Explorer 8 pretty quiet, but already the next major version of the most widely-used browser is available for downloading in a beta version.
While the focus of IE 7 was on security and the incorporation of a tabbed interface, version 8's main features centre on stability and usability.
India to launch six more satellites in 2015-16
Chennai : India will launch six more satellites during 2015-16 of which two would be communication satellites, three navigation satellites and one space science...
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.
China did have clearer skies during Olympics: Satellite imagery
By IANS,
Washington : China did have clearer skies and easier breathing when it shut down factories and banished many cars in a pre-Olympic sprint to clean up Beijing's air.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, researchers have since analysed data from NASA's Aura and Terra satellites that show how key pollutants responded to the Olympic restrictions.
Mobile internet access booms in New Zealand
By IANS,
Wellington: More than half of New Zealanders are now accessing the internet through their mobile phones, the government statistics agency announced Friday.
3 U.S. scientists to be awarded “Japan Prize”
By Xinhua
Tokyo : Three U.S. scientists were named as laureates of a major Japanese science prize "Japan Prize" on Thursday for their achievement in information communication technology and genetics.
Vinton Gray Cerf, vice president of Google Inc, and Robert Elliot Kahn, chairman of Corporation for National Research Initiatives will receive the 24th Japan Prize in the field of information communication theory and technology, the Science and Technology Foundation of Japan announced.
Mini black holes could be passing through Earth
By IANS,
London : Space is littered with black holes that collapsing giant stars leave in their wake, but a miniature version could be passing through the Earth daily.
India marks ‘Ring of Fire’ spectacle with faith and science
By IANS,
New Delhi : Millions of Hindus bathed in holy rivers and tanks across India after a four-hour celestial spectacle that turned the sun into a 'Ring of Fire', bringing out science enthusiasts to view and record the rare event.
Hundreds of thousands of temples all over the country closed their doors and covered their deities with muslin shrouds during the period when traffic on roads in many cities thinned as people kept indoors.
New Year’s Eve revelers to be treated to rare ‘blue moon’
By DPA,
New York : Times Square revelers will be treated to a rare "blue moon" on New Year's Eve Thursday night.
Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to watch the ritual descent of the crystal ball in Times Square to usher in 2010 at midnight. But what many of them may not yet expect is a special full moon above their heads, the second this month.
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.
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".
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.
Investigation into CERN”s LHC incident indicates faulty electrical connection
By KUNA,
Geneva : Investigations at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) following a large helium leak into sector 3-4 of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) tunnel have indicated that it was most likely caused by a faulty electrical connection between two of the accelerator's magnets.
CERN has announced that before a full understanding of the incident can be established, however, the sector has to be brought to room temperature and the magnets involved opened up for inspection.
China warns of Valentine’s Day computer viruses
By Xinhua
Tianjin (China) : China's anti-virus authorities have warned computer users to guard against Valentine's Day computer viruses.
Valentine's Day computer viruses especially "Vbs_Valentin.A" spread chiefly through e-mails or online chat systems such as MSN and QQ, the experts from Tianjin-based China National Computer Virus Emergency Response Centre warned.
Other viruses like "Worm-blebla.B" and "VBS-ILoveyou" infect computers if users open e-mails or attachments disguised as Valentine's Day greetings.
First rehearsal of moon mission Chandrayaan goes off fine
By IANS,
Chennai : India's first lunar spacecraft Chandrayaan-1 was fitted to the launch pad for rehearsals late Saturday night and they "went off well", a top space agency official said Sunday three days ahead of the final launch.
"The launch rehearsal was held at 10 p.m. and everything went off fine. It is like a dress rehearsal ahead of the Oct 22 launch," a scientist said declining to be named.
Extreme weather can trigger epidemics, says study
By IANS,
Sydney : Climatic extremes like frequent droughts and floods, associated with global warming, can trigger epidemics that could potentially wipe out livestock or wildlife.
A new study suggests that such extremes are capable of altering normal host-pathogen relationships, causing a “perfect storm” of multiple infectious outbreaks.
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.
Google cleared of grabbing personal data
By IANS,
London : Internet giant Google "did not grab" personal details but it happened "accidentally" when it was collecting data from wi-fi networks, Britain's top information office has said.
The Information Commissioner Office (ICO) reviewed some of the data Google collected from unsecured networks and came to the conclusion that Google "mistakenly" gathered them while logging on to wi-fi to help with location-based services, the BBC reported.
US and Russian satellites collide in space
By DPA,
Washington/Moscow : A US satellite was destroyed in an unprecedented collision with a spent Russian satellite, raising fears of danger to other satellites, a report said Thursday.
The collision between Iridium-33, a commercial US communications satellite and Russia's Cosmos 2251 satellite, which had been turned off for years, occurred Tuesday at 04:55 GMT above Siberia at a height of 790 km, the space.com site said, quoting a statement by US space agency NASA.
NASA could land probe on asteroid hurtling towards Earth
By IANS,
London : NASA is considering plans to land a probe on an asteroid that is on a potential collision course with the Earth.
The plan mirrors the plot of the 1998 Hollywood film "Armageddon", in which the White House sends a spaceship to land on an asteroid which is hurtling towards the Earth.
Asteroid 1999 RQ36, which has a 1-in-1,000 chance of hitting the Earth before the year 2200, would cause an explosion equivalent to hundreds of nuclear bombs detonating at once, reports the Telegraph.
850 new species discovered in semi-arid Australia
By IANS,
Sydney : About 850 new species inhabiting underground water, caves and micro-caverns have been discovered in semi-arid Australia. These invertebrates include various insects, small crustaceans, spiders, worms and many others.
The team - led by Andy Austin, professor at the University of Adelaide (U-A), Steve Cooper, South Australian Museum, and Bill Humphreys, Western Australian Museum - conducted a comprehensive four-year survey of underground water, caves and micro-caverns.
Indian spacecraft will try to unravel moon’s origins
By Fakir Balaji, IANS,
Sriharikota (Andhra Pradesh) : India's lunar explorer, Chandrayaan-1, will try to unravel the moon's origins as it scouts for minerals and water there, according to project director M. Annadurai.
When Chandrayaan is launched Oct 22 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre here, about 80 km from Chennai, it will boost international space cooperation by carrying 11 scientific devices, six of them from European and American organisations, to study the earth's nearest celestial neighbour while it orbits 100 km above the moon.
Microsoft launches Office 2010 for global customers
By IANS,
San Francisco : Software giant Microsoft Corp. has rolled out its latest version of application software, Office 2010, for customers across the world.
The company also announced Wednesday the release of Microsoft SharePoint 2010, a web-based collaboration software, as well as the new version of diagramming programme and project management software, Xinhua reported.
"Office 2010 and SharePoint 2010 define the future of productivity," Stephen Elop, president of Microsoft's business division, said.
Climate politics eclipses climate science
By Joydeep Gupta, IANS,
For the last few weeks, leaders of industrialised countries have been busy reducing expectations from next month's critical Copenhagen climate summit, while their counterparts in the developing world declare ambitious plans to control emissions of the greenhouse gases (GHG) that are warming the world.
World’s largest solar steam system comes up in Shirdi
By IANS,
Shirdi (Maharashtra) : Hindu and Muslim pilgrims visiting the shrine of Sai Baba in this town will be served food cooked with the help of a solar steam system, inaugurated by New and Renewable Energy Minister Farooq Abdullah Thursday, that officials say is the world's largest.
The solar steam system can generate 3,500 kg of steam every day - enough to cook food for 20,000 people. It has been designed for cooking food for devotees visiting the shrine devoted to Sai Baba, a 19th century Sufi saint who was revered by Hindus and Muslims alike.
Yahoo signs deal with Google after Microsoft talks end
By DPA,
San Francisco : Yahoo has entered an agreement to run some Google's ads on its search pages after acquisition talks with Microsoft
ended in failure, the web pioneer has said.
The deal reached Thursday may add $800 million a year to Yahoo's sales, but the companies will delay implementation till October to give the US Justice Department time for review, Yahoo said.