India getting ready to watch an eclipsed sun

By IANS, New Delhi/Taregna/Surat : The wait to witness a once-in-a-lifetime celestial phenomenon ends at dawn Wednesday when an eclipsed sun rises over the horizon. And tens of thousands of people all over India are getting ready to wake up to a shaded sunrise and gather at rooftops, planetariums and parks to watch the century's longest total solar eclipse. The total eclipse, which starts at sunrise in Surat in Gujarat, is expected to last six minutes and 44 seconds, making it the longest till 2132.

Hackers help fight natural disasters too!

By IANS, Washington : During the biannual event called the Random Hacks of Kindness (RHoK), hackers worldwide develop software that can help identify and reduce risks from natural hazards.

NASA delays Glory launch

By IANS, Los Angeles : NASA announced Wednesday that it has postponed the launch of its earth-orbiting Glory Mission spacecraft due to technical problems, Xinhua reported.

New technology to detect forged signatures

By IANS

Washington : Think twice if you are about to forge a signature. A newly developed technology will help forensic specialists find out when you signed a cheque, the pen you used, and the origin of the ink.

The technology that is used at present can only trace the ink if a piece of the document is soaked in certain solutions.

Stuart Parkin gets 2014 Millennium Technology Prize

Helsinki: Stuart Parkin, a physicist who has enabled vast increase in digital storage, received the 2014 Millennium Technology Prize in Helsinki Wednesday. Finnish President Sauli...

Sky gazers gather in Shimla to see solar eclipse

By IANS, Shimla : A large number of skygazers gathered in this Himachal Pradesh capital Friday for a glimpse of the rare celestial spectacle - the annular solar eclipse, officials said. Kamraj Kaisth, principal scientific officer of Himachal State Council for Science Technology and Environment, said a large number of people, especially school children, gathered on the historic Ridge to catch a glimpse of the phenomenon.

MIT improves fuel cell output 50 percent

By IANS, Washington : An improved fuel cell, developed by MIT engineers, not only delivers 50 percent greater output, but is also substantially cheaper than older counterparts. "Our goal is to replace traditional fuel-cell membranes with these cost-effective, highly tunable and better-performing materials," said Paula T. Hammond, who led the research team. The Massachussetts Institute of Technology (MIT) team focussed on direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs), in which the methanol is directly used as the fuel and reforming of alcohol down to hydrogen is not required.

Cell phone batteries that won’t overheat

By IANS London : Remember the scare last year caused by some Nokia batteries that were found to be overheating while charging -- leading to their worldwide recall? Such scares will soon be a thing of the past. German researchers have developed a safer lithium-ion battery that is virtually non-inflammable, addressing concerns of mobile phones users worldwide. The new prototype is based on a polymer electrolyte, which unlike liquid electrolyte in conventional cell phone batteries is not inflammable.

World largest ice embedded telescope coming up at Antarctica

By IANS, Washington : An international team is building the world's largest neutrino telescope in the Antarctic, deep beneath the continent's snow-covered surface. Dubbed "IceCube", the telescope will occupy a cubic kilometre of Antarctica when it is completed in 2011, opening super-sensitive new eyes into the heavens. "IceCube will provide new information about some of the most violent and far-away astrophysical events in the cosmos," said Thomas Gaisser, professor of Physics and Astronomy University of Delaware (U-D), and one of the project's lead scientists.

Software to prevent car collisions under development

By IANS, London : A pedestrian chasing a pet dog suddenly steps in the path of your speeding car 15 metres away. There is no way you can avoid hitting him. The string of cars following you crash behind one another. In future, a new software programme will mitigate or even eliminate such an eventuality.

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.

Soon, automatic baggage checking at Delhi airport

By IANS, New Delhi : The Indian capital's Indira Gandhi International Airport has begun trial runs for an 'inline baggage system' that would not only enable baggage to get checked and assigned automatically while passengers wait for their boarding passes but also do away with x-rays. The airport will install the system for all its eight baggage rows at the international terminal, a senior airport official said.

Half a billion Android devices activated: Google

By IANS, San Francisco : Google Wednesday announced that 500 million devices running on its Android operating system have been activated so far.

Russia builds world’s largest telescope in Antarctica

By IANS/RIA Novosti, Moscow : The construction of the world's largest telescope, worth $271 million, will be completed in 2011, Russian space agency Roscosmos said. "The telescope's size exceeds the overall height of the Empire State Building, the Sears Tower in Chicago and the Shanghai World Financial Centre," Roscosmos said. The IceCube telescope designed by researchers and engineers from the University of Wisconsin and sponsored by the National Science Foundation will be inserted into the ice near the South Pole.

China sets eyes on Mars

By IANS, Beijing : China will upgrade its lunar probe spacecraft for Mars exploration in the future, the country's top space scientist has 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...

New addition to solar system may be bigger than Jupiter

By IANS, London : A new planet in our solar system's outer reaches could be four times as large as Jupiter, the biggest planet in the system, scientists believe.

‘Black gold’ may revolutionise farming, curb global warming

By IANS Washington : Scientists have discovered an extraordinary source of some of the richest, most fertile soil in the world, often called 'black gold'. They simply have to mix charcoal in the soil. And it can battle global warming as well by holding the carbon in the soil instead of letting it escape into the atmosphere, according to a new study. The discovery goes back 1,500 years to the central Amazon basin where tribal people mixed their soil with charcoal derived from animal bone and tree bark.

Spacecraft images show rings of Saturn’s 2nd largest moon

By Xinhua Los Algeles : 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.

Ants offer clues to improve traffic flow, say experts

By DPA, Hamburg : Ever wonder how hundreds of ants are able to go up and down a narrow twig without bumping into each other? A team of German scientists wants to find out how ants avoid collisions so that they can use the same principle for traffic control. The scientists built an ingenious super "ant farm" complete with roads, and bridges and a veritable city of ants. Then they observed the traffic patterns of the ants and fed their findings in to a computer.

Scientists make windpipe from stem cells, usher in new era of surgery

By IANS, London : British scientists were hailed Wednesday after the first tissue-engineered windpipe, built from the patient's own stem cells, was successfully transplanted into a young woman with a failing airway. Scientists at Bristol University were in a European team that conducted the operation on a young woman from Colombia living in Spain, they announced Wednesday. The operation was performed in June at the Hospital Clinic in Barcelona.

New global map most comprehensive ever

By IANS New York : A new global map that details the planet's land cover with a resolution 10 times sharper than any of its predecessors is also the most comprehensive ever. The map is based on 20 terabytes of imagery - the equivalent of data in 20 million books - acquired from May 2005 to April 2006 by Envisat's Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) instrument. There are 22 different land cover types shown in the map, including croplands, wetlands, forests, artificial surfaces, water bodies and permanent snow and ice.

Space shuttle Endeavour to launch on March 11

By Xinhua Beijing : NASA confirmed the U.S. space shuttle Endeavour will launch on March 11 for a 16-day mission, according to media reports Sunday. The NASA mission management on Friday confirmed the official launch time of the Endeavour. On March 11 at 2:28 a.m. EDT, the space shuttle will be launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It will be the first of three flights to deliver a huge Japanese research complex to the International Space Station.

ETI Dynamics, Greenhouse Capital to export clean technology

New Delhi: New Delhi-based ETI Dynamics and Auckland-based Greenhouse Capital on Tuesday announced a partnership to invest $100 million in exporting clean technologies from...

Three decades of circling the sky

By IANS, New Delhi : Thirty-one years back India's first satellite Aryabhatta was launched via Russian space vehicle Intercosmos. Monday India's own rocket created history by placing 10 satellites including eight from other countries in orbit around the earth. India's space odyssey started in April 1975 as an experiment. Today, it is a multipurpose commercial programme. Here are the high points of India's space programme: 1975: First Indian satellite Aryabhatta launched on April 19, 1975. It provided technological experience in building and operating a satellite system.

India to spend Rs.7.5 bn for research in earth sciences

By IANS New Delhi : India will spend Rs.7.5 billion ($187.5 million) for carrying out research in oceanography and meteorological science, Finance Minister P. Chidambaram said Friday. Presenting the 2008-09 budget, Chidambaram said the total outlay for the Ministry of Earth Sciences would include Rs.2.94 billion for oceanographic research, Rs.4.32 billion for meteorology and Rs.240 million for other scientific research.

Microsoft issues emergency patch for Internet Explorer

By DPA, San Francisco : Microsoft has issued an emergency patch for its Internet Explorer browser, aiming to fix a critical flaw that allowed hackers to take over computers merely by steering them to infected websites. Microsoft Wednesday took the rare step of issuing the patch after numerous security experts advised people to switch to rival browsers until Microsoft fixed the problem. Microsoft usually releases patches on a set schedule and this is only the third emergency patch in the last three years.

Car ads don’t tell whole truth about emissions

By IANS, Sydney : Ads prompting you to buy a swanky new car might not be telling the whole truth; at least not about the bit on greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution, despite global concerns. These findings are based on an analysis of 514 vehicle ads appearing in two popular magazines like North & South and Metro over a five-year period from 2001 to 2005, by the University of Otago, Wellington. The results showed that only three percent of the ads provided information on fuel efficiency and only four percent on greenhouse gas (carbon dioxide) and air pollution emissions.

Scientists discover new planet outside solar system

By DPA Heidelberg : Scientists in Germany have discovered what is believed to be the youngest planet outside the solar system, the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics announced Wednesday. The giant young planet, called TW Hydrae b, "is still linked to the dusty disk surrounding its parent star", the institute said ahead of publication of the discovery in the British science journal Nature.

Railways U-turn on offering exclusive women train coaches to men

Kolkata : In a victory of sorts for female commuters who did not shy to clash with their male counterparts, the Eastern Railway...

Mars rover stuck for good but still working hard

By DPA, Washington : The Spirit Mars rover has reached its final destination, NASA said after the failure of efforts to free the space probe from sandy soil where it had been trapped for months. Spirit is stuck but remains functional and will live out its life as a stationary science platform, collecting data on the area where it ran into trouble in April. NASA had been trying since November to free the rover in an effort to back it out of a patch of sandy soil where its wheels had become embedded.

Russia to encourage patriotism through computer game

By IANS/RIZ Novosti, Moscow : The Russian government is working on a project to produce computer games aimed at boosting patriotism among young people. The communication ministry and a leading software firm 1C have presented a project concerning six flight simulator games that they say are helping to improve Russia's international hi-tech image and increase patriotism among teenagers. Vedomosti, a business daily, quoted 1C CEO Boris Nuraliev as saying that he had already demonstrated a flight simulator game to President Dmitry Medvedev.

China’s second lunar probe blasts off

By IANS, Beijing : China Friday launched its second unmanned lunar probe, Chang'e-2. This was the second of the country's three-phase moon mission which will culminate in a landing on the moon.

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.

India seeks inclusion in Russian space station project

By RIA Novosti Moscow : India has expressed its intention to participate in the Russian International Space Station construction project, according to Russian space agency head Anatoly Perminov. "As regards the list of nations wishing to join in the construction and operation of the International Space Station, India has recently applied," Roskosmos chief said last week. He added that India was a major space power with a series of achievements in non-manned aerospace projects, and would like to make a contribution to the space station project.

MIT researchers work on more powerful batteries

By IANS, Washington: A team of researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is developing a technology that could lead to more powerful, lightweight batteries than existing ones. Yang Shao-Horn, MIT associate professor of mechanical engineering, says that many groups have been pursuing work on lithium-air batteries, a technology that could advance work on energy density. But, there has been a lack of understanding of what kinds of electrode materials could promote the electrochemical reactions that take place in these batteries.

India’s moon spacecraft positioned atop rocket

By Venkatachari Jagannathan, IANS, Chennai : A week before launch, India's maiden lunar mission has progressed one step further, with the Chandrayaan spacecraft that will orbit the moon installed atop the rocket ferrying it. "The spacecraft was fitted to the rocket Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle C11 (PSLV C11) Tuesday night. Today (Wednesday) the heat shield will be fitted to make the rocket ready for moving to the launch pad," M. Annadurai, project director, Chandrayaan told IANS from the launch site Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh, around 80 km from here.

Researchers perfecting technique to suck carbon from air

By IANS, Sydney : Researchers are working on a new technique to extract carbon dioxide from the air and cut down pollution levels. The research, being conducted by University of Tasmania, could also lead to methods of recycling climate change pollutants to become environmentally-friendly compounds. Chief project investigator Brian Yates said the research was part of a broader project to develop a model for breaking strong bonds that form the components of molecules, and how these compounds react with metal complexes.

Astronauts remove faulty pump outside ISS

By DPA, Washington : Two US astronauts successfully removed a stubborn cooling pump outside the International Space Station (ISS) Wednesday. Doug Wheelock and Tracy Caldwell Dyson returned to the station after their 7-hour-26-minute spacewalk, where they were confined a bit longer in a secure airlock to make sure no dangerous ammonia had clung to their spacesuits.

Google upgrades search technology

By DPA, San Francisco : Google unveiled new features for its signature search tools Monday, including an ability to search by sight, a mobile translator and a real-time search of more than 1 billion new social media pages created every day. Google executives showed off the upgrades at an annual company event called Searchology.

Partial solar eclipse in Delhi, but clouds play spoilsport

By IANS, New Delhi : Delhi witnessed the year's first partial solar eclipse Tuesday but cloudy skies prevented many people from having a clear view of the celestial spectacle.

Researchers teach computers to search photos by subject

By IANS, Washington : Penn State University researchers have developed a statistical approach, called ALIPR, that one day could make it easier to search the net for photographs. The public can participate in improving ALIPR or automatic linguistic indexing of pictures in real-time accuracy, by visiting www.alipr.com, uploading photographs, and evaluating whether the keywords that ALIPR uses to describe the photographs are appropriate.

Scientists explain obscene growth of black holes

By IANS, Washington : A new theory about why black holes become so hugely massive has been put forth by astronomers from University of Leicester, UK and Monash University, Australia.

Chennai to host ‘AI’ conference for software architects

Thiruvananthapuram: Nasscom has joined hands with US-headquartered Envestnet, Inc. to host the Architecting Intelligence (AI) conference for software architects here on Saturday. Envestnet is a...

Solved: 100-year-old aerodynamic problem

By IANS, Washington : As a car accelerates up and down the hill then slows down to follow a hairpin bend, the airflow around it cannot keep up and detaches from the vehicle. This aerodynamic separation creates a drag that slows the car and forces the engine to work harder, using more fuel. The same phenomenon affects airplanes, boats, submarines, even your golf ball.

INSAT 3D to boost weather forecasting accuracy

By IANS, Thiruvananthapuram : India is expected to launch the INSAT 3D satellite later this year to boost its weather forecasting accuracy, Shailesh Naik, Secretary in the Ministry of Earth Sciences, said here Tuesday. "The country will achieve more accuracy level within a few years in short-term and long-term weather forecasts," Naik said while delivering a lecture on 'Weather, Climate and Environment' at the ongoing 97th Indian Science Congress.

Arctic summer sea ice may disappear in 5 years

By Xinhuanet Beijing : The melting of the Arctic is accelerating and scientists estimate that the summer sea ice would disappear in five years, media reported Wednesday referring to new NASA satellite data. Just last year, two top scientists surprised their colleagues by projecting that the Arctic sea ice was melting so rapidly that it could disappear entirely by the summer of 2040.

Vodafone reaches 100 million subscribers in India

By IANS, New Delhi: Mobile telephony provider Vodafone Essar has crossed the landmark of 100 million subscribers in India, the telecom operator said Thursday. After Bharti Airtel and Reliance Communications (RCom), Vodafone is the third company in India to reach the milestone of 100 million customers. In terms of revenue, it is India's second largest operator.

Healing from space for victims of depression

By IANS, Washington : A futuristic NASA programme to help astronauts cope with space flight blues will also benefit people with similar conditions back home. "This project has great potential as a self-guided treatment for many people," said NASA project leader James Cartreine, a member of National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI) Neurobehavioral and Psychosocial Factors Team. "Depression is the number one cause of disability days in the US, but it's not only about days lost. Depression also results in presenteeism - showing up for work but not really working," he added.

Mars, a seething cauldron for 100 million years

By IANS, Sydney : Mars may have been a seething cauldron for nearly a 100 million years after its formation, thwarting evolution of life on the planet, according to an analysis of meteorites. The research has shown that the red planet remained excessively hot - with temperatures over 1,000 degrees Celsius - for 100 million years following its formation.

Iran launches satellite

By IANS/RIA Novosti, Moscow : Iran has successfully launched an observation satellite, Iranian news network Press TV reported Friday.

Astronomers identify second-brightest star in Milky Way

By Xinhua, Washington : A contender for the title of the brightest star in our Milky Way has been unearthed in the dusty metropolis of the galaxy's center, according to a new study in an upcoming issue of the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics. Nicknamed the "Peony nebula star," the bright stellar bulb was revealed by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope and other ground-based telescopes. It blazes with the light of an estimated 3.2 million suns, reported a team of German astronomers.

US-based Indian designs garbage disposal system for India

By IANS, Kolkata: A US-based Indian engineer has designed and patented three waste disposal units that "match architecture and road systems" of India.

China installs largest optical telescope in Antarctica

By IANS, Beijing : A Chinese expedition team to Antarctica has finished installing and testing the largest optical telescope in the snow-capped region, experts said.

Your mobile phone can also be a credit card

By IANS, Istanbul : Imagine swiping a mobile phone to pay for all the things that you buy! This has just been made possible by latest technology that allows bank information to be stored in your mobile phones' memory cards. Global credit card giant Visa has entered a partnership with a Turkish bank to launch this technology, the first of its kind in Europe. This technology is used to store bank information in memory cards placed in mobile phones and allow them to be waved in front of credit card payment points, Visa Europe, which has collaborated with Turkey's Akbank, said.

Iran dismisses US concern over space research drive

By IANS Tehran : Iran Tuesday dismissed the US concern over its space research programme and said that the launch of Explorer-1 rocket is only for research studies. "The government is responsible for progress and development of the country and is not responsible for others' concern," Iranian government spokesman Gholam-Hossein Elham said during his weekly press conference, official IRNA news agency reported.

US and Russian satellites collide in space

By Xinhua, Washington : A privately owned US communication satellite collided with a defunct Russian satellite in orbit posing a risk to the international space station, US space agency NASA has said. It was the first such collision in space, NASA spokesman Kelly Humphries said, adding that the magnitude of the accident was still unknown. The Russian Federal Space Agency Roscosmos Thursday confirmed the collision and said that it poses no threat to the International Space Station (ISS).

Indian students ensure robot’s walk to global contest

By Azera Rahman, IANS New Delhi : Two students from the premier engineering institute BITS at Pilani have developed for the first time in India a humanoid robot that will be shown at the world's biggest robot contest in San Francisco. Samay Kohli, 21, and Arpit Mohan, 19, are all set to leave for the US despite funding problems. "Although non-resident Indians (NRI) have developed humanoids before, we are the first Indians here to have developed one," Kohli beamed.

Recreating planetary sounds from Mars, Venus

By IANS, London : Scientists have for the first time recreated the sound of lightning and whirlwinds from Mars and Venus and also how we would hear human voices on their surface.

iPhone debuts big in BlackBerry country

By Gurmukh Singh, IANS, Toronto : Apple's iPhone 3G debuted in the country of BlackBerry Friday with an unprecedented response. In cities across Canada, people started making lines at stores as early as 2 a.m. to lap up the magic wireless device. Rogers Communications, the exclusive carrier of iPhone in Canada, had a tough time controlling the crowds as supplies sold out quickly at its stores. In fact, at its flagship store in downtown Toronto, the iPhone was sold out immediately after it opened at 8 a.m.

Kazakh astronaut to fly to ISS, Russian hopeful grounded

By RIA Novosti, Moscow : A Kazakh national will fly to the International Space Station in October 2009, a spokesman for the Kazakh National Space Agency said on Thursday. Talgat Musabayev said the Kazakh cosmonaut would fly to the "Russian segment" of the ISS, adding however, that "the financial components of the flight" had yet to be discussed at a meeting of a Russian-Kazakh commission. He also expressed his gratitude to the Russian space agency Roscosmos.

Fuel free building cooling system developed

By IANS, Ahmedabad : A Jaipur-based mechanical engineer and an architect from Ahmedabad have jointly developed a fuel free passive cooling system for buildings. Jyotirmay Mathur of Malaviya National Institute of Technology, Jaipur and Rajeev Kathpalia of the city-based Vastu Shilipa Consultants have developed the system that comprises a solar chimney and a wind tower. The solar chimney that will be installed on the roof of a building will provide ventilation while the wind tower will provide a breeze.

Scientists using videogame as psychological tool

By IANS New York : Nintendo Wiimote is highly popular as a video-game, but by hooking it to a lab, computer researchers in the US have been able to extract clues about how a person performed a learning task. Although it has in the past been adapted as a tool of physical therapy for geriatrics, researchers at the University of Memphis have found another use for the game - psychological experimentation. Data from the Wiimote permitted researchers, led by Dale Rick, to demonstrate that body movements change systematically along with change in mental processing.

U.S. company unveils two-seater rocketship for private space tourism

By Xinhua Washington : A U.S. aerospace company based in California on Wednesday unveiled a new suborbital spaceship with two seats for private space tourists. The company, XCOR Aerospace announced that its two-seat, rocket-powered Lynx spaceship, is capable of suborbital flights to altitudes of more than 37 miles (60 kilometers) above the Earth. The spaceship, roughly the size of a small private airplane, will first take off in 2010 and is expected to be capable of making several flights a day, according to XCOR.

NASA develops mirror to look into galactic past

By IANS, Washington : Once upon a time, shiny surfaces and mirrors were credited with magical powers that could look into the future. Now two centuries later, NASA is relying on them to look into the past. The agency is developing a primary mirror 21.3 feet across, for use on the James Webb Space Telescope, to tell us about our beginning in the universe. The primary mirror will serve as the telescope's eye and peer through dusty clouds to see stars forming planetary systems, connecting the Milky Way to our own solar system.

Hathway unplugs Internet services in Chennai

By IANS, Chennai : The city's first broadband Internet service provider Hathway Cable and Datacom Ltd has unplugged its services here and started refunding its subscribers their dues, officials said. "We are forced to close down our business. We don't know why. This is the answer I give to all my subscribers," a company official, who did not want to be identified, told IANS. Part of the Mumbai-based Rajan Raheja group, Hathway Cable has around 50,000 subscribers in the city.

Google 3D medical browser maps human body

By IANS, London : Google has developed a new browser that maps the human body in detail.

Milkweed plant evolves new defences to outwit caterpillars

By IANS, Washington : Some plants are discarding elaborate defences against predatory caterpillars and evolving more favourable stratagems to ensure survival, according to a study. The latest example is the milkweed plant, which, according to genetic analysis, instead of resisting predators, is now putting greater efforts into repairing themselves faster than their foe monarch butterfly caterpillar can eat them.

Chinese Army to wear ‘digital camouflage’

By Xinhua

Beijing : In contrast to the eye-catching uniforms recently unveiled by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) of China, a new line of military wear has been designed to make its users less visible.

Space hotel to open in 2012

By Xinhua Madrid : The Galactic Suite, the first hotel in space, will open for business in 2012, its Barcelona-based architects said. Reservations for the Galactic Suite will begin in 2008, company director Xavier Claramunt said here. "The Galactic suite will allow clients to travel around the world in 80 minutes," Claramunt said.

Recovery tools: emergency helpers for data crashes

By DPA Hanover : It can happen very quickly: you empty the Windows Recycle Bin just a bit too quickly, or format a thumb drive unintentionally - and important data is suddenly gone. Yet hope is not lost, because in most cases the operating system has not actually deleted the file but just released it for overwriting. "It's similar to a thick book that's had part of the table of contents ripped out. Then you can't find specific pages without a bit of help," says Boi Feddern, an editor at German computing magazine c't.

Microscope for objects 20,000 times thinner than hair on anvil

By IANS, Washington : A physicist is all set to design an ultra powerful microscope that can look at molecules and objects 20,000 times thinner than a human hair. The new microscope, to be built within the next year, will allow much greater precision in identifying objects, such as certain cellular proteins, by letting scientists see them individually and watch their movement in real time.

Tiny dinosaur tailor-made for running discovered

By IANS, London : Scientists have discovered a tiny dinosaur tailor-made for running, according to a new Chinese-Canadian-British study. The fossil skeleton of the tiny animal, named Xixianykus Zhangi, is incomplete but would probably have been half-a-metre long. The specimen comes from Xixia County in Henan province, China.

Martian formations suggest underground water surges

By IANS New York : Many unique formations on Mars suggest that they were formed millennia back by water welling up rapidly from deep within the red planet. Some of these formations, which resemble gigantic fans, have steps going down to a basin, and researchers have disputed how they were formed since their discovery three years ago. But a team of scientists from the US and the Netherlands now believe they were formed by water gushing from within Mars.

Mars mission a shining symbol of what we are capable: Modi

Bangalore: The success of Indcia's Mars mission is "a shining symbol of what we are capable of as a nation" and we have gone...

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.

US satellite still circling earth after 50 years

By IANS Washington : Vanguard I, the oldest satellite still orbiting the earth, will complete 50 years in space Monday. It was launched March 17, 1958 from Cape Canaveral, Florida. Vanguard-I, the first ever solar-powered space vehicle, is only six inches across and weighs about 1.5 kg. Its small size, compared to the Soviet Union's 200-pound Sputnik-I, caused then-Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev to dub it "the grapefruit satellite".

Russian bio-satellite makes safe landing

By RIA Novosti Moscow : The re-entry module of the Foton-M bio-satellite successfully landed at 11.58 a.m. Moscow time (7.58 a.m. GMT) Wednesday in northern Kazakhstan, RIA Novosti reported. The satellite was launched Sep 14 on a Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur space centre in Kazakhstan carrying gerbils, snails, cockroaches and many other creatures sealed in special containers and filmed by a video camera during the flight, as part of experiments carried out by the Institute of Biomedical Problems (IBMP).

Chandra observatory detects new space X-ray source

By IANS New York : Astronomers studying a nearby galaxy with NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory have detected a rare type of star system with a black hole that has begun glowing with a new X-ray source. Usually, when astronomers study the galaxy, called Centaurus A, it's the giant X-ray jets emanating from its heart that steal the show, according to Gregory Sivakoff of Ohio State University.

Space telescope launched to spy on black-holes

By DPA, Washington : After several delays, the US space telescope GLAST Wednesday was heading for a mission expected to shed light on black holes and the gravitational forces causing the universe to expand. GLAST was launched on a Delta II rocket from Cape Canaveral in Florida at 1600 GMT. GLAST's five-year, $700 million agenda includes up-close spying on the violent explosions and other cosmic catastrophes that astronomers have been observing through the Hubble space telescope and sophisticated observations from Earth.

Agra based firm launches free astrology software for mobiles

By IANS, Agra : Star gazers and those interested in astrology can now prepare their horoscopes on their mobile phone itself, and that too free of cost. A free software developed by Ojas Softech's research wing in Agra, was Wednesday launched by Surendra Sharma of the Brahmin Maha Sabha. "With the number of star gazers going up and the younger generation getting hooked to astrology, the new software will prove a useful tool," Sharma said. For those who follow Jyotish (astrology) personally and professionally, Ojas has launched free Jyotish software for mobile phones.

Methane found on Jupiter-sized extra-solar planet

By IANS Washington : For the first time ever, astronomers have detected an organic molecule - which plays a key role in the formation of life - on a planet circling a nearby star. The methane molecule has been detected by the Hubble Space Telescope in the atmosphere of the Jupiter-sized planet named HD 189733b, located 63 light-years away in the constellation Vulpecula, or the little fox. Under right circumstances, methane can play a key role in pre-biotic (life forming) chemistry

Scientists duplicate keys with help of zoom lens

By IANS, Washington : Computer scientists can now duplicate keys without looking at them; all they need is a photo or an image of the object, thanks to a new software. They successfully decoded the image of a key, lifted from a distance of 195 feet with a cellphone camera, fed it into their software which then produced the information required to create copies. In yet another example, they used a five-inch telephoto lens to capture images from the roof of a campus building and duplicate keys sitting on a café table more than 200 feet away.

India aspires to launch manned spacecraft to the moon by 2015

By KUNA, New Delhi : India is working to send a manned spacecraft to the moon to orbit the planet by 2015 after the successful launching of the first unmanned spacecraft on Wednesday. A statement in this respect was made by Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) chairman G. Madhavan Nair after losing sight of Chandrayaan-1, the first unmanned spaceship as part of the organization aspirations to send national Indian astronauts to orbit the moon by the year 2015.

Agenda for India: Information Technology

TwoCircles.net presents “Agenda for India”. Series editor is Charu Bahri. Challenges & Solutions Information technology professionals Amin Ismaili and his wife Shahin Ismaili, both of whom work as Assistant Systems Engineers with TATA Consultancy Services Ltd., identify India’s heavy dependence on markets in the USA as the greatest challenge presently facing the Information Technology (IT) and IT enabled services (ITES, more commonly spoken of as outsourcing) industries.

China To Launch 3rd Geostationary Weather Satellite Next Week

By Bernama, Beijing : China will launch its third geostationary meteorological satellite, the Fengyun-2-06, some time next week, the China Meteorological Administration (CMA) told Xinhua on Friday. It will take off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwestern Sichuan Province. According to the CMA, Fengyun-2-06 will copy meteorological data from preceding satellites after orbit operation trials. It is designed to replace Fengyun-2-C which has outlived its service.

India plans to launch 10 satellites every year

By Fakir Balaji, IANS, Bangalore : Indian space scientists and engineers are bracing up to launch an average of 10 satellites per year to meet the rising demand for various space applications, including communications and remote sensing, a top space scientist said. "We are planning to launch 10 satellites per year, beginning fiscal 2010-11. We have a series of satellites and launch vehicles at various stages of preparation," Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman K. Radhakrishnan told IANS.

Russia to continue Arctic shelf research

By RIA Novosti Moscow : Russian scientists will continue to study the Arctic shelf in order to bolster the country's claim to a large swathe of seabed believed to be rich in oil and gas, a Russian lawmaker has said. President Vladimir Putin has said that Russia's Arctic research is aimed at establishing the country's right to a part of the Arctic shelf. Artur Chilingarov, member of the lower house of Russia's parliament and a veteran explorer, said international cooperation in the area would continue.

Cocoons to green energy: Indian scientists find the way

By Sahana Ghosh, Kolkata : Centuries ago trade in Chinese silk spawned the mighty transcontinental network of passages dubbed the Silk Route. Now, Indian scientists...

KLM opts for Kerala firm’s crew management solution

By IANS, Thiruvananthapuram : IBS Software Services, a provider of information technology (IT) solutions to the travel, transportation and logistics industry, has signed an agreement with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines for providing a crew management solution. The company said here Thursday the airline will gradually replace the existing mainframe system with IBS crew management solution AvientCrew. AvientCrew will help KLM manage all aspects of their crew operations - from planning vacations and roster systems, to tracking performance.

New technology to help drug companies save millions

By IANS, London : A new technique will help drug companies save millions of dollars. It is a potentially valuable tool in drug manufacture, where controlling crystal forms is crucial both to cost and product safety. The new technology identifies and monitors changes in crystal structures on-line, providing a method of ensuring production of the desired drug compounds. Most drug compounds are crystalline. Their structure can affect their physical attributes and performance. However, changes in these structures are caused by undetected fluctuations.

U.S. space shuttle Discovery enters launch countdown

By Xinhua, Washington : The U.S. space shuttle Discovery enters its official launch countdown at 3 p.m. EDT (1900 GMT) on Wednesday, aiming at a targeted launch on Saturday, NASA TV reported. The launch team at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida is tracking no issues as technicians continue preparing Discovery for liftoff on Saturday at 5:02 p.m. EDT (2102 GMT), said NASA's shuttle program.

Ocean algae could be rich source of bio-fuels: study

By IANS, Washington : Two Kansas State University scientists are taking the initiative to cultivate oil-rich algae in oceans for bio-fuel. Certain species of algae high in oil content could be converted into such fuels as bio-diesel, according to Zhijian Pei and Wenqiao Yuan. Algae also have several eco-friendly advantages over corn or other plants used for bio-fuels, including requiring no oil or water to grow.

Giant flying reptiles preferred to walk the earth

By IANS, Washington : Huge flying reptiles of ancient times weren't exactly predators grabbing fish from seas, but were really more suited to life on the ground. A particular kind of pterosaur, the azhdarchids, existing 230 to 65 million years ago with dinosaurs, stalked animals on foot rather than through the air, according to a new study. Azhdarchids were better adapted to walking than any of their first cousins because of their long limbs and skulls were suited for picking up small animals off the ground.

‘A galaxy is like a giant soap bubble’

By IANS, London : Although little is known about how the universe is structured, latest observations support the theory that large galaxies are clustered together in structures similar to giant soap bubbles, with tinier galaxies sprinkled on the surface of this "soapy" layer.

Planets forming in Pleiades star cluster: astronomers

By IANS New York : Planets like Earth, Mars or Venus appear to be forming or to have recently formed around a star in the Pleiades star cluster, the result of "monster collisions" of planets or planetary embryos. Astronomers using the Gemini Observatory in Hawaii and the Spitzer Space Telescope report these findings in an upcoming issue of the Astrophysical Journal.

Agarwallas’ Scrabulous computer game is faster now

By Parveen Chopra, IANS New York : A faster version of Scrabulous, developed by two Kolkatans, has been uploaded on Facebook that sees half a million daily users of the Scrabble-like game. The US social networking site has also opened up the game and other plug-in applications to its competitors. Released by brothers Jayant and Rajat Agarwalla, two software developers, on Facebook in June, the game's popularity prompted the new version to make match uploads faster for the online players.

Space dreams dip low as NASA marks 50 years

By Peer Meinert, DPA, Washington : NASA is preparing to mark its 50th birthday in a somewhat sober mood, and even the official date for the legal creation of the space agency - July 29 - will take a back seat to larger celebrations planned for October. The surviving space shuttles, now 27 years old, are to be retired in 2010, leaving the sole transport to the International Space station in the hands of America's erstwhile space rivals, the Russians.

Apple sells three million iPads over weekend

By IANS, San Francisco: Apple announced Monday that it sold three million iPad mini and fourth generation iPad when the products went on sale this weekend.

Adani group to set up solar power parks in TN

Chennai : Gujarat-based Adani group on Saturday signed an agreement with the Tamil Nadu government to supply 648 MW of solar power from...

Indian Muslim blogs nominated for Brass Crescent Awards

By TwoCircles.net staff reporter In the world of blogs known as blogosphere, Indian Muslims are making their presence known. Two Indian Muslims blogs have won nomination to the 4th Brass Crescent Awards. Indian Muslim Blog (IMB) on www.IndianMuslims.in, a collaborative blog that started in January 2006 and have a number of bloggers who write on topics related to India and Muslims is nominated for the “Best Group Blog” category.

Endeavour shuttle roars back to Earth

By IANS For minutes after the precisely timed landing, fire spewed from the spacecraft's engines - a standard phenomenon that often goes unremarked by ordinary viewers during the more common daylight landings. The shuttle landed at 0039 GMT Thursday. A crewmember called the mission "rewarding and exciting from start to ending", according to the audio transmission from the landing monitored in Washington.

Zenit rocket to orbit Israeli satellite in late April

By RIA Novosti Moscow : The launch of a modified Zenit rocket to put an Israeli communications satellite into orbit has been scheduled for April 24, Russia's Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) said on Monday. Russia started preparations for the launch of a Zenit-3SLB rocket with a DM-SLB booster and Israeli AMOS-3 satellite on board from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan in October last year. "This weekend, the booster was delivered to site 31 [at Baikonur] for fuelling and fitting with the AMOS-3 satellite," Roscosmos said in a statement.

Millions throng to Kurukshetra for holy dip during solar eclipse

By IANS, Kurukshetra (Haryana) : It was a sea of humanity that arrived in this Haryana town to take a dip in the 'Brahmsarovar' on the occasion of the longest solar eclipse of the 21st century Wednesday. The administration here said that nearly 1.5 million (15 lakh) were expected to arrive for a holy dip at the 'Brahmsarovar' (Pond of Lord Brahma - the Hindu god considered the creator of the universe) on the occasion. People started thronging the holy pond since 3 a.m. Wednesday even though the eclipse was expected to take place three hours later.

India’s science body signs deal with MeadWestvaco

By IANS Mumbai : India's leading scientific research organisation Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has inked an agreement with global packaging solutions major MeadWestvaco Corp (MWV) for developing and packaging applications in consumer, agriculture and transportation sectors. After signing the umbrella agreement for research and development collaboration, S.K. Brahmachari, director general of CSIR, said research partnership would address critical areas in the sponsored research projects in the applications of packaging.

Scientists find signs of flowing water on Mars

By IANS/WAM, Abu Dhabi : The first signs of flowing water on Mars have been discovered by US scientists, the journal Science reported.

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.

Russian rocket fails to send US satellite into orbit

By Xinhua Moscow : A Russian rocket failed to send into orbit a US communication satellite that was launched from Central Asia's Baikonur space centre early Saturday. The AMC-14 satellite, atop of a Proton-M carrier rocket, was put into a orbit with the apogee altitude of 28,000 km instead of the planned 36,000 km, the Itar-Tass news agency said, citing Russian space agency Roskosmos. The rocket blasted off at 02.18 Saturday from the Baikonur space centre.

Divorces contributing to global warming: study

By IANS Sydney : Increasing number of divorces are contributing to global warming, says a new study that suggests people should save their marriages to save the environment. After divorce a woman moves out and forms a new household. The study by researchers at the Michigan State University found that this leads to less efficient use of natural resources, more demand for land for housing, and higher expenditure on utilities, reported the online edition of News Australia. Researchers surveyed 3,283 homes in the US between 2001 and 2005.

CDC eyes India acquisitions to propel growth

By IANS Bangalore : CDC Software, a wholly owned subsidiary of CDC Corp and a provider of industry-specific enterprise software applications and business services, plans strategic acquisitions in India to expand its presence and scale up its client base, a senior company official said here Wednesday.

China to launch satellite for Pakistan

By IANS, Beijing : China will launch a communications satellite for Pakistan at an "appropriate time", an official said Wednesday.

Nanoscale image of soil reveals ‘incredible’ world

By IANS, Washington : When you look down at the grains of soil beneath your feet, all of them seem alike. But when scientists examined them very closely, at the nanoscale level, they discovered an incredible world populated by "heterogeneity of organic matter". Outwardly, composition of organic soils from North America, Panama, Brazil, Kenya or New Zealand proved similar. However, spaces separated by mere micrometres within the same sample showed up striking differences during a recent study.

Russia’s Soyuz craft docks with space station

By RIA Novosti, Moscow : Russia's Soyuz spacecraft carrying a crew of three has docked with the International Space Station (ISS), Mission Control said Wednesday. The spacecraft docked with the ISS in an automated mode at 1:48 a.m. Wednesday. The crew, comprising Russian Oleg Kotov, NASA astronaut Timothy Creamer and Japan's Soichi Noguchi, are joining the current ISS crew of US astronaut Jeff Williams and Russian Maxim Surayev, who have been on the ISS since early October. The Soyuz was launched early Monday from Russia's Baikonur Space Center in southern Kazakhstan.

Synopsys buys out ArchPro Design

By IANS

Bangalore : Synopsys Inc., a leading US-based semiconductor design software firm, Wednesday announced acquisition of ArchPro Design Automation Ltd, a Bangalore-based power management start-up, to enhance its low-power design and verification solution.

’60 percent of country’s CO2 emissions are from power sector’

By IANS, New Delhi : The power sector accounts for around 60 percent of the conuntry's carbon dioxide emissions, Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said Wednesday. "The power sector approximately accounts for 60 percent of the total carbon dioxide emissions generated in the country," Ramesh told the Lok Sabha in a written reply. He said thermal power generation accounts for around 64 percent of the total power generation in the country. Coal, gas and diesel-based power generation contribute approximately 82 percent, 17 percent and one percent of the thermal power generation.

Ghazal festival to be live-streamed online

Mumbai : The annual ‘Khazana - A Festival of Ghazals’ concert, which will bring together renowned ghazal artists like Pankaj Udhas and Rekha Bhardwaj,...

Intel unveils high-efficiency quad-core processors

By IANS Hyderabad : Intel Corporation Thursday launched the industry's first quad-core processors designed for multi-processor servers and high-end desktops to give higher performance at lesser power. The six new processors in the quad-core Xeon 7300 series, deployed to run multiple applications in data centres, businesses and small and medium enterprises (SMEs), perform two times faster than dual cores with three times more output per watt.

Human brain learns best at night

Sydney, Sep 13 (IANS) The human brain learns more effectively at night than in the morning, a young scientist in Australia has found out. Martin Sale, an Adelaide University Ph.D student, used magnetic brain stimulation to investigate how the brain learns. He found that the cerebral cortex, the area of the brain that controls movement, learns best at night. The findings could have implications for people who are recovering from brain injuries.

‘India poised to become major collaborative space power’

By IANS, Chennai : India, already a leader in the remote sensing data domain, is poised to become a major collaborative space power, says an international space competitiveness index study. According to the study, conducted by the US-based Futron Corp, the space race that has witnessed major developments like the Soviet Union's Sputnik launch, the first man-made satellite to orbit and the US' successful moon mission is now a $100 billion-plus industry.

Scientists discover new plant in Kerala

By IANS Kozhikode : Scientists have discovered a new plant species, named Miliusa Wayanaddica and belonging to the Annonaceae family, in Kerala's Wayanad district. The new plant was discovered by M.K. Ratheesh Narayanan of the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, Kalpetta, Wayanad, and P. Sujanapal of the Kerala Forest Research Institute (KFRI). It was found in the Meppadi forest range in the Western Ghats at an altitude of 1,400 metres above the sea level. "The plant is endemic to the area, but has no known local name," Narayanan said.

India calls for transparency in internet surveillance

By Arul Louis United Nations : India has called for transparency and accountability in internet security surveillance and for striking balance between human rights and...

NDA okayed Rs.1,60,000 crore proposals to modernise forces: Parrikar

New Delhi : The NDA government has sanctioned acquisition proposals worth over Rs.1,60,000 crore for modernisation of the armed forces since coming to power,...

Scientists isolate genes that imbue us with uniquely human traits

By IANS, Washington : Humans and chimpanzees are genetically very similar yet clearly distinct in many ways. Scientists have isolated genes that evolved in humans after branching off from other primates, making us uniquely human. The prevailing wisdom in molecular evolution was that new genes could only evolve from duplicated or rearranged versions of pre-existing genes. It seemed highly unlikely that evolution could produce a functional protein-coding gene from what was once inactive DNA.

Nanotechnology: science of small with huge opportunities

Chennai, March 24 (IANS) In future we may never have to wash our shirts, thanks to nanotechnology, and we may have nano-shoes that can absorb the shock of an exploding nuclear device. A. Sivathanu Pillai, one of India's top scientists, discussed all this and many more far-reaching possibilities of nanotechnology, which basically means engineering of systems at molecular level, at an industry meet here last week. "It is material science at its best," said Pillai, who is chief controller (research and development) at the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

Telescope-like device may reverse vision loss

By IANS Washington : A small telescope-like device developed by ophthalmologists in the US may be able to halt and even reverse vision loss caused by macular degeneration, an age-related eye disease. According to a new study published in the Archives of Ophthalmology, the optical prosthetics, tiny enough to be balanced on a fingertip, dramatically improved the vision of about two thirds of 206 patients studied in a 24-month clinical trial.

NASA set to conduct largest airborne polar ice survey

By IANS, Washington : NASA will conduct a massive polar survey from Oct 15 to examine changes to Antarctica's sea ice and glaciers. The flights are part of Operation Ice Bridge, a six-year campaign that is the largest airborne survey ever made of ice at the polar regions. Researchers will work from NASA's DC-8, an airborne lab equipped with laser mapping instruments, ice-penetrating radar and gravity instruments.

Life under threat as more ultraviolet radiation to hit earth

By IANS, Toronto : Rapid climate changes are set to redistribute the already shrinking ozone layer, exposing earth's southern parts up to 20 percent more ultraviolet radiation, warns a Canadian study. Concentrated in the stratosphere from 10 km to 50 km above the earth, the ozone layer protects life on the planet by absorbing more than 90 percent of deadly ultraviolet rays coming from the sun. Ultraviolet rays cause genetic changes and trigger various cancers.

Sad for Yahoo, gain for Microsoft

By Prasanto K. Roy, IANS, A sad day for Yahoo! That's the consensus -- a rare one -- across both global technology and investor communities. Yahoo stock dropped 10 percent, Microsoft rose one percent. For once, the markets may have got it right. The decision to work together on their search engines is a big mistake for Yahoo, and a small gain for Microsoft. But it was coming, even if we didn't see exactly this 10-year deal in which Microsoft's Bing will power Yahoo Search.

Campaign to beam first advertisement into space

By IANS London : A campaign to broadcast the first advertisement into space has just got underway with the University of Leicester (U-L) space scientists playing a key part in the process. The best 30-second advertisement about how life on earth is perceived, out of the many to be created by the public as part of national competition, will be beamed into the outermost reaches of space, a university release said.

India, France to launch tropical weather satellite in 2009

By IANS, New Delhi : India and France will jointly launch a satellite next year to understand climate change and the tropical weather phenomena including monsoons. The joint working group of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the French Space Agency Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES) met in Goa Saturday and Sunday to review the progress made on this. ISRO chairman G. Madhavan Nair and CNES president Yannick d'Escatha discussed the various modalities and technicalities involved with the launch of satellite Megha Topiques.

A stick-on film that protects phone users from radiation

By IANS, Jerusalem: An Israeli firm has invented a stick-on film that would protect cell phone users from the dangers of electromagnetic radiation emitted by the device, a media report said.

Indian IT industry bucks global recession to sustain growth

By IANS, New Delhi: The Indian IT industry managed to limit the impact of global recession last fiscal and maintain the growth momentum, albeit lower than that in the boom times, says tech publisher Dataquest. "Export firms did better in recession-hit developed markets than those whose business is limited to the Indian market," Dataquest editor Prasanto K. Roy said. Though the business of top 20 firms led by Indian IT bellwethers TCS, Infosys and Wipro, and multinationals such as HP and IBM, grew by an average 19 percent, seven of these posted single-digit revenue growth.

US space shuttle Endeavour lands in California

By Xinhua, Los Angeles : US space shuttle Endeavour landed in California Sunday afternoon after a 16-day trip, as unfavourable weather conditions in Florida prevented the shuttle from landing in its home base in Cape Canaveral. Residents across Southern California heard the twin booms around 1.25 p.m. (2125 GMT), when Endeavour broke the sound barrier under the sunny sky as it was gliding into local airspace en route to Edwards Air Force Base near Los Angeles.

Chandrayaan descends into lower lunar orbit

By IANS, Bangalore : India's first unmanned spacecraft Chandrayaan-1 descended further into the lunar orbit Tuesday following the third orbit-reduction manoeuvre, a top space official said here. "The manoeuvre was carried out at 18.30 (IST) for 31 seconds to push the spacecraft into a lower orbit at 102-km periselene (nearest point to moon) and 255-km aposilene (farthest point from moon)," Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) director S. Satish told IANS. In the current lower elliptical orbit, the spacecraft will revolve around the moon once in two hours and nine minutes.

Nanotechnology sharply polarises people along cultural lines

By IANS, Washington : Nanotech may be revolutionising research but it has also sharply polarised people along cultural lines, according to a study. These findings have important implications for garnering support of the new technology, said Yale Law School (YLS) researchers, working in collaboration with a project on the emerging discipline. The experiment involved a diverse sample of 1,500 Americans, the bulk of whom were unfamiliar with nanotechnology, a discipline that involves manipulation of atom sized particles, with wide commercial applications.

NASA postpones Endeavour launch

By IANS, Washington : US space agency NASA Sunday postponed the launch of its space shuttle Endeavour by at least one day due to a low cloud ceiling over Kennedy Space Centre in Florida. Launch managers initially plan for a 24-hour turnaround, but will evaluate Monday's weather before making a final decision. Next possible launch attempt is 0914 GMT Monday, Xinhua reported.

China to launch 1st natural disaster monitoring satellite

By Xinhua, Beijing : China will launch the first of eight satellites to monitor environment and natural disasters from the country's north Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center this week, according to the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC). The satellite "Environment 1", an optical satellite, will be sent into orbit by a Long March 2C carrier.

Fresh estimates of Earth’s liquid assets revealed

Washington : Using NASA's fleet of Earth-observing satellites, scientists have provided estimates for the global water cycle budget for the first decade of the...

Water on moon in daylight a ‘huge surprise’ for scientists

By Arun Kumar, IANS, Washington : Discovery of water on the moon by India's first lunar mission Chandrayaan-1 with a thin layer of surface 'dew' appearing to form and then dissipating each day has set the scientific community agog. "Finding water on the Moon in daylight is a huge surprise, even if it is only a small amount of water and only in the form of molecules stuck to soil," writes University of Maryland astronomer Jessica Sunshine.

India launches new mission to develop antibiotic molecules

By IANS New Delhi : India has launched a mission to screen and develop antibiotic molecules to tap the over $25 billion global antibiotics market. The department of biotechnology under the ministry of science and technology Friday said it has launched a network project called "screening for bio-molecules from microbial diversity collected from different ecological niches".

Soviet test site offers insights on nuclear monitoring

By IANS, Washington : Newly released data from Semipalatinsk, the primary nuclear weapons testing site of the former Soviet Union during the Cold War, can help today's atomic sleuths fine-tune their monitoring of nuclear detonations, according to a study The data is especially important in light of the fact that only three nuclear tests - back-to-back tests in India and Pakistan in 1998 and a 2006 test in North Korea - have been conducted since the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty of 1996, said Paul Richards of Columbia University

Wind pattern change may intensify global warming

By IANS, Washington : Carbon dioxide released from the Antartic Ocean due to shifting wind patterns may drastically increase global warming, say scientists. Many scientists think that the end of the last ice age was triggered by a change in earth's orbit that caused the northern part of the planet to warm. This partial climate shift was accompanied by rising levels of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide, ice core records show, which could have intensified the warming around the globe.

Iran says space program poses no threat to peace

By RIA Novosti Tehran : A spokesman for Iran's government gave assurances on Tuesday that the country's achievements in space technology and research pose no threat to peace and stability in the world. Gholam-Hossein Elham's comments come a day after Tehran's successful launch of the Explorer-1 research rocket, which is reportedly capable of carrying a satellite into orbit, and the unveiling of the country's first domestically built satellite, named Omid, or Hope.

Internet dating more intense, says study

By IANS, Sydney : The web is altering the very nature of intimacy, emotion and dating, according to a new study. An audit of online dating sites as part of the study has found that they are informal and are fast emerging as an effective way of developing one's “social and intimate circle”. The study, which audited 60 sites and conducted in-depth interviews with users, also found that the online communication had more intensity and immediacy, and, in some ways, was almost addictive in nature.
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