How hot was earth 50 million years ago?
By IANS,
Washington : A much clearer picture of the Earth's temperature nearly 50 million years ago, when Carbon Dioxide (CO2) concentrations were higher than current levels, has emerged.
NASA’s Mars-bound Phoenix adjusts course successfully
By Xinhua
Washington : The Phoenix Mars Lander has completed the first and largest of the six course corrections planned during its flight from earth to Mars, the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) said.
Phoenix left earth Aug 4, bound for a challenging May 25, 2008 touchdown at a site farther north than any previous Mars landing.
It will robotically dig to underground ice and run laboratory tests assessing whether the site could ever have been hospitable to microbial life.
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.
Messenger craft flies within 200 km of Mercury
By DPA,
Washington : NASA's Messenger spacecraft came within 200 km of Mercury Monday, taking pictures of the rocky planet nearest the sun.
It was the second of three planned flybys for the craft, which is due to settle into orbit around Mercury in 2011, providing what scientists hope will be the most complete picture yet of the solar system's smallest planet.
The 0840 GMT flyby was designed largely to pick up a gravitational boost of energy for the craft. It will begin beaming data back to Earth Wednesday, NASA and university researchers said.
Advance IST by 30 minutes, save Rs.10 bn: scientists
By IANS
New Delhi : A group of scientists have suggested that the Indian Standard Time (IST) be shifted forward by 30 minutes to reduce peak time energy demand and save at least Rs.10 billion per year.
According to a paper prepared by Dilip R. Ahuja, D.P. Sen, both from the National Institute of Advanced Studies, and V.K. Agrawal, Southern Regional Load Despatch Centre, Bangalore, the shift in IST by 30 minutes will help India use more daylight and reduce the peak power demand during evening.
BMW to unveil its hydrogen-fuelled car in Singapore
By DPA
Singapore : Automobile behemoth BMW is ready to introduce its hydrogen-fuelled 7 Series limousine in Singapore but it won't be for sale, the company said Wednesday.
The car, called Hydrogen 7, will be part of a BMW Clean Energy Exhibition to be held in the city-state next month.
Representing 20 years of research and development, the Munich-based carmaker has developed the first emission-free liquid hydrogen-powered luxury saloon suitable for everyday use, according to BMW.
Indian rocket puts in orbit 10 satellites at one go
By Venkatachari Jagannathan, IANS,
Sriharikota (Andhra Pradesh) : India's space programme made history Monday with the successful launch of a Rs.700 million ($17.4 million) rocket that placed in orbit 10 satellites - two Indian and eight foreign.
At precisely 9.23 a.m., the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV)-C9 rose into the sky, emitting thick orange flame, and placed in orbit an Indian cartography and a mini satellite to maintain leadership in the remote sensing domain. It also slung eight nano satellites into outer space - marking the world's second largest such mission.
Google, Microsoft ‘most discussed tech brands’ in India
By NNN-PTI,
New Delhi : Internet search giant Google and software major Microsoft are among the most discussed technology brands in India, dominating most of the online conversations, says a survey.
Topped by Google, the list of top 10 technology brands compiled by research firm Edelman, features Microsoft at the second spot while Yahoo! has cornered the third position.
Google and Microsoft secured about 20 per cent and 12 per cent of all monitored conversations respectively, according to Digital Brand Index (DBI) for India compiled by Edelman in collaboration with Brandtology.
Feast organised during solar eclipse in Orissa
By IANS,
Bhubaneswar : The Pathani Samant Planetarium in Orissa has arranged a special feast at its campus during the solar eclipse Friday to dispel any superstition, said an official.
"There are superstitions prevalent among people that if you eat during a solar eclipse it will have a bad effect. But we want to dispel superstitions. We have arranged a special feast at the planetarium premises. It will be joined by officials and members of the public during the solar eclipse," said Subhendu Pattnaik, deputy director of the Pathani Samant Planetarium, in Bhubaneswar.
Chandrayaan’s journey to lunar orbit
By IANS,
Bangalore, Nov 8 (IANS) Chandrayaan-1, India's first unmanned mission to moon, has travelled more than 380,000 km in 12 days after its launch from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh Oct 22 to enter the lunar orbit Saturday.
Soon after the launch at 6.22 a.m. on Oct 22, the spacecraft carrying 11 scientific payloads was put in an orbit of 22,860 km apogee (farthest point to the earth) and 225 km perigee (nearest point to the earth).
This is how Chandrayaan reached the lunar orbit:
Saudi varsity, IBM to build one of world’s fastest supercomputers
By IANS,
Dubai : Saudi Arabia's upcoming King Abdullah University for Science and Technology (KAUST) has announced it will build one of the world's fastest and most powerful supercomputers in collaboration with IBM.
The joint project will build and conduct research on the most complex, high-performance computing (HPC) system in the region and among academic institutions in the world, according to a KAUST statement.
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".
Twitter ends 140-character limit for sending direct messages
New York : Starting Wednesday, the micro-blogging site Twitter lifted the 140-character limit for its 300 million-plus users to send direct messages, an...
‘Shocking’ discovery may improve diesel engines
By IANS,
Washington : Scientists have found the interaction between shock waves created by high-pressure supersonic fuel jets. The discovery may lead to cleaner and more efficient internal combustion engines as well as advances in high-speed jet cleaning, machining and mining.
Shock waves have been studied in the past but high-pressure liquid jets created by micrometre sized nozzles can also reach supersonic speeds.
World’s first cloned, glowing rabbit to reproduce soon
By Xinhua
Shanghai(China) : Chinese scientists are expecting the world's first cloned rabbit will be able to reproduce in three months.
The genetically-modified cloned rabbit, born in a hospital affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University's medical school Sep 14, glows green under a fluoroscope, a result of being injected with special genes. Scientists hope this special trait will be transferred to the rabbit's offspring.
Did dinos die because they failed to generate heat?
By IANS,
New York : A new study has found why birds lack a heat-generating tissue present in mammals - and concludes that the absence of this tissue may have led to the extinction of dinosaurs.
All mammals have two kinds of adipose tissue -- white and brown fat. White fat is used for storing energy-rich fuels, while brown fat generates heat.
For instance, hibernating bears and human infants have a lot of brown fat relative to their body size. This allows bears to sleep for six months and protects infants from hypothermia.
Earth is twice as dusty as in 19th century
By IANS,
Washington : If your house seems dustier than usual, it may have nothing to do with your housekeeping skills.
Probe Phoenix lifts robotic arm on Mars
By Xinhua,
Beijing : NASA's Phoenix Mars lander has successfully flexed its robotic arm on Mars, media reported on Friday.
"All of the joints are healthy, and we're raring to go," Matthew L. Robinson, the lead engineer for the mission’s robotic arm flight software, said at a news conference Thursday.
India’s moon impact probe to hit lunar surface Friday
By IANS,
Chennai : The moon impact probe (MIP) abroad India's first lunar spacecraft Chandrayaan-1 is expected to hit the lunar surface Friday evening, said a top official of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
"Ninety-five percent of the moon mission is over successfully. I am not in a position to say when the MIP will land on the moon," ISRO Chairman G. Madhavan Nair told reporters on the sidelines of a seminar here Thursday.
According to him the unmanned Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft will map the moon to get an idea about the minerals present there.
China launches weather satellite
By IANS,
Beijing : China Friday launched a meteorological satellite into space from the country's northern Shanxi province, Xinhua reported.
Spacewalkers attach European lab to ISS
By Xinhua
Washington : Atlantis shuttle astronauts wrapped up nearly eight hours of spacewalk Monday after successfully attaching Europe's Columbus Laboratory to the orbiting International Space Station (ISS).
Astronauts Rex Walheim and Stanley Love spent almost eight hours working to help attach the 10-ton Columbus laboratory to the ISS and add a new room to the high-flying outpost.
Washington : Atlantis shuttle astronauts wrapped up nearly eight hours of spacewalk Monday after successfully attaching Europe's Columbus Laboratory to the orbiting International Space Station (ISS).
Astronauts Rex Walheim and Stanley Love spent almost eight hours working to help attach the 10-ton Columbus laboratory to the ISS and add a new room to the high-flying outpost.
Putin set for Gorshkov deal, n-pact with India
By IANS,
New Delhi: With a pact on Admiral Gorshkov likely during Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's trip to India, Russian envoy Alexander Kadakin Wednesday urged India to look at the reconstruction of the aircraft carrier with "positive eyes" and pitched for setting more nuclear reactors.
The long-delayed pact on the delivery of aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov, previously marred by pricing disputes, will be among defence deals worth $4 billion that are expected to be finalized during Putin's two-day visit that begins Thursday.
This space engineer has licence to kill
By Venkatachari Jagannathan, IANS,
Chennai : The name's Krishnamurthy. S. Krishnamurthy. He is 59 and has a dull designation: general manager safety. But he is the only man licensed to kill in midair the rockets of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) without seeking anybody's permission.
The aerospace engineer at Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) has used his 'licence' once, in 2006 - destroying ISRO's Geosynchronous Space Launch Vehicle (GSLV F02) that was carrying the 2,168-kg Insat 4C communication satellite.
India to launch dedicated satellite for youth
By Fakir Balaji, IANS,
Bangalore : India is launching a dedicated satellite for youth next year carrying scientific instruments developed by students from Indian and foreign universities, a top space agency official said Thursday.
"The mini-spacecraft will be launched in 2009 as a piggyback on board a polar satellite launch vehicle (PSLV), carrying a remote sensing satellite, from the Satish Dhawan space centre at Sriharikota (about 90 km from Chennai)," Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman G. Madhavan Nair told IANS.
Villainous virus turns out to be quite a hero
By IANS
London : Viruses are not such villains after all. They may, in fact, be the reason we are alive, says a new study that contends that half the planet's oxygen is a by-product of bacteria suffering from viral infections.
"Instead of being viewed solely as evolutionary bad guys, causing diseases, viruses appear to be of central importance in the planetary process. In fact, they may be essential to our survival," said Nicholas Mann of the University of Warwick and author of the study.
WhatsApp to introduce voice calls in second quarter
By IANS,
Madrid: World's biggest mobile messaging service WhatsApp intends to add voice calling feature to its free messaging service in the second quarter of...
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.
Crush of people kills two eclipse watchers in Varanasi
By IANS,
Varanasi : Two people were killed here Wednesday morning when thousands of people gathered at the banks of the Ganges to watch the solar eclipse.
"One person died because of drowning and the other got crushed in a stampede. The names of the deceased are yet to be determined" said P.C. Meena, deputy inspector general of police (DIG).
India to launch maiden mission to moon on April 9 next year
By NNN-APP
New Delhi : India has planned to launch its maiden mission to the moon, Chandrayaan-I on April nine next year.
Media reports said the mission planned by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will be launched from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Hyderabad.
Quoting Mylswamy Annadurai, Project Director of Chandrayaan-I, the reports said “a launch windows are available for the next two days in case the launch does not happen on that day.”
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.
Virgin’s Branson unveils model of tourist spaceship
By IANS
New York : The feisty founder of Virgin Group Richard Branson unveiled here Wednesday a model of the spacecraft that he hopes will usher in organised space tourism as early as next year.
"Two thousand and eight really will be the year of the spaceship," Branson said unveiling a scale model of the new craft at the American Museum of Natural History in Manhattan. He added that his SpaceShipTwo would start testing later this year.
NASA begins launch countdown for Discovery
By Xinhua
Washington : The launch countdown for US space shuttle Discovery has begun, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) said.
The countdown began officially at 2 p.m. local time (18.00 GMT) Saturday for a scheduled lift off on Oct 23.
NASA managers overseeing the launch preparations for the STS-120 mission said Saturday that space shuttle Discovery is ready for two weeks in space. "All of our systems are in good shape," NASA test director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson said.
Unidentified flying object explodes over southern Vietnam
By DPA,
Hanoi : A large unidentified flying object exploded over an island off southern Vietnam, and local officials said Wednesday they suspected it had been a military or civilian aircraft.
The explosion occurred Tuesday morning above Cua Can commune on Phu Quoc, a large island belonging to Vietnam off the coast of Cambodia, according to Ngang Van Truyen, chairman of the commune.
"It was a huge explosion, and we thought at first that it was thunder," Truyen said. "But then we saw a 100-metre-long smoke trail in the sky and knew that it was the explosion of a flying object."
ISRO planning 10 space missions in 2013
By IANS,
New Delhi : The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is planning to accomplish 10 space missions in the next one year, parliament was informed Wednesday.
US congratulates India on Chandrayaan-I launch
By NNN-PTI,
New Delhi : The US congratulated India on the successful launch of the maiden moon mission Chandrayaan-I, describing it as demonstration of the country's technological prowess in its quest for peaceful exploration of space.
"The US congratulates India on the successful launch. This is a proud moment in India history and demonstrates India's technological prowess by joining the international community in the peaceful exploration of space," American Ambassador to India David C Mulford said on Wednesday.
Young engineers launch device to save power
By IANS,
Thiruvananthapuram : Seven engineers, all in their mid-20s, have developed a new device that they claim will save power losses from computers and gadgets running on electricity.
"The product, 'Spara', is ready and will be launched when our office at the Technopark's Technology Business Incubation opens Wednesday," said Nelvin Joseph, CEO of Artin Dynamics, the start-up firm floated by the seven engineer-entrepreneurs.
Addressing reporters here Tuesday night, Joseph said his company dealt with artificial intelligence and will develop products and services with this in mind.
Bolivia creates space agency for satellite project
By IANS/EFE,
La Paz : The Bolivian government has approved the creation of a space agency to manage a communications satellite project due to be completed by 2013, a minister said.
The agency was created via a decree signed Wednesday during President Evo Morales' weekly meeting with his cabinet, said Public Works Minister Walter Delgadillo.
The Bolivian Space Agency will oversee implementation of the Tupac Katari satellite project, whose board of directors will be made up of representatives from six ministries, Delgadillo said.
Khamenei congratulates Iranian scientists on satellite launch
By IANS,
Tehran : Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has complimented Iranian scientists for their success in sending the first domestically-produced satellite into orbit, IRNA reported.
In a message Tuesday in response to a letter from President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Ayatollah Khamenei expressed appreciation for the efforts of Iranian officials and scientists "for their efforts which made such a praiseworthy move possible".
"This is another sign that the hope that the Islamic Revolution has brought to hearts is true," he stated.
Avnet Electronics eyes acquisitions in India to spur growth
By Fakir Balaji
Bangalore, Sep 17 (IANS) Avnet Inc., the $16 billion global electronics marketing and technology major, is scouting for design and product firms in India for strategic acquisitions and expanding its presence in the subcontinent.
"With India emerging as the fastest growing market in Asia for us, we are on the lookout for small and medium design and product firms that would complement our components and add value to our customers' requirements," Avent's electronics marketing president Harley Feldberg told IANS in an interview here.
US scientists develop substance to absorb carbon dioxide
By Xinhua
Los Angeles : US researchers have developed a substance that can absorb carbon dioxide from smokestacks and tailpipes.
Researchers at the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA) developed the gas sucker by synthesising a new class of sponge-like crystals that can soak up carbon dioxide, the primary greenhouse gas in industrial emissions, said the study published in the journal Science Friday.
Chandrayaan confirms moon was once completely molten: Scientist
By IANS,
Panaji : Chandrayaan's moon mineralogy mapper has confirmed the magma ocean hypothesis, meaning that the moon was once completely molten, a senior scientist said Wednesday.
"It proves beyond doubt the magma ocean hypothesis. There is no other way this massive rock type could be formed," said Carle Pieters, science manager at the NASA-supported spectroscopy facility at Brown University in the US.
Pieters, who was in charge of the moon mineralogy mapper on Chandrayaan, was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the Low Cost Planetary Mission Conference here.
In Shanghai, call taxis through phone app
By IANS,
Shanghai: Taxis can now be called in China's business capital by just uploading the passenger's location on a smartphone app.
Pakistani Scientist invents world’s lowest profile antenna
By SPA
Islamabad : A Pakistani scientist working at the Institute of Space Technology has invented the world's lowest profile omni-directional antenna with dual polarization that does not require a ground plane.
Dr. Muhammad Amin listed in biographical directory published by Marquis "Who's Who in the World" of the year 2008 has invented the antenna that has adequate signal strength.
The antenna can generate equal vertical and horizontal electric field components and has a helical shape with feed at the centre of the helical section of one side.
Scientists tag sharks to gather more detailed data
By IANS,
Sydney : Scientists have tagged a nearly four-metre long white shark, nicknamed Thomas, to track its movements across the ocean and gather more detailed information.
The tag popped up at Swaub Reefs off Rockhampton and transmitted data late in August. Department of Conservation (DOC) Scientist Clinton Duffy had tagged Thomas off Ruapuke Island in Foveaux Strait in February.
"This is only 100 kilometres from where another tag popped up last year from a shark tagged at Stewart Island after having travelled over 3,000 km," said Duffy.
Prehistoric rhinos roamed in Mexico, say scientists
By EFE,
Mexico City : The rhinoceros fossils kept in a museum in western Mexico belonged to an ancient rhino species called Teleoceras hicksi that lived more than four million years ago, scientists have said.
The fossils were found in the Jalisco state in the 1960s and preserved at the Regional Paleontology Museum in the state capital Guadalajara.
"When we learned that nobody had studied the fossils, we took the initiative and today we're describing for the first time a species that had been identified only in the US, lead researcher Ruben Guzman Gutierrez told EFE Thursday.
There are ways to recover damaged data
By Jay Dougherty, DPA,
Washington : Bad things can happen to good data. Hard drives can crash. Memory cards can be formatted accidentally. CDs or DVDs on which important files are stored can become scratched and unreadable. But there are steps you can take to try to retrieve damaged data.
The course you take will depend upon the type of media on which the data is stored as well as how severe the damage is.
NASA to launch space shuttle Atlantis Dec 6
Washington(Xinhua) : NASA will launch its space shuttle STS-122 Atlantis on Dec 6 to deliver the European-built Columbus laboratory to the International Space Station (ISS), NASA TV reported.
The announcement was made at a press conference late Friday, following a two-day flight readiness review at NASA's Kennedy Space Centre in Florida.
The shuttle mission management team conducts the traditional review two weeks prior to the launch of each space shuttle mission.
Iran builds new space centre
By IANS,
Tehran : Iran is building a new space centre to launch satellites, Defence Minister Ahmad Vahidi said Sunday.
National Solar Mission targets Nov 14 launch
By IANS,
Kolkata : India's ambitious National Solar Mission, which aims to generate 20,000 megawatts of solar power by 2020, has a target launch date of Nov 14, a top official said here Friday.
"The overall structure and draft of the National Solar Mission have been approved by the prime minister (Manmohan Singh). The target date for the launch is Nov 14," said Prime Minister's Special Envoy on Climate Change Shyam Saran.
Nitrogen dioxide level exceeds limit in 10 cities
By IANS,
New Delhi : Air pollution is increasing at an alarming rate in the country with the national capital being one of the 10 cities where nitrogen dioxide levels have exceeded prescribed standards, Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh has said.
"Nitrogen dioxide levels are exceeding the prescribed standards in 10 cities, namely Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Asansol, Bengaluru, Jamshedpur, Faridabad, Meerut, Patna and Pune. There is an increasing trend of nitrogen dioxide levels in Asansol and Bengaluru," Ramesh said.
Green technology should be used to spur growth: PM
By Fakir Balaji, IANS
Visakhapatnam : Science and technology should be harnessed to convert urban waste into wealth, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Thursday while advocating the use of affordable eco-friendly technologies to sustain the growth momentum.
"Our scientists and economic policy makers have to strike a balance between the pursuit of high income growth and protection of natural resources.
‘The Twilight Saga: New Moon’ earns $72.7 mn, breaks opening day record
By IANS,
New York : "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" raked in an estimated $72.7 million on approximately 8,500 screens at 4,024 centres and has broken the record for the biggest one-day gross.
Director Chris Weitz's film beats out "The Dark Knight", which earned $67.2 million on around 9,300 screens at 4,366 centres.
Patch-up telescope sees first detail of star beyond galaxy
By DPA,
Garching (Germany) : Scientists in Germany who devised a way to hook up two powerful telescopes in stereo have observed for the first time the details of a star outside our Milky Way galaxy.
They trained the two telescopes on a red supergiant named WOH G64 in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a neighbouring galaxy. WOH is about 2,000 times larger than the sun and is 163,000 light years away.
Keiichi Ohnaka of the Max Planck Radio-Astronomy Institute in Bonn led the research, which is described in a new science article Tuesday.
After water, check for life on moon: Jayant Narlikar
By IANS,
Panaji : Noted astrophysicist Jayant Narlikar has urged that the moon be scanned for micro-organisms in its environment, especially in areas where traces of water have been found.
Speaking during a lecture on 'Searching for micro-life in the earth's atmosphere' in Goa Sunday, Narlikar said that the discovery of water on the moon called for a fresh perspective on the issue of life on the moon.
Will shifting geomagnetic field be Earth’s nemesis?
By RIA Novosti,
Moscow : The recent trouble with the International Space Station (ISS), caused by simple computer virus capable of stealing logins and passwords for computer games only, was a minor incident compared to possible environmental changes that could make space flights impossible.
They could also cripple aviation and television, and even put terrestrial life at risk.
Apple introduces new computer models
By IANS,
San Francisco (US): Apple Tuesday updated its computer products lineup with the launch of new notebook and desktop models.
Total solar eclipse begins in India
By IANS,
New Delhi : As dawn broke Wednesday, the century's longest total solar eclipse began with thousands of sky gazers craning their neck skywards to catch the glimpse of the rare celestial spectacle.
The sun rose eclipsed Wednesday morning at 5:28 a.m. at a local sunrise point in the Arabian Sea close to the western coast of India near Surat in Gujarat.
Thousands of people, children and adults, thronged the sky watching sites across the country with their solar goggles to watch the eclipse.
Indian space programmes on demand worldwide: ISRO
By Fakir Balaji, IANS
Hyderabad : Indian space programmes for education, healthcare, management of natural resources and weather forecast and disaster management are in great demand the world over due to their domino effect on living standards, a top Indian space agency official said here Thursday.
"Nations across Latin America, Europe, Africa and Asia-Pacific are making a beeline to seek our expertise and resources for replicating the success of our space programmes and applications.
Successful 3G bidders eligible for 2G spectrum space: DoT
By IANS,
New Delhi : Successful bidders for spectrum allocation for third generation (3G) telecom services will also be eligible for second generation (2G) spectrum space, the government said here Tuesday.
“Successful 3G bidders will be eligible for acquiring second generation (2G) spectrum as well,” Member (Finance) of Telecom Commission R. Ashok said at a conference ahead of the 3G auctions.
However, 2G-spectrum allocation will be subject to availability and operators will have to wait in queue, he said.
Countdown to India’s mission moon begins
By Fakir Balaji, IANS,
Sriharikota (Andhra Pradesh) : As the countdown for the Wednesday launch of lunar mission Chandrayaan-1 on board the polar satellite launch vehicle (PSLV-C11) started early Monday, this spaceport off the Bay of Bengal coast was bustling with activity, excitement and a bit of anxiety.
With the countdown starting at 5.22 a.m., about 1,000 top scientists and technologists are working round-the-clock to send India’s first spacecraft mission beyond earth orbit from the picturesque spaceport, located on an island about 80 km from Chennai.
‘France to provide Pakistan nuke technology’
By IANS,
Islamabad : France has agreed to provide Pakistan with civilian nuclear technology for peaceful purposes, state-owned PTV reported Friday, quoting Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi.
According to Qureshi, France has expressed its readiness for cooperating with Pakistan in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy.
The affirmation came during President Asif Ali Zardari's discussions with his French counterpart Nicholas Sarkozy.
Further negotiations on this will be held in July this year, Qureshi said.
Soon, Internet speed 1,000 times faster than yours!
By IANS,
New York: The next dawn of Internet technology is fast coming - at a speed you can't even imagine!
Google is exploring the next...
Lucknow geologist selected for second Indian trip to Arctic
By IANS,
Lucknow : Dhruv Sen, a Lucknow University geologist, Saturday said he had again been selected for the second Indian expedition to the Arctic.
"It is really a privilege for me as I am one of the eight scientists of the country who will be going on the Arctic expedition," an elated Sen told IANS.
All the eight members of the team would meet in Delhi and leave for the trip July 30, he said.
Sen said: "Geologically, the Arctic region is very interesting."
He was also a part of the first Indian Expedition to the Arctic in 2007.
Amazing super 3-D camera to revolutionise photography
By IANS
Washington : Imagine a camera that sees the world through thousands of tiny lenses, each a miniature camera unto itself. Now stop imagining and start imaging.
Researchers at Stanford University already have the prototype of just such a gadget: a 3-megapixel chip, with all its micro-lenses adding up to a staggering 12,616 cameras.
The multi-aperture camera looks and feels like a small cell phone camera. And the final product may cost less than a digital camera, the researchers say, because the quality of its main lens is no longer of paramount importance.
Infosys co-founders chip in to shelter flood-hit victims
By IANS,
Bangalore: Four co-founders of IT bellwether Infosys Technologies collectively contributed Rs.10 crore to rebuild houses for the victims of flood havoc in north Karnataka recently, a top official said.
"The company has pledged Rs.20 crore while four co-founders have volunteered to contribute Rs.2.5 crore each to the effort to build 3,000 pucca (permanent) houses for the flood-affected people," Infosys chief executive S. Gopalkrishnan told reporters here.
Telecommunication interconnection regulation revised
By IANS,
New Delhi : India's telecom watchdog Tuesday revised the Telecommunication (Broadcasting and Cable Services) Interconnection Regulation, 2004, making it mandatory for all broadcasters to have reference interconnect offers (RIOs) for their addressable systems.
The Telecommunication (Broadcasting and Cable Services) Interconnection (Fifth Amendment) Regulations, 2009, released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), covers regulatory provisions on issues relating to inter-connection for addressable platforms and registration of inter-connection agreements.
Indian Scientists clone world’s ‘first’ buffalo calf
By NNN-PTI,
New Delhi : Scientists at India's National Dairy Reserach Institute today said they have cloned the world's first buffalo calf using a technique superior to the one used in cloning 'Dolly' - the sheep.
In a statement, scientists of the Animal Biotechnology Centre at the Karnal-based NDRI said the "handguided cloning technique" was an advanced modification of the "conventional cloning technique" used in cloning Dolly.
The buffalo calf was born on Feb. 6 at NDRI campus.
"The new technique is less demanding in terms of equipment, time and skill," the statement said.
Broccoli sprouts may help prevent skin cancer
By IANS
Washington : Broccoli sprouts contain antioxidant properties and may prevent skin cancer when applied directly to the skin, scientists in the US have suggested.
Broccoli, which closely resembles cauliflower, is a plant of the cabbage family. It has been cultivated for over 2,000 years and was a favourite food of the ancient Romans.
India successfully test fires Mars Orbiter engine
Bangalore : India Monday successfully test fired the liquid fuel engine of its Mars spacecraft (Orbiter) after it entered the sphere of Mars influence...
Mini-black hole is smallest ever but still strong
By ANTARA News
Washington : NASA scientists have identified the smallest black hole ever found -- less than four times the mass of our sun and about the size of a large city.
But the mini-black hole, dubbed J1650, could still stretch a person into a "strand of spaghetti" with its pull, the researchers told a meeting in Los Angeles.
Real-time traffic updates available in 12 more Indian cities: Google
New Delhi: Starting Tuesday, people can see traffic information for 12 new cities, including Kolkata, Thiruvananthapuram and Bhopal, on Google Maps, a company statement...
Indian IT solutions firm forays into Egypt
By IANS,
Bangalore : Leading IT solutions provider IDS Softwares Ltd has forayed into Egypt to automate the hospitality industry and extend its footprint in North African countries, a top company official said.
“We have already bagged a deal from Egypt’s leading hotel chain Pyramisa Hotels to deploy our suite of products developed at our global R&D facility in Bangalore to automate its operations,” IDS general manager Rajesh P. Yadav said in a statement here late Thursday.
Asia’s first human DNA bank comes up in Lucknow
By IANS,
Lucknow : Asia's first -- and the world's second -- human DNA bank has been set up at the Biotech Park in Uttar Pradesh's Lucknow district, said an official Wednesday.
"DNA Identification System (DIS) will be one of the most important functions of the DNA bank that will facilitate establishing identity of individuals within a few seconds," Biotech Park's CEO P.K. Seth told IANS.
The members of the DNA bank will receive a microchip based DNA card containing information of their fingerprints, and anthropological details, said Seth.
Egypt starts manufacturing new satellite
By NNN-KUNA,
Cairo : Egypt has started to manufacture a new satellite in cooperation with France to meet the growing demand for its satellite in the Arab region, especially after NileSat has used up all existing capacities of the existing Nilesat 101 and NilSat 102.
The Egyptian Satellite Company (Nilesat) said in a statement Thursday that it will launch its new satellite NileSat 201 in the first quarter of 2010, the first second-generation NileSat satellite based on a contract with a French company.
Researchers crack key HIV riddle after decades
By IANS,
London : Researchers have cracked a key riddle that has foxed scientists for decades, potentially opening the way to better treatment of HIV, says a new study.
Imperial College London and Harvard University researchers have grown a crystal that reveals the structure of an enzyme called integrase, which is found in retroviruses like HIV.
When HIV infects someone, it uses integrase to paste a copy of its genetic information into their DNA.
Can we get oil from space?
By Andrei Kislyakov, RIA Novosti,
Moscow : Scientists from the Royal Observatory in Edinburgh have said that judging by the chemical composition of stars in the Milky Way, our galaxy could contain anywhere between 300 and 38,000 highly developed extraterrestrial civilizations potentially capable of contacting planet Earth.
Although current generations are unlikely to shake hands with little green men from Mars, humankind has already discovered sizeable mineral deposits on other planets. But should we pin any hopes on them?
PSLV’s success shows India’s proficiency: Chavan
By IANS,
New Delhi : The successful launch of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), carrying five satellites, is proof of the country's proficiency in space science, Science and Technology Minister Prithviraj Chavan said Monday.
Congratulating the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) scientists, Chavan said the launch was "textbook perfect".
"It is the proof of our increasing proficiency in the space science," he said.
China sets up background atmosphere station in Antarctica
By Xinhua
Zhongshan Station (Antarctica) : China has set up a background atmosphere observation site at Zhongshan station in Antarctica as part of its 24th scientific expedition to the region.
Researchers at Zhongshan station will be able to observe surface ozone and gases like carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, as well as black carbon aerosol.
NASA’s Phoenix Mars lander commanded to unstow arm
By Xinhua,
Washington : U.S. Mars lander Phoenix, which touched down on Sunday at northern polar plains on Mars, successfully unstowed its robotic arm on Wednesday, according to NASA mission updates.
Early Wednesday, scientists leading Phoenix mission from the University of Arizona sent commands to move the lander's robotic arm for the first time after its touchdown.
Indian-origin scientist pioneers ‘green’ steel technology
By Neena Bhandari
Sydney(IANS) : Millions of tonnes of waste plastic will be recycled into steel. The breakthrough Australian 'green' steel technology, which cuts coke and coal demand and reduces emission, has been invented by a Mumbai-born University of New South Wales (UNSW) materials scientist, Veena Sahajwalla.
Sahajwalla, an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) at Kanpur, told IANS: "Plastic is simply another form of carbon. In making steel there's essentially no difference between the polyethylene plastic in shopping bags and a natural resource like coal."
Big Bang experiment invites public to unravel secrets of universe
By Heather Lima, DPA
Geneva : On Sunday, more than 30,000 people are expected to visit what's described as the world's biggest scientific experiment when the European Centre for Nuclear Research (CERN) opens its underground doors for just one day before trying to unravel the secrets of the universe.
The Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the most powerful particle accelerator ever constructed, is located in a 27-km circular tunnel 100 metres below ground level just outside Geneva on the Franco-Swiss border.
US scientist’s flip-flop on Chandrayaan
By IANS,
Panaji : Three days after the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) admitted the abrupt end of its Chandrayaan-1 mission, a leading US-based scientist associated with the project Wednesday termed it "a complete success", but added that "what we have not achieved is our ultimate goal, which was a much more extended mission that was to be achieved during the full two years".
U.S. Space Shuttle Atlantis blasts off
By Xinhua
Washington : After a two-month delay, U.S. space shuttle Atlantis finally blasted off on Thursday from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on a mission to deliver the European Space Agency's Columbus Laboratory to the International Space Station (ISS).
Spacecraft images show rings of Saturn’s 2nd largest moon
By Xinhua
Los Angeles : Saturn's second largest moon, Rhea, may have rings, according to images from a spacecraft managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Los Angeles.
The finding was described in a study published in the March 7 issue of the journal Science.
Scientists at NASA believe the rings may be the remnants of an asteroid or comet collision, which circulated large quantities of gas and solid particles around Rhea.
Orbiting space junk passes International Space Station
By DPA,
Washington : A large piece of space junk flew past the International Space Station (ISS) Friday without posing any threat, US space agency NASA said.
A piece of a European Ariane-5 rocket passed within 1.3 km of the ISS, but not close enough to pose a risk to the station or its crew.
"The flight control team is continuing to monitor that debris, but again it did pass as expected and is no concern to the orbiting complex," said a NASA spokesperson.
How do people respond to e-mails?
By IANS,
Washington : Over the last decade the e-mail has grown from a novelty into a necessity. But how do people respond to e-mails? Do they respond to the most important first, making sure the process is efficient?
Or do they send e-mails randomly, when they are at their computers or when they have time, without any regard to efficiency?
These are questions that Luís Amaral, associate professor of chemical and biological engineering in the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science at Northwestern University, and his associates set out to answer.
Obama grants $8 billion to build nuclear reactors
By DPA,
Washington: US President Barack Obama Tuesday announced $8 billion worth of loan guarantees to build the country's first new nuclear reactors in three decades.
The loan will go towards two new nuclear reactors to be built at an existing power plant in Burke, Georgia, and is part of an effort by the Obama administration to ramp up nuclear power generation as a clean alternative to more polluting fossil fuels.
India’s lunarcraft hunts for ice on moon with NASA orbiter
By IANS,
Bangalore : India's first lunarcraft Chandrayaan-1 Friday conducted a joint experiment with Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) of the US's National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to trace presence of ice in a dark crater near the North Pole of the moon, the Indian space agency said.
"The unique bi-static experiment was carried out jointly when Chandrayaan and Orbiter came closer while orbiting over the lunar North Pole where the permanently shadowed crater is located," the state-run Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said in a statement here.
NASA returns to the moon on India’s Chandrayaan-1
By Arun Kumar, IANS,
Washington : The American space agency NASA is sending two instruments to map the lunar surface on India's maiden moon voyage on its robotic Chandrayaan-1 mission Wednesday.
The Moon Mineralogy Mapper will assess mineral resources, and the Miniature Synthetic Aperture Radar, or Mini-SAR, will map the polar regions and look for ice deposits, according to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA.
YouTube being used in innovative ways: Study
By IANS,
Sydney : A research team that analysed 4,300 of the most popular videos on YouTube found that it is being used in new and innovative ways -- especially as a platform for amateur cultural production.
The study compared user-created and traditional media content on YouTube to understand how broadband was being used in participatory culture.
Jean Burgess of the Queensland University of Technology and Joshua Green from MIT's Convergence Culture Consortium looked at the content over the last six months of 2007.
Supercomputer helps design drugs faster
By IANS
Sydney : A supercomputer is helping speed up the design of new drugs manifold, doing away with cumbersome, time-consuming procedures.
The results are as accurate as those obtained from the lab, saving time and resources, besides calculating the desired 'redox' potential of drugs much faster than existing methods.
The 'redox' potential is the ability of drug molecules to exchange electrons, which determine how powerfully they can act on the body, said researcher Mansoor Namazian of Australian National University (ANU).
NASA reschedules shuttle launch for Sunday night
By DPA,
Washington : The US space agency NASA was confident that the repeatedly delayed launch of the space shuttle Discovery would lift off Sunday night for a mission to the International Space Station.
The launch was scheduled for 7.43 p.m. (2343 GMT) Sunday from the Kennedy Space Centre at Cape Canaveral, Florida. Discovery will have seven astronauts on board, including Japanese crew member Koichi Wakata, who is slated to join the permanent crew on the orbiting space station.
Mystery of self-destructing rockets solved
By IANS
Washington : The racket that rockets make may be causing them to self-destruct, according to a new study that seeks to explain a phenomenon that has puzzled engineers and scientists for years.
One reason the inexplicable destruction of rocket engines remained a mystery was because scientists were unable to replicate or investigate the problem under controlled lab conditions.
They, however, believed that powerful and unstable sound waves, created by the combustion process, caused failures in several US and Russian rockets.
‘Cyber-spite’ erodes credibility of auction sites
By IANS,
Washington : eBay's rating system, which allows users to post positive or negative comments about trading partners, has created a unique set of problems.
Sellers who offered damaged or substandard goods and earned a black mark are now retaliating against buyers who have named and shamed them, by posting highly visible and negative comments.
For example, the TV set you ordered on eBay arrives in a badly scratched shape. You return the item but also post a disparaging comment about the seller on the site.
Endeavour astronauts prepare for Sunday landing
By DPA,
Washington : The seven astronauts on space shuttle Endeavour were to complete their mission to the International Space Station (ISS) with landing scheduled at NASA's Kennedy Space Centre in Florida Sunday.
The shuttle undocked from the ISS at 9.47 a.m. (1447 GMT) Friday, and was expected to land at the Kennedy Space Centre at 1.19 p.m. (1819 GMT Sunday.
On Saturday, US space agency NASA was closely monitoring a cold front, which might bring rain, thunderstorms and cross-winds, and could affect Sunday's entry and landing at the Kennedy Space Centre.
Scientists identify brain’s tiny timekeepers
By IANS,
Washington : How does your brain recall that you brush your teeth before you took a shower, and not the other way around? A study has now identified groups of neurons in the primate brain that code time with extreme precision.
Keeping track of time and remembering past events is one of the brain's most important tasks, amid the welter of sights and sounds that it processes.
British scientists unfold new frontiers of biotechnology
By IANS
Chennai : Will duckweed and algae be floating down Indian rivers soon, cleaning up waste and generating bio-fuel?
That is what researchers in Britain are doing, and some of Britain's top cell scientists are on a weeklong tour of India to talk about frontiers biotechnology.
Their effort is being matched by some of India's own scientists explaining the country's attempts in the field, in a joint initiative of the British Council and the Centre for Biotechnology (CBT) at the Anna University here.
US’ Avid Tech eyes regional Indian TV
By IANS,
Chennai : US-based Avid Technology Inc, a global major in digital nonlinear media creation, management and distribution solutions, is betting big on the booming Indian regional TV industry for its future growth.
Operating in three business segments - video and film editing, broadcast and services and solutions - with a market leadership position in the first sector, Avid is now looking at the growing Indian satellite television broadcasting market.
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 rush to southern India to study ‘Ring of Fire’
By Richa Sharma, IANS,
Kochi : It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and scientists from across the globe are thronging southern India to watch the 'Ring of Fire' during the millennium's longest annular solar eclipse Friday. The southern tips of Kerala and Tamil Nadu will offer the best view of the moon obscuring the sun.
Life-changing innovations vie for top global tech honour
By Jaideep Sarin, IANS,
Helsinki (Finland) : Few would know that it is an algorithm that helps us use the mobile phone technology that has made our lives simpler. Or that an optic fibre cable that couldn't send a communication one metre across is now a basis for the global information super highway of over 10,000 km.
These are just two of the four top innovations developed by six scientists and inventors in the last few years, which are in the fray for this year's Millennium Technology Prize - the highest prize in the world of technology and considered Nobel Prize in this area.
Nandan Nilekani confident of changing India with ideas
By Madhusree Chatterjee, IANS,
New Delhi : Can ideas change a nation? Co-founder of Indian software giant Infosys and author Nandan Nilekani believes that they can, even if it takes a long time for them to become embedded in the collective psyche of the country.
Award for Indian wildlife scientist
By IANS,
New York : Indian botanist and wildlife scientist, Aparajita Datta, has been selected for the 2009 Women of Discovery Awards along with four other eminent women from different parts of the world.
New York based Wings WorldQuest's mission is to celebrate and to support the extraordinary women explorers by promoting scientific exploration, education, and conservation.
Huge asteroid flies past Earth
By Xinhua,
Washington : An asteroid as big as a 10-storeyed building flew past Earth Tuesday, the US space website has said.
The space rock was perhaps a bit larger than one thought to have created a colossal explosion in the air above Siberia in 1908 that flattened 500,000 acres (2,000 square km) of forest.
Asteroid 2009 DD45 was closest to Earth Tuesday at about 8.40 a.m. It was some 72,000 km away, which is twice the height of a geostationary communications satellite.
NASA regains contact with Mars spacecraft
By SPA,
Los Angeles : NASA's Phoenix Mars spacecraft regained contact with Earth more than a day after falling silent, but its days operating on the red planet are still numbered, mission managers said, according to AP.
Waning sunlight and a dust storm this week drained the lander's power, forcing it to go into safe mode. It failed to respond to two wake-up calls from Earth but sent a
signal late Thursday when the orbiting Odyssey spacecraft passed overhead.
Galileo may have discovered Neptune
By IANS,
Sydney : Galileo's notebooks contain hidden clues that is likely to clinch his discovery of Neptune in 1613, 234 years before the date of discovery accepted now, according to a new theory.
David Jamieson, who heads the Melbourne University (MU) School of Physics, is investigating the notebooks of Galileo from 400 years ago. He believes that buried in the notations is the evidence that he discovered a new planet that we now know as Neptune.
American astronomer chasing his 50th solar eclipse
By Richa Sharma, IANS,
New Delhi : He has not missed any major eclipse in five decades. Jay Pasachoff, a 66-year-old American astronomer, travels across the globe chasing the best views of solar eclipses. Sure enough, he is in India to capture on camera the annual solar eclipse Friday - it will be his 50th.
"When I came to know that India is one of the best places to get a clear view of the 'Ring of Fire' during the eclipse, I chose it as my 50th destination for eclipse viewing," Pasachoff, a professor of Astronomy at Williams College in Massachusetts (US), told IANS here.
ISS now ready for six astronauts
By DPA,
Washington : After more than 10 years of construction, the International Space Station is ready to double its crew to six astronauts from around the world in what will be its most international crew ever, the US space agency said Wednesday.
The equipment and supplies have been checked to ensure that there is enough space for three more permanent residents aboard ISS, NASA officials said at a press briefing.
Botanical institute setting up on-line herbarium
By IANS,
Lucknow : The National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI) here is setting up a digital herbarium through which about 250,000 plant specimens would be made available on-line to scientists across the globe.
"In order to facilitate research work, we decided to set up the herbarium that will provide the desired plant specimen at the click of the mouse," Tariq Husain, a scientist in the taxonomy and biodiversity division of the institute, told IANS.
Germany, India to develop jointly new-era technologies
By DPA
Berlin : Germany and India plan to jointly develop new technologies as part of a "new era" in their science cooperation, Germany's minister of science, Annette Schavan, said Monday.
She spoke just hours before Chancellor Angela Merkel was to land in India for a four-day visit.
Schavan is a member of the delegation accompanying the chancellor. During the visit, an agreement is to be signed to establish the German-Indian Science and Technology Centre, set to open next summer in Delhi.
Shuttle undocks from ISS, heads home
By RIA Novosti
Washington : The U.S. shuttle Endeavour has undocked from the International Space Station (ISS) ending its 12-day mission, which saw a record breaking five space walks, a NASA spokesperson said.
Endeavour, which delivered the first part of the Kibo Japanese laboratory and the Dextre Canadian-made robot, is due to land at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday.
The second and main part of the Japanese laboratory is due to be delivered by space shuttle Discovery in late May.
European science lab spacewalk delayed for one day – NASA
By RIA Novosti
Washington : U.S. space shuttle Atlantis docked with the International Space Station Saturday but a spacewalk to install a European science laboratory was delayed for a day due an astronaut health problem, NASA said Sunday.
"With no impact to the overall mission objectives, the first spacewalk Monday will be conducted by Rex Walheim and Stan Love, who replaces Hans Schlegel," NASA said but did not specify the health problem.
Microsoft delays Windows Vista switch to June 2008
By Xinhua
Beijing : Computer manufacturer feedback saying customers still want to purchase Windows XP has prompted Microsoft Corp. to delay a scheduled transition to its newer Windows Vista software to the end of June 2008.
The world's largest software maker introduced Windows Vista in January with the plan to phase out sales of its predecessor, Windows XP, by Jan. 30, 2008.
Educating young on Internet risks – in their language
By Venkata Vemuri, IANS,
London : txtN skul kds n net lngwij bout internet rskz... Go to if you can't understand this.
When you can't beat 'em, join 'em. That's what a London awareness group has gone ahead and done, using mobile phone texting to communicate with school children about Internet risks.
Thousands of posters are on display in corridors and classrooms in nearly 2,000 secondary schools in London telling students how to use the Internet in a safe manner.
Faster, larger, quieter superplanes by 2025?
By IANS,
London : US space agency NASA has unveiled three concept designs for quieter and more energy efficient superplanes that could be ready by 2025.
Now recharge cellphones in seconds
By IANS,
Washington : An amazing 3-D nanostructure designed and developed by scientists may make it possible to recharge mobile phones in seconds or a laptop within minutes.
Computer glitch blamed for Russian nuclear sub accident
By RIA Novosti,
Moscow : The accident on the Russian nuclear submarine Nov 8 that killed 20 people could have been caused by a computer glitch, a Russian daily reported Wednesday.
The accident occurred when nuclear submarine Nerpa was undergoing sea trials in the Sea of Japan. Three submariners and 17 shipyard workers died in the accident. There were 208 people, 81 of them submariners, on board the vessel at the time.
Bajaj Auto, TVS feud over patent violation
By IANS
New Delhi : Two-wheeler major Bajaj Auto Saturday said that it would sue its rival TVS Motors for allegedly violating its patented digital twin spark ignition (DTSi) technology, even as the latter denied any such alleged infringement.
The charges by Bajaj, two days after TVS launched its 125 cc bike 'Flame' with controlled combustion variable timing intelligent (CCVTi) technology, said its intellectual property right (IPR) on a digital twin spark ignition technology had been infringed.
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.
Oxygen content in Ladakh up 50 percent: Scientists
By Ritu Sharma, IANS,
Leh (Jammu and Kashmir) : Anyone visiting Ladakh for the first time can be left gasping for breath due to low oxygen levels in the high altitude region. But a successful plantation drive has brought about environmental changes - driving up oxygen content by 50 percent and, most unusually, making it rain, say Indian scientists.
Partial solar eclipse observed in India
By IANS,
New Delhi : The first solar eclipse of the year was partially visible in some parts of India and observed by various people Monday afternoon.
The eclipse started at 2.15 p.m. and ended at 4.20 p.m.
“The eclipse was visible only from southern parts of India, eastern coast, most of northeast India, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep,” Nehru Planetarium director N. Rathnasree told IANS here.
She said people in north and west India couldn't see the celestial activity.
ISRO, NASA tie up for space exploration
By IANS,
New Delhi : The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has joined hands with the US's National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for space explorations, parliament was informed Wednesday.
Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office Prithviraj Chavan said the framework agreement was signed between the two space research organisations for cooperation in the “exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes”.
Mercedes set for hydrogen drive in 2010
By DPA
Stuttgart : Mercedes has given the B-Class a design makeover with more economical engines and a special fuel-cell hydrogen drive version available in 2010, the car maker has announced.
The four-cylinder engines are up to seven percent more economical than the predecessor with exhaust emissions that undercut current European Union (EU) emission standards by as much as 90 percent, Mercedes said.
Kerala Tourism starts ad campaign on Google
By IANS,
Thiruvananthapuram : Kerala has tied up with Google to promote its tourism through search and banner advertisements on the search engine.
This is the first time a state tourism department is partnering with the global search engine for such an advertisement campaign, Google officials have said.
Narasimha Jayakumar, business head of Google India, told IANS that the three-month campaign started last week and the responses had been "tremendous".
Fuzzy fiber strings could be sign of life on Mars
By Xinhua
Beijing : For years physicists have used the string theory in an attempt to provide a complete, unified, and consistent description of the fundamental structure of our universe. Now scientists think any plant-like microbes that existed on Mars a few billion years ago would have left behind a stringy fuzz of fibers.
Why? Because here on Earth, researchers say they have found such ancient fuzz, called cellulose, preserved in chunks of salt deposited more than 250 million years ago — making it the oldest biological substance yet recovered.
Agenda for India: Telecom
TwoCircles.net presents “Agenda for India”. Series editor is Charu Bahri.
Challenges & Solutions
“I would cite the issue of spectrum allocation and management as one of the foremost challenges of India’s telecom sector,” says Yusuf Motiwala, Founder & CEO, TringMe. “The government must wake up to the losses accumulating on account of under-utilization of spectrum and due to the delay in rolling out 3G services.”
Simple device boosts vehicle mileage dramatically
By IANS,
Washington : Steeply rocketing fuel prices have prompted a physics professor to develop a simple device that boosted fuel efficiency by 20 percent in field tests - an electrically charged tube that can be attached to the fuel line of a car's engine near the fuel injector.
Powered by the vehicle's battery, the device creates an electric field that thins the fuel, so that smaller droplets are injected into the engine. That leads to more efficient and cleaner combustion than a standard fuel injector, said the developer, Rongjia Tao, professor of physics at Temple University.
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.
Taikonaut Zhai completes China’s first spacewalk
By Xinhua,
Beijing : Chinese taikonaut Zhai Zhigang slipped out of the Shenzhou VII spacecraft Saturday afternoon and completed the country's fist spacewalk mission, spending about half-an hour in the outer space and conducting experiments.
Donning a $4-million homemade Feitian space suit, Zhai, the commander of the three-man mission, waved to the camera mounted on the service module after pulling himself out of the capsule in a head-out-first position at 4:43 p.m., video monitor at the Beijing Aerospace Control Centre (BACC) showed.
130 websites blocked in Tajikistan
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Dushanbe: Over 130 websites have been blocked in Tajikistan in connection with "technical repair work", the country's telecom agency said.
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...
Follow nature’s trail to solve universe’s mystery: Scientist-author
By Madhusree Chatterjee, IANS,
New Delhi : If the universe seems mysterious to you, try becoming a 'cosmic detective'! For, nature has left behind many clues to unravel its mystery, says US-based award-winning scientist Mani Bhaumik who has just penned a children's novel on the subject.
"The study of the universe is a mystery - fortunately nature has left behind some telltale clues around us and like a detective we can pick up the clues and follow the trail to solve the mystery," Bhaumik told IANS in an informal chat in the capital.
New software cuts waiting time at hospitals
By IANS,
Sydney : A new software package, developed by researchers, helps hospital or emergency staff anticipate the rush of patients hour by hour for the day or the next week, even on holidays with varying dates, such as Easter.
The Patient Admission Prediction Tool (PAPT), designed by Australian e-Health Research Centre (AeHRC), can predict accurately how many patients will be present at emergency departments, their expected requirements and the number of admissions.
Firefighting beetle robots may help humans fight forest fires
By Ernest Gill, DPA,
Hamburg (Germany) : Compact robots that scuttle across the landscape like enormous armour-plated beetles may one day help humans fight deadly forest fires in remote areas, according to a team of German scientists.
Looking for all the world like old-fashioned Volkswagen beetle cars - except with multiple legs where the wheels ought to be - a brigade of these robots could carry water or foam extinguishing agents to the most dangerous firefighting locations, places where humans would face certain peril.
Pollution a reason for birth of girl children?
By IANS,
New York : Women exposed to high levels of certain kinds of pollutants are less likely to give birth to male children.
That's the startling finding of a new study that reviewed data on pregnant women in San Francisco who were exposed to high levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) - a group of banned environmental pollutants - in the 1950s and 1960s.
And it's not an isolated finding either, reports ScienceDaily.
India has only 130,000 scientific researchers: minister
By IANS
New Delhi : India has a mere 130,000 scientific researchers against seven times that number in China, and the government is taking steps to address the imbalance, parliament was told Wednesday.
"We have just 130,000 researchers against some 700,000 to 800,000 in China," Science and Technology Minister Kapil Sibil said during question hour in the Rajya Sabha.
"The Scandinavian countries have 7,000 researchers per million of population. In India, the figure is 156," he added.
Snappping of connectors caused launch failure: Scientist
By Venkatachari Jagannathan, IANS,
Google Maps to appear in petrol pumps
By DPA
San Francisco : Google Maps are moving from the computer to a place where lost drivers might find them more useful - petrol pumps.
The maps, complete with driving directions and information about local facilities, will start appearing on thousands of specially designed petrol pumps across the US beginning early next month, the company announced Wednesday.
Possible ice volcano found on Saturn moon
By DPA,
Washington : NASA's Cassini spacecraft has spotted what could be an ice volcano on Saturn's moon Titan, scientists said Tuesday.
Computer virus in space – NASA astronauts get hit
By DPA,
San Francisco : Scientists from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) were busy fighting a computer virus that managed to infect one of the laptop computers used by astronauts on the space station, a spokesman for the US space agency said.
Citing security concerns, NASA Wednesday declined to identify the virus, or how it made its way to the space station.
New NASA tools bring Mars closer to young explorers
Washington : On the third anniversary of the Mars landing of NASA’s Curiosity rover, the US space agency has unveiled two new online tools...
ISRO readies for manned mission by 2014
By IANS
Bangalore : The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has finalised its project report for a manned mission by 2014-15, a top space official said here Friday.
"The report is being submitted to the government for approval and budgetary allocation. The Space Commission, headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, will meet next week or so to review the report and take a decision. We plan to launch a manned mission in the next seven-eight years," ISRO chairman G. Madhavan Nair told reporters here.