No funds for Malaysia’s space programme
By IANS,
Kuala Lumpur : Six months after sending its first man into space, Malaysia says it has no funds for the second phase of its ambitious space programme.
It is "zero cash" for the moment till the entire programme is re-evaluated in terms of knowledge and cost-benefit, Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Maximus Ongkili told the media Monday.
In the first phase of the programme, Sheikh Muszaphar Sheikh Shukor and two other astronauts blasted into space in a Russian-built Soyuz 11 rocket from Baikonour in Kazakhstan Oct 10, 2007.
India now aims for manned space mission
By IANS,
Thiruvananthapuram : India is aiming to send a manned mission into the space after the success of its first unmanned mission to the moon, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRo) chairmain G. Madhavan Nair said here Sunday.
Gulf residents can see lunar eclipse Aug 16
By IANS,
Abu Dhabi : People in the Gulf will be able to witness a partial lunar eclipse Saturday evening.
The partial lunar eclipse occurs when a portion of moon passes through the earth's shadow.
Eighty-one percent of the moon's surface will be occulted in Saturday's eclipse, the state-run Emirates News Agency (WAM) quoted Mohammed Shaukat Audeh of the Islamic Crescents' Observation Project as saying.
People in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will be able to see the partial eclipse from 6:23 p.m. GMT (10:23 p.m. local time) Aug 16 till it ends six hours later Aug 17.
SC bans Tamil Nadu bull fights
New Delhi: The Supreme Court Wednesday banned Tamil Nadu's centuries-old Jallikattu bull fights.
A bench of Justice K.S. Radhakrishnan and Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose also...
Semiconductor industry attracts $7 bn in investments
Bangalore, Feb 18 (IANS) India's semiconductor industry has already attracted $7 billion (Rs.280 billion) in committed investments, less than a year after the government announced an ambitious policy to promote chip manufacturing and create an ecosystem for chip design services, a top official said Monday.
These firms are especially keen on making solar photovoltaic (PV) cells for domestic and export markets, Minister of State for Commerce Jairam Ramesh said here.
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
US carbon-dioxide emissions dropped 7 percent in 2009
By DPA,
Washington : US emissions of carbon dioxide tumbled seven percent in 2009, government figures have showed, marking the largest one-year decline in the heat-trapping gas blamed for global warming since records began in 1949.
The Energy Information Administration (EIA) Wednesday attributed the sharp fall to a drop in energy use as the United States battled through its worst recession in decades, coupled with a smaller 2.3-percent drop in the "carbon intensity" of energy sources.
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.
China Launches Two Natural Disaster Monitoring Satellites
By Bernama,
Taiyuan : China launched two satellites for monitoring ecological environment and natural disasters at around 11:25 a.m. here on Saturday.
China's Xinhua news agency reported that the two satellites, launched from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in Shanxi Province, were carried by a Long March 2C rocket.
They were expected to enhance the country's capacity to prevent and reduce natural disasters, according to Bai Zhaoguang, a leading scientist and designer of the satellites.
China to go to moon, Mars, Venus and beyond
By IANS,
Beijing : China has now set its sight on planet Venus, where it hopes to land a space probe by 2015. A probe to Mars and the country's first moon landing have also been chalked out.
Scientists identify new longevity protein
By IANS,
Washington: The level of a single protein found in the tiny roundworm C. elegans determines how long it lives, says a new study.
Worms born without this protein, called arrestin, lived about one-third longer than normal, while worms that had triple the amount of arrestin lived one-third less.
The research also showed that arrestin interacts with several other proteins within cells to regulate longevity. The human version of one of these proteins is PTEN, a well-known tumour suppressor.
Cuban scientists seek cancer cure from scorpion venom
By IANS,
Havana : Cuban scientists are trying to cure cancer with a homeopathic drug manufactured from the venom of scorpion, according to participants at an annual symposium held in the country.
First Japanese mother to travel into space in 2010
By DPA,
Tokyo : Naoko Yamazaki was selected to become the first mother and the second Japanese woman to travel into space, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said Tuesday.
Yamazaki, 37, was chosen to board the US space shuttle Atlantis on a planned two-week mission in February 2010 to transport components to add on to the International Space Station, where Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi is to stay for six months starting around November next year.
Nearly 38,000 ET civilisations trying to contact us!
By IANS,
London : There could be nearly 38,000 intelligent civilisations in our galaxy - and some of them could be trying to contact us even as you read this, British scientists say.
If that sounds too far-fetched, rest assured that there are at least 361 such civilisations out there, say scientists from Scotland.
Be warned though - these Extra Terrestrials are likely to be clever than you.
Solar eclipse blocked by clouds in Tibet
By Xinhua,
Lhasa : Tibet's Cona county was one of the first places in China to view the solar eclipse, which occurred at 8:01 a.m Wednesday, according to an observatory under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).
However, the solar view from Cona was blocked by overcast, according to sources from the CAS Purple Mountain Observatory based in Nanjing, eastern Jiangsu province.
The sun sunshine was blocked behind clouds in Lhasa, Tibet's capital.
IPCC chief goes mum on Himalayan glacier blunder
By IANS,
New Delhi : An embattled R.K. Pachauri, head of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Thursday refused to answer any question on the goof-up by the global scientists' group which made it carry in its 2007 report an unsubstantiated claim that Himalayan glaciers would disappear by 2035.
Pachauri convened a press conference here to unveil a roadmap for India's energy security, prepared by the other organisation he heads, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI).
UAE university boasts of region’s biggest grid computing system
By NNN-WAM
WAM Dubai : Sun Microsystems has deployed one of the most advanced super grid computers in the world at the UAE University. The system is the regions biggest grid computing system and places the UAE University in the Top 500 list of high performance computing grids worldwide.
The super grid is deployed in service of the community at large, and will support the teaching and research missions of the University by providing students and faculty with unprecedented computing power.
Space shuttle Atlantis blasts off
By DPA,
Cape Canaveral (Florida) : The space shuttle Atlantis thundered into the sky over Kennedy Space Centre Monday carrying six crew members on a mission to the International Space Station.
The mission is part of the US space agency's efforts to stock up the ISS reserves as the shuttle programme enters its expected final year in 2010. After this week's mission there are just five more flights scheduled.
IRCTCmobile: harnessing mobile technology for railways
By IANS
New Delhi : In a rare example of action pre-empting intention, mobile rail ticketing had already been in use for several months before Railway Minister Lalu Prasad announced it as one of the highlights in his budget to modernize train reservations.
Tourist spaceship prototype unveiled in Britain
By IANS,
London : The London Eye gives you a bird's eye-view of the city at 440 feet. How would you like to go higher, say, 440,000 feet?
A prototype of the craft you would ride for such a space venture was unveiled in Salford Tuesday. The rocket maker, Steve Bennett, says it is possible in the very near future for tourists to take a ride in outer space.
Russia delays Norwegian telecoms satellite launch till Feb. 11
By RIA Novosti
Moscow : The launch of a Russian carrier rocket with a Norwegian telecoms satellite has been delayed until February 11, Russia's Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) said in Sunday.
The launch of a Proton-M rocket with a Thor-5 satellite from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan was originally planned for February 10 but subsequently delayed until 2:34 p.m. Moscow time (11:34 a.m. GMT) February 11 due to technical problems, Roscosmos said.
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.
Microsoft touches new Windows system
By DPA,
Los Angeles : Don't throw out your mouse yet, but the next version of Microsoft's Windows operating system will allow users to control their computers using touch screen technology.
Company heads Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer provided a brief glimpse into the new offering at the All Things D technology conference Tuesday night.
The new operating system is expected to hit stores in early 2010. Microsoft hopes that Windows 7 will have a better reception that Windows Vista, which has largely been shunned by businesses, but has still sold 150 million units.
High-tech system to cut hospital infections by half
By IANS,
London : Hospital-based infections continue to be the number-two killer in the US after heart disease.
A new high-tech software programme developed by Tel Aviv University researchers will cut such infections by half.
Yehuda Carmeli professor at the Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University (TAU), has developed a system for preventing hospital epidemics.
"When a patient comes to the hospital for treatment, the natural barriers that protect them against infection are bypassed," said Carmeli, also a physician at the TAU Sourasky Medical Centre.
3G, Wimax guidelines in a week: minister
By IANS,
New Delhi : The broad guidelines for implementation and auctioning of radio spectrum for 3G and Wimax have been devised and the final draft will be approved and released within a week, telecom minister A. Raja said here Friday.
"Broad guidelines for rolling out 3G services have been devised and we need some inputs from the finance ministry after which the guidelines will be forwarded to the Telecom Commission," Raja told reporters on the sidelines of a function here.
"Expect the final norms to be announced within a week," he added.
Finally, a breakthrough on how to harness solar power
By IANS,
Washington : Researchers at the MIT have found a new way to store solar power, a major breakthrough in the search to use the sun and serve the Earth's energy needs in a clean and sustainable way.
Every hour, the sun pours down enough radiation to serve the Earth's energy needs for a year. The trouble is to store that energy cheaply and use it whenever needed.
Kalam endorsed nuclear deal: Manmohan Singh
New Delhi : A.P.J. Abdul Kalam backed the nuclear deal India inked with the United States in 2005 and it is a "total...
Harbinger Group to promote science learning with insects
By IANS
Pune : Very soon kids will be learning science with the help of creepy-crawly bugs. A Pune-based software company Harbinger Group has partnered with Entomological Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation in the US, to teach science through insects with the help of innovative game-based multimedia content.
New technique to help predict Alzheimer’s early
By IANS,
Sydney : A neuroimaging scan called PiB PET can predict the onset of Alzheimer's in individuals at least 18 months earlier than all currently available diagnostics.
PiB PET can show excess of beta-amyloid (molecule) in the brain and potentially allows clinicians to distinguish patients with early Alzheimer's disease, even before signs of memory loss are present.
Remember the moon? NASA does, with 2020 vision
Washington, Dec 12 (DPA) Thirty-five years after the last man stood on the moon, the US space agency remains focused on returning humans to Earth's satellite as a launching pad for future exploration of Mars.
Never mind that the US public seemed more fixated on the high-profile arrest earlier this year of an astronaut caught in a jealous love triangle with a colleague, or that the long-delayed installation of a European module on the International Space Station (ISS) was again pushed back with the postponement of the Atlantis shuttle launch Sunday.
Barriers remain on path to web access for disabled
By Sebastian Bronst, DPA,
Stuttgart : The Internet has no boundaries. At least that's the conventional wisdom. Nonetheless, hurdles remain for many who would like access to the worldwide web, especially those with disabilities. At issue are details seldom considered by web designers, programmers and non-disabled users.
But there are solutions, for example for blind people who want to surf the web. Screenreaders dictate website contents or print pages in Braille format.
Power supply snag hits Indian communication satellite
By IANS,
Chennai : Scientists of the Indian space agency are working to fix a power snag that switched off 12 transponders of the INSAT-4B comunication satellite Wednesday night, affecting services of some television channels and telecom operators.
"An expert team is looking at the possibilities of partial utilisation of some of the transponders that were switched off. The team is working to restore the services at the earliest," S. Satish, director (Publications and Public Relations), Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), told IANS from Bangalore over phone.
Model predicts global warming will speed up after 2009
By Xinhua
Washington : Global warming will speed up in the next decade and at least half of the years after 2009 will be warmer than 1998, the warmest year on record, reported a UK team of scientists in their climate predictions.
The next-decade prediction results by scientists at Hadley Center for Climate Prediction and Research in the UK is published Thursday in the U.S. academic journal Science.
Asteroid 2012 DA14 passes by Earth
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Moscow : The massive 2012 DA14 asteroid came closest to the Earth late Friday and is now heading away from the planet, Russian astronomers said.
Scientists unveil bionic eye for future implantation
By IANS,
Sydney : Scientists have unveiled a bionic eye for future implantation in patients.
The prototype, developed by Bionic Vision Australia (BVA) researchers at the University of New South Wales, will deliver improved quality of life for patients suffering from degenerative vision loss caused by retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration.
Macular degeneration is a condition that causes loss of vision in older adults by damaging the retina.
IBM to set system to monitor Bangalore water supply
By IANS,
Bangalore: Global IT major IBM's big data and predictive analytics will create systems to monitor and manage water supply in Bangalore by the...
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.
Frog fossil in Madagascar big as bowling ball
By Xinhua
Beijing : U.S. scientists' finding of a frog fossil with the size of a bowling ball in Madagascar provides evidence for competing theories that some bridge still connected South America with Africa about 70 million years ago, perhaps via an Antarctica that was much warmer than today, media reported Tuesday.
Beijing : U.S. scientists' finding of a frog fossil with the size of a bowling ball in Madagascar provides evidence for competing theories that some bridge still connected South America with Africa about 70 million years ago, perhaps via an Antarctica that was much warmer than today, media reported Tuesday.
First earth-like planet seems to be volcanic wasteland
By IANS,
Washington : The first Earth-like planet spotted outside our solar system seems to be a volcanic wasteland.
The rocky planet CoRoT-7b was discovered circling a star some 480 light years from Earth. It is, however, a forbidding place and not likely to harbour life.
That's because it is so close to its star that temperatures might be above 2,200 Celsius on the surface lit by its star and as low as minus 210 Celsius on its dark side.
No plans to put Indian on moon
By IANS,
New Delhi : India has no plans to put an astronaut on the moon -- as of now.
So said Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office V. Narayanasamy in the Rajya Sabha Thursday.
Women better than men in clinching business deals
By IANS,
London : Although few women occupy top slots in corporate hierarchies, a new study shows that they may be more accomplished in negotiations than their masculine counterparts.
Yael Itzhaki of Tel Aviv University carried out simulations of business negotiations among 554 Israeli and American management students at Ohio State University and in Israel, reported EurekAlert.
Have you experienced a vague feeling of familiarity in a new place?
By IANS,
Washington : You might be overcome with a vague yet familiar feeling when you find yourself in an entirely new place.
Somehow you sense that you have been there before, but when and how, you have not the remotest idea. You are also dead sure that it is your first visit. But something is missing and the experience keeps nagging you.
For a long time, this eerie sensation has been attributed to everything from paranormal disturbances to neurological disorders.
NASA plans most ambitious mission – to the asteroids
By IANS,
London : NASA will somehow have to accomplish its most ambitious mission - landing on an asteriod within 15 years, after a presidential directive.
New technology makes diagnosis of abnormal pregnancy cheaper
By Prashant K. Nanda
IANSNew Delhi : Indian scientists have developed a new technology that will help diagnose at a very early stage and at affordable cost abnormal pregnancies that can lead to miscarriages and stillbirths.
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.
New soil tester to assess earth’s health
By IANS,
Washington : Our planet has a fever. But global warming's effects on farming and water resources is still a mystery. Now an invention may provide a new diagnostic tool for assessing the health of the earth's soil.
A Tel Aviv University (TAU) invention, the Optical Soil Dipstick (OSD) designed by Eyal Ben-Dor will help scientists, urban planners and farmers understand the changing health of the soil, as well as its agricultural potential and other associated concerns. It could be used as a whistle-blower to catch polluters.
Scientists blame lack of political will for death of oceans
By IANS,
Washington : Scientists blamed "lack of political will and greed of special interests" for the gradual death of oceans and outlined a slew of immediate steps to reverse the process.
Some of these measures include establishing marine reserves, enforcing fishing regulations, limiting fossil fuel consumption, removal of fertiliser subsidies, implementing aquaculture and establishing local conservation measures.
NASA’s Mars rover Spirit begins new chapter
By IANS,
Washington : After six years of unprecedented exploration, NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit will no longer be a fully mobile robot.
NASA has designated the once-roving scientific explorer a stationary science platform after efforts during the past several months to free it from a sand trap were unsuccessful.
The venerable robot's primary task in the next few weeks will be to position itself to combat the severe Martian winter.
Scientists design chip 20 times faster than current PCs
By IANS,
London : Scientists have created an ultra-fast computer chip which is 20 times faster than current desktop computers.
Apple starts production of smaller iPad
By IANS,
San Francisco: Mass production of a smaller and cheaper version of Apple's iPad tablet computer has started, media reports said Wednesday.
India plans to launch reusable rocket by 2010
By NNN-PTI
Banglore : India plans to launch a reusable rocket for the first time by 2010, says its space agency chief.
"Our target (for the first launch) is before 2010," Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), G Madhavan Nair, told PTI.
The space scientists have already designed a "demonstrator" to measure parameters of the vehicle and further work is in progress, Nair, also Secretary in the Department of Space and Chairman of Space Commission, said.
Russia, France to develop armoured vehicle
By IANS,
Moscow: Russia and France will jointly develop a new armoured vehicle soon, Russian state arms exporter Rosoboronexport said.
Unitech allotted spectrum for three service areas
By IANS,
New Delhi : Real estate major Unitech has been allotted 4.4 MHz of spectrum in three service areas, the company said Monday.
“The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has issued the letter to the company`s telecom subsidiaries for allotment of 4.4 MHz of spectrum in 1800 MHz GSM band in respect of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Kolkata service areas,” a company statement said.
With this, the company has been allotted initial spectrum in 16 service areas out of the total 22 service areas.
Social networking in outer space
By Venkata Vemuri, IANS,
London : Get yourself a Bebo account right away if you want to send a message to outer space.
An interstellar radio telescope normally used to detect asteroids that could hit Earth is being taken off duty Oct 9 to transmit messages from Bebo users into space.
The messages are expected to reach a recently discovered planet in 2029. They will be sent from a telescope of the Russian National Space Agency in Ukraine.
Microsoft offers free trial of Windows 8
By IANS,
London : Microsoft gave reviewers and the public their first taste of its revolutionary new operating system Windows 8, the Daily Mail reported Thursday.
Platypus genome holds key to mammalian evolution
By IANS,
Washington : Scientists have decoded the genome of one of the most unusual creatures in existence - the duck-billed platypus. And now they know why it is part bird, part reptile and part mammal.
The platypus represents the earliest offshoot of mammalian lineage - a branch-out that occurred 166 million years ago from primitive ancestors with both mammalian and reptilian features.
"At first glance, the platypus appears as if it was the result of an evolutionary accident," said Francis S. Collins of the National Human Genome Research Institute.
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.
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 enters lunar space for final journey
By IANS,
Bangalore : India's first moon mission Chandrayaan-1 entered the lunar space early Tuesday for its final journey into the lunar orbit Saturday, an official of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said.
"The operation to put Chandrayaan into lunar space went off very well. The complex manouvre was carried out around 5 a.m. by firing the liquid apogee motor (LAM) on board for about 150 seconds to place the unmanned spacecraft 380,000 km away from earth (apogee) and 1,000 km from the moon," ISRO director S. Satish told IANS.
Scientists identify gene that influences alcohol consumption
By Xinhua
Washington : A variant of a gene involved in communication among brain cells has a direct influence on alcohol consumption in mice, according to a new study by US scientists.
If approved in human beings, the finding may lead to new opportunities for developing drugs to treat alcohol dependence.
Known as Grm7, the gene encodes a receptor subtype that inhibits the release of glutamate and other neurotransmitter molecules that brain cells use to communicate with one another.
Microsoft sues Motorola over Android phones
By Arun Kumar, IANS,
Washington: Microsoft Corp has filed a lawsuit against Motorola, saying the smartphone maker had infringed on nine patents in its Android-based devices.
Indian American finds mastermind behind formation of our skin
By IANS,
Washington : An Indian American researcher has discovered the genetic mastermind that controls skin formation. The finding could help address skin disorders like eczema, psoriasis and wrinkles.
Skin is actually the largest organ in the human body, and has important functions in protecting people from infection, toxins, microbes and solar radiation.
Nanoscale process to help computers run faster, better
By IANS,
Washington : A new nanotechnology will help make computers much smaller, faster and more efficient.
A team led by Craig Hawker, materials professor at California University Santa Barbara, (UCSB) with professors Glenn Fredrickson and Edward J. Kramer, has developed a novel process for creating features on silicon wafers that are between five and 20 nanometres thick. (A nanometre is as thin as a thousandth of human hair).
The new process has been described in Science Express, the online version of Science.
Three rules ‘must’ for optimising technology use for progress
By IANS,
Washington : Use of technology can be optimised for ensuring social progress if policy makers are clear about how to apply it and know what to expect from their efforts.
Daniel Sarewitz of Arizona State University (ASU) and Richard Nelson of Columbia University described three rules that can help technology and science policy makers become smarter about where to apply technological fixes and what to expect as a result.
Google agrees to carry anti-abortion ads by religious bodies
By IANS,
London : Religious organizations can now place anti-abortion advertisements on Google after a lawsuit by a British pro-life charity forced it to lift the ban.
Google settled out of court Wednesday with The Christian Institute, a UK-based charity, and will now allow religious groups to place factual and campaigning ads about abortion. The new policy will apply world-wide with immediate effect. The Institute lost no time in placing its first advertisement on the website.
Cuban scientists develop cancer drug from scorpion venom
By IANS
Cienfuegos (Cuba) : Cuban scientists have developed a drug from scorpion venom, which they say could go a long way in fighting cancer, Spanish news agency Prensa Latina reported Thursday.
"The researchers have been studying the breeding, handling and use of scorpion venom in their Cienfuegos breeding centre, which has 400 scorpions at present but would increase to 5,000 next year," team leader Fabio Linares of the Pharmaceutical Biological Laboratories in Havana said Wednesday.
The drug can be used to treat brain tumours, pancreas and prostate cancer.
IBM creates world’s smallest 3D map
By IANS,
Washington : IBM scientists have created a 3D map of the earth so small that 1,000 of them could fit on a single grain of salt.
They accomplished this through a new, breakthrough technique that uses a tiny, silicon tip with a sharp apex -- 100,000 times smaller than a sharpened pencil point -- to create patterns and structures as small as 15 nanometre at greatly reduced cost and complexity.
Large Hadron Collider gets research programme cracking
By IANS,
London : Beams collided at seven trillion electron volts in the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN, the European Organisation for Nuclear Research, as the research programme got underway Tuesday.
The LHC lies in a tunnel 27 km in circumference, as much as 175 metres beneath the Franco-Swiss border near Geneva, Switzerland.
Particle physicists worldwide are looking forward to a potentially rich harvest of new physics as the LHC begins its first long run at an energy three-and-a-half times higher than previously achieved at a particle accelerator.
Climate change brings riotous blooms to Sweden
By IANS,
London : A riot of blooms and superabundance of greenery have transformed Swedish mountainsides into a verdant paradise - thanks to climate change.
Trees like oak, elm, maple and black alder are soaking up the warmth to stabilise themselves for the first time in 8,000 years, according to a study.
A rise in warmth by just a degree, over a century, has triggered changes in flora, fauna and landscapes, reflecting a condition that scientists say is similar to one prevailing just after the last ice age, ScienceDaily reported
Universal Cable, Furukawa Electric join hands
By IANS,
Kolkata, April 21 (IANS) Power cable manufacturer Universal, an M.P. Birla group company, has signed a pact with the Japan-based Furukawa Electric for manufacturing and marketing optical fibre in India.
"By combining the pre-eminent position of the M.P. Birla Group in optical fibre and cable business in India, with significant experience and technical expertise of Furukawa, we will bring our customers a strong product," D.R. Bansal, Chief Mentor and chief executive officer of UCL said in a statement here Tuesday.
Web surveillance can keep lethal infections at bay
By IANS,
Toronto: Integrating real-time web-based infectious disease surveillance with knowledge of worldwide air traffic patterns could help keep lethal infections at bay at mass gatherings.
For instance, during the 1991 International Special Olympic Games in the US, an outbreak of measles was triggered by an athlete from Argentina, where a concurrent measles epidemic was underway.
No rise of atmospheric CO2 fraction in past 150 years
By IANS,
London : The airborne fraction of carbon dioxide (CO2) has not increased either during the past 150 years or during the most recent five decades, research says.
Most of the CO2 emitted by human activity is absorbed by the oceans and our ecosystems. In fact, only about 45 percent of emitted CO2 stays in the air. However, some studies have suggested that the ability of oceans and plants to absorb CO2 recently may have begun to decline.
India successfully puts spacecraft into lunar orbit
By IANS,
Bangalore : India Saturday successfully put its first unmanned spacecraft Chandrayaan-I into lunar orbit - a major step towards placing it in its designated slot 100 km from the moon, a top Indian space agency official said.
The spacecraft was placed in an elliptical orbit - at 7,500 km aposelene (farthest from moon) and 500 km periselene (nearest to moon) through complex manoeuvres, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) director S. Satish told IANS here.
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.
India, Brazil, South Africa to develop satellites
By NNN-Bernama,
Brasilia : India, Brazil and South Africa on Friday will jointly develop two satellites and forged closer cooperation on global issues like UN reforms, climate change and world trade talks.
This emerged after the fourth India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) summit here, according to Press Trust of India (PTI).
The two satellites will be used for studying climate to help agriculture sector in the three countries.
Scientists explain why love game is fraught with perils
By IANS,
London : A model developed by scientists delves into why courtship or the mating game is often protracted and fraught with perils.
The study, by researchers by University College London (UCL), University of Warwick (UW) and LSE (London School of Economics and Political Science), shows that extended courtship enables a male to signal his suitability to a female and enables the female to reject him if unsuitable.
Bioengineering aids a landslide victory in Nepal
By Badri Paudyal, IANS
Kathmandu : Five years ago, landslides on highways made frequent headlines in Nepal. Today the worry in people's minds as they travel by road has changed to relief, reports science site Scidev.net.
This is a result of bioengineering technology, which, along with conventional civil engineering, has helped combat landslides in Nepal.
When landslides occurred in Krishnabhir, some 80 km from here, they were a nightmare for those travelling on the Prithvi highway, the main transport artery of the nation.
France, EU laud India on successful moon landing
By IANS,
New Delhi : France, chair of the 27-nation European Union, Saturday lauded India on the successful lunar exploration mission, which, it stressed, confirmed “India's eminent position among the world-class scientific and technological powers”.
“France, on behalf of the European Union, warmly congratulates India for the successful landing of the Moon Impact Probe and the launch of the lunar exploration programme,” the French embassy said in a statement here.
Bodhi tree branch cut three years ago: report
By IANS
Patna : A scientific report has vindicated allegations by Buddhists that one of their most sacred religious symbols -- the Bodhi tree at the Mahabodhi temple in Bodh Gaya -- had a branch cut off three years ago.
The Dehradun-based Forest Research Institute (FRI), in its detailed report submitted to the Bihar government, said a branch of the sacred Bodhi tree was cut three years ago.
"The report has proved that a branch of the Bodhi tree was cut three years ago instead of last year as claimed," home secretary Afzal Amanullah said Friday.
Indian, US scientists question Big Bang theory
By Vishnu Makhijani, IANS,
New Delhi : An Indian and an American scientist have questioned the Big Bang theory, saying it does not serve as a viable explanation for the origin of the universe.
The research papers of Ashwini Kumar Lal of India's Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation and Rhawn Joseph of Northern California's Brain Research Laboratory have been accepted for publication in the April issue of the peer-reviewed Harvard journal, Journal of Cosmology.
CSIR need to work for science-society synergy: Swaminathan
By IANS
New Delhi : The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) must help bring about synergy between science and society so as to bridge the urban-rural divide, eminent scientist M.S. Swaminathan said here Wednesday.
Speaking at the 65th Foundation Day of CSIR, the greatest and largest science set-up in India, Swaminathan said: "It would be useful for CSIR to set up a joint scientific panel with the Indian Council of Social Sciences Research in order to bring about the desired synergy between science and society."
Supercomputer set to mimic human sight
By IANS,
Washington : ‘Roadrunner’, the world’s most powerful supercomputer that was unveiled last week, is all set to mimic extremely complex neurological processes.
If successful, researchers believe they can study -- in real time -- the entire human visual cortex, arguably a human being's most important sensory apparatus.
The ‘Roadrunner’ is a petaflop computer, with peta meaning a million-billion -- that's the number of calculations it is capable of performing per second.
ISRO short of 230 scientists
By IANS,
New Delhi : The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is short of 230 scientists and engineers, the Lok Sabha was told Wednesday.
Facebook has 65 million active users in India
By IANS,
Hyderabad : World's largest social network Facebook Thursday announced that it has over 65 million active users in India, an eight-fold increase over last two years.
Man thinks moon is UFO, calls emergency
By IANS,
London : A Briton rang up emergency number 999 to report an UFO hovering above his house, but later said the "mysterious object" was only the moon.
China unveils world’s largest sci-tech museum
By Xinhua,
Guangzhou (China) : China has unveiled the world's largest science and technology museum in the southern city of Guangzhou that will demonstrate the country's newest achievements in the field.
The Guangdong Science Centre, with an area of 450,000 square metres, is situated at the far western tip of Xiaoguwei Island, also the location of Guangzhou University Town in Guangdong province.
With a floor area larger than Beijing's Tian'anmen Square, the steel-structured main building of the museum features a blooming kapok flower.
New format to ensure disruption-free images on TV
By IANS,
London : Video coding techniques still have their flip side - digital images are not always disruption-free. Now, an extension of the coding format known as H.264/AVC will help protect the most important data packets to ensure they reach the receiver.
For instance, your favourite detective series has just reached its climax when a thunderstorm raging outside interferes with the digital image on your TV.
Want to meet T-Rex? Go to Jharkhand
By IANS,
Ranchi : Want to know more about the ferocious T-Rex and his friends? Well, there's good news for you, as the forest department of Jharkhand plans to establish a dinosaur park in the state.
The authorities came up with the idea after footprints resembling those of the big reptiles were discovered in the state.
"Footprints resembling those of dinosaurs have been found in Pithoria in Ranchi and Hazaribagh districts. There is a possibility that the big reptiles might have been roaming in these areas," said Nitish Priyadarshi, a geologist and environmentalist.
Yahoo launches voice-search via mobile
By DPA
San Francisco/Las Vegas : Yahoo Wednesday unveiled a powerful new version of its OneSearch technology for mobile phones that allows users to initiate searches faster using voice or text.
The new search module is believed to be the first voice-activated search available via cell phone. The company has already signed partnerships with 29 carriers around the world.
It will also make search instantly accessible on the idle screen of many phones and is seen by the company as a key plank of its strategy to make Yahoo the starting point for mobile consumers.
Iran to launch first domestic satellite by March
By RIA Novosti,
Tehran : Iran plans to put its first domestically made communication satellite into orbit by March 20, the head of the Iranian space agency has said.
"If we do not run into problems, the first domestic satellite will be put in orbit by the end of this (Iranian solar calendar) year," Reza Taqipour said.
Technical experts were working to complete the preparations, he said, adding that the precise launch date for the Omid, or Hope, satellite would be announced as it drew nearer.
Nuclear bill in Lok Sabha likely Monday
By IANS,
New Delhi: With less than a month to go before Prime Minister Manmohan Singh goes to the US, the government is planning to introduce the contentious Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Bill in the Lok Sabha Monday.
The bill is likely to be introduced in the Lok Sabha Monday, said government sources here.
The passing of the bill, which seeks to limits damages to American nuclear companies in case of an accident, is a crucial step India is required to complete under the 123 civil nuclear agreement with the US.
Biocon chief unveils radiology training centre
By IANS
Bangalore : Biotechnology firm Biocon's chairperson Kiran Mazumdar Shaw late Tuesday unveiled a radiology training centre at Teleradiology Solutions (TS) facility in India's silicon hub.
Purported to be first-of-its-kind in the country, the centre, christened Rad Gurukul, will train and refine skills of radiologists, technologists and those involved in healthcare IT.
Teleradiology services include interpretation of non-invasive imaging studies, namely CT, MRI, ultrasound, nuclear medicine studies and digitised X-rays.
iPhone set to surpass BlackBerry in mobile market
By IANS,
Toronto: Apple's iPhone is set to overtake Research In Motion's BlackBerry in the global smart phone market by next year, according to Forbes online.
Currently, BlackBerry enjoys about three percent of the world's mobile phone market, while Apple's has about two percent share of the market. But BlackBerry's lead over iPhone is shrinking and Apple will overtake RIM by early next year, Forbes said Friday.
Intel founder gives $200mn to build world’s largest telescope
By Xinhua
Los Angeles : Intel Corp founder Gordon Moore and his wife Betty have donated $200 million to build the world's largest optical telescope, according to media reports.
The telescope will have a mirror nearly 100 feet across and three times the size of the current record holder. The donation went to Caltech (California Institute of Technology) and the University of California, said the Los Angeles Times.
Caltech officials said matching gifts from two other institutions are expected to bring the total to $300 million.
Karnataka to pitch Bangalore as nanotechnology hub
By IANS,
Bangalore : Tech-savvy Karnataka is set to promote Bangalore as a nanotechnology hub to replicate its success in information technology (IT) and biotechnology (BT) sectors, with novel initiatives to attract investors, entrepreneurs and venture capitalists, a top official said here.
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
Microsoft, Mammootty to launch Kerala e-literacy programme
By IANS
Thiruvananthapuram : Software giant Microsoft and veteran Malayalam superstar Mammootty are planning to launch an e-literacy programme in Kerala.
Mammootty told IANS Tuesday that he is in discussions with Microsoft for the launch of the statewide education project.
He is also the brand ambassador of the state-sponsored Akshaya IT programme.
Mammootty said he wants to launch the project to help make all sections of the society IT literate.
India’s first moon mission is world’s 68th
By IANS,
Bangalore : Chandrayaan-1, that lifts off Wednesday morning from Sriharikota, is India's first and the world's 68th mission to the moon, the earth's closest celestial body which has fascinated children, scientists and poets alike.
"Through the ages, the moon, our closest celestial body, has aroused curiosity in our mind, far more than any other objects in the sky," says the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on its maiden moon mission.
Russia launches US satellite
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Moscow : Russia Saturday launched a Proton-M rocket to put a US telecommunications satellite into space, the defence ministry said.
The rocket blasted off from the Baikonur space centre in Kazakhstan at 11.19 GMT. The satellite was due to separate from the carrier rocket at around 20.19 GMT.
The 2.6-tonne satellite has a lifespan of about 15 years. The satellite will provide digital television services for customers in the US and the Caribbean.
This was the fifth Proton-M rocked launched by Russia this year.
China to launch 15 to 16 satellites in 2009: Official
By Xinhua,
Beijing : China plans to launch 15 to 16 satellites this year, an official said here Monday.
"Though the global financial crisis is taking a toll on the world economy, it has no impact on China's space programmes," said Zhang Jianqi, deputy chief commander of the manned space project.
Zhang said China is at present "batch-producing" three spacecraft - Shenzhou-8, Shenzhou-9 and Shenzhou-10.
Smart phones help track birds in the wild
By IANS,
Sydney : Smart phones, networked with remote sensors, have taken the uncertainty and exertion out of tracking birdcalls in the wild, according to a new study.
Earlier, such observations during a census or survey of bird populations saw biologists rising as early as 3 a.m. and making frequent trips to the site of the study.
“These repeated visits raised the risk of disturbing the very creatures under investigation, altering their behaviour,” said Richard Mason of Microsoft Queensland University of Technology and the study's author.
Robot chef who can make rasam, sambar
By IANS,
Chennai : Here is a chef that can prepare lip-smacking sambar, rasam and vatta kozhambu and may give the best cooks in Tamil Nadu a run for their money. But the secret of Chef-bot's culinary skills lies not in a kitchen but in a laboratory.
Four students of the Saveetha Engineering College in Sriperumbudur, Chennai's industrial suburb, have designed a robot, Chef-bot, as part of their college project. As of now, Chef-bot's skills are limited to Tamil preparations.
Russia tracks rogue U.S. satellite, contains nuclear material
By RIA Novosti
Moscow : Russia's Defense Ministry is closely monitoring a U.S. spy satellite that has gone out of control and may have nuclear material on board, a high-ranking defense source said on Friday.
"The Defense Ministry is using its space surveillance systems to track the satellite's movement in orbit," he said.
Russian military experts suggest the satellite could have an on board nuclear power source, a senior parliament member said.
Stretchable silicon camera a step closer to artificial retina
By IANS,
Washington : The human eye has inspired a new technology that is likely to push the limits of photography by producing vastly better images over a wider field of view.
The remarkable imaging device has been made possible by combining stretchable optoelectronics and biologically inspired design like the layout of the eye.
University of Illinois and Northwestern University researchers have developed a high-performance, hemispherical "eye" camera using an array of single-crystalline silicon detectors and electronics, configured in a stretchable, interconnected mesh.
Yahoo! hosting 24-hour ‘hacking’ event in India’s tech hub
By IANS,
Bangalore : Global search engine Yahoo! is hosting a non-stop 24-hour "hacking" event from Saturday noon in this tech hub where about 300 whiz-kids will use its web tools and services to develop new applications, a company official said Friday.
"About 300 developers across India will participate in the 24-hour hacking event, which involves using our web tools, services and application programming interfaces (APIs) to innovate new solutions for our global netizens," Yahoo! India Research and Development Head Shouvick Mukherjee told IANS here.
India’s e-vault to store documents on cloud draws crowds
By Sharon Thambala
Bengaluru : A key part of the "Digital India" initiative of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the free government scheme that...
Astro-pundits debate do’s and don’ts for solar eclipse
By IANS,
New Delhi : Chant the surya mantra, avoid eating out and postpone work and any major assignments, some astrologers warn about the impending eclipse Wednesday. Others, however, dismiss these warnings as "eclipse hysteria".
Astro-pundits are predicting a mixed bag when it comes to the solar eclipse.
The solar eclipse hemmed in between two lunar eclipses - one on July 7 and another Aug 6 - will affect those with Cancer in their birth charts, according to some astrologers.
Communication malfunction delays Phoenix Mars lander digging
By Xinhua,
Beijing : Phoenix lander's first scoop of the Martian soil was delayed Wednesday as a result of a communication malfunction on a spacecraft that relayed commands from Earth to Mars, according to media reports Thursday.
The orbiting Odyssey satellite failed to send instructions to the lander to dig into the permafrost to search for evidence of life, said Chad Edwards, chief telecommunications engineer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena.
Atlantis Ready to Return to Earth
By Prensa Latina
Washington : Uncoupling from the international space station, the crew of the space shuttle Atlantis started preparations for return to the earth Monday.
After uncoupling, Atlantis made another turn to take photos of the thermal layer, seeking alterations that might compromise security during its return through the atmosphere.
During this mission, European space lab Columbus coupled to the station, where three astronauts, including in biomedicine and material science, could work simultaneously.
EVMs cannot be manipulated, says chief election commissioner
By IANS,
Agartala: The electronic voting machines (EVM) are secure for the purpose they serve as they cannot be manipulated, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) V.S. Sampath said here Saturday.
China’s first lunar probe Chang’e-1 blasts off
By Xinhua
Xichang (China) : China Wednesday launched a lunar probe, the first of its three-stage moon mission, from a launch centre in southwestern Sichuan province.
The circumlunar satellite Chang'e-1 blasted off on a Long March 3A carrier rocket at 6:05 p.m. from the No. 3 launching tower in the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre.
Chinese space experts, technicians and other work staff, joined by experts from Japan, Germany and other countries as well as millions others from across the country, watched the launch.
Taking hi-tech solutions to poor villages
By Frederick Noronha, IANS
Bangalore : Ekgaon, a technology and management services firm for independent rural communities, is run by young Indian techies spanning the globe, some of whom are expatriates keen to help their home country.
Bio-nanotechnology will help India’s food security: Pawar
By IANS
New Delhi : Advances in the area of bio-nanotechnology would go a long way in helping India's food security, Minister for Food and Agriculture Sharad Pawar said here Wednesday.
"Bio-nanotechnology takes agriculture from the era of genetically modified (GM) crops to the brave new world of atomically modified organisms," Pawar said, speaking at the inaugural session of the three-day Fifth Knowledge Millennium Summit on "B2B Bio and Nanotechnology" organised by industry body Assocham.
Will Indian students’ solar car make it to contest?
By Azera Rahman, IANS
New Delhi : A bright young student team is all set to take its creation, a solar car, to the World Solar Challenge in Australia Oct 18 - if lack of funds doesn't cut its journey short.
Standing next to the three-wheeled car, roughly the size of a Honda City, 10 students of the Delhi College of Engineering (DCE) couldn't help beaming with pride.
"It took us a year to complete this car. We started working on the car in November last year. Driven on three wheels, as solar cars generally are, the car has six panels on its body.
India can send crew to space in seven years: ISRO chief
By IANS
Washington : The Indian government has been "sensitised" on the issue of manned space flights and India's space agency will be able to send crew to space in seven to eight years, G. Madhavan Nair, head of India's space programme, said here.
"We have sensitised the government on manned space flights. In seven to eight years, we will be able to carry crew to orbit and back," Nair, chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and of the Space Commission, said here.
Researchers convert carbon into green energy
By IANS,
Singapore : Scientists here have succeeded in converting a greenhouse gas like carbon dioxide into a green energy source.
Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN) researchers said they used organocatalysts to help carbon dioxide (CO2) produce methanol, a widely used industrial feedstock and clean-burning biofuel.
Organocatalysts are catalysts that comprise non-metallic elements found in organic compounds. They can be produced easily at low cost.
China’s army goes digital
By Xinhua
Nanning (China) : While digital technology allows commanders of China's People's Liberation Army's (PLA) to electronically monitor borders round the clock, cooks in the barracks conjure up tasty dishes using recipes from e-books through computers in the kitchen.
Sea Launch to put U.S. satellite into orbit on March 17
By RIA Novosti
Washington : The launch of a Zenith-3SL carrier rocket with the DirecTV 11 broadcast satellite on board has been scheduled for March 17, a spokesperson for Sea Launch consortium said on Friday.
The satellite, with mass of approximately 6 metric tons, is designed to deliver national high-definition (HD) programming and local HD channels to subscribers throughout the United States.
"The launch has been scheduled for 3:49 p.m. PDT (22:49 GMT)," Paula Korn said.
"The launch has been scheduled for 3:49 p.m. PDT (22:49 GMT)," Paula Korn said.
Pakistani scientists hook up to peers across the globe
By IANS,
Brussels : Pakistani scientists and researchers are now connected to colleagues across the globe, courtesy two of the world's most powerful computers, the European Commission said.
Pakistani scientists will now be able to connect to the world through GEANT, the world's fastest computer network dedicated to research and education, and TEIN, the Asian counterpart, Viviane Reding, European Commissioner for information society and media, said Tuesday.
Researchers replicate ‘all seeing eye’ of insects
By IANS,
Sydney : Inspired by the 'all seeing eyes' of insects, scientists have built an artificial one with an unobstructed all-round view.
It has potential uses for guiding robot vehicles and aircraft, providing low-cost panoramic security surveillance and novel lighting systems.
The 'eye', designed by a team from The Vision Centre (TVC), is a tool to emulate exactly what insects see as they zip around the landscape, as part of a larger project to understand how they navigate, find food, escape predators and especially, how insects like bees find their way home.
Scientists develop sensor for homemade bombs
By IANS
New York : In a small but significant step in the battle against terrorism, scientists have developed an inexpensive chip capable of detecting hydrogen peroxide, the chemical used in the most common form of homemade explosives.
Hydrogen peroxide-based explosives were used in the 2005 bombing of the London transit system.
Researchers at the University of California at San Diego say the penny-sized electronic sensor, capable of sniffing out even tiny amounts of hydrogen peroxide, could also have industrial applications by monitoring toxic hydrogen peroxide levels in factories.
Mars probe fit to peek under Earth’s ice sheets
By Xinhua,
Beijing : A space-based radar aboard a European Mars probe could not only peer under the frozen extraterrestrial seas of moons such as Europa and Titan, but also see beneath the surface of ice sheets on Earth.
The space radar would take its cue from the Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionosphere Sounding (MARSIS) instrument, which has probed the Red Planet's underground for evidence of water from the European Space Agency's (ESA) Mars Express spacecraft.
Bombard seeds with electrons to kill fungal spores, viruses
By IANS,
Washington : Researchers have developed a method to bombard seeds with electrons to kill fungal spores and viruses and ensure untainted food, as well as protect plants.
Until a few years ago, organic products were sold exclusively by small health-food stores. They can now be found in most supermarkets. A growing number of consumers prefer to buy organic food that has been grown without use of chemical pesticides.
Indian scientists look to stars to cure heart patients
By P. Vijian, NNN-Bernama,
New Delhi : Indian astro scientists have become starry-eyed. They are looking to the stars to heal heart patients.
While it may sound out of this world (pardon the pun), scientists at the Banaras Hindu University in Varanasi have resorted to doing exatly that.
They are boldly taking the science of astrology to a new dimension.
The scientists are busying calculating the movements of stars and planets of patients to understand how they can reduce or avert the increasing heart-related diseases -- merely using their horoscopes.
Stock your anti-spam tool chest
By DPA
Washington : E-mail users today can't afford to ignore spam. The unwanted e-mail that clogs inboxes everywhere costs people time, and time, of course, is money.
If you're curious about exactly how much spam is costing you on either a personal level or a corporate level, you can check in at Computer Mail Service's handy Cost of Spam Web site (http://www.cmsconnect.com/Marketing/spamcalc.htm).
There you'll be able to break down how much you lose in salary and productivity by dealing with average amounts of spam.
Washington : E-mail users today can't afford to ignore spam. The unwanted e-mail that clogs inboxes everywhere costs people time, and time, of course, is money.
If you're curious about exactly how much spam is costing you on either a personal level or a corporate level, you can check in at Computer Mail Service's handy Cost of Spam Web site (http://www.cmsconnect.com/Marketing/spamcalc.htm).
There you'll be able to break down how much you lose in salary and productivity by dealing with average amounts of spam.
Researchers develop an all-seeing eye
By IANS
London : Ever heard of terahertz waves? These higher-frequency waves can penetrate wood ceramics, paper plastic and liquids, making for an ideal tool to detect explosives or drugs, without ripping open suitcases, or searching through items of clothing.
It will also enable doctors to identify skin cancer without performing a biopsy.
Terahertz waves change when passing through gases, solid materials or liquids, which may be explosives, water, heroin or blood, carrying their specific imprints.
Cut soot, slow climate change: Scientists
By IANS,
New Delhi : Global warming is caused by excess of greenhouse gases, mainly carbon dioxide, but cutting down other pollutants such as soot can help slow climate change in a big way, say the world's leading scientists, including an Indian American.
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.
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.
BlackBerry makers launch new smart model to take on iPhone
By IANS,
Toronto : Global telecom major Research in Motion (RIM), makers of mobile handset BlackBerry, has finally unveiled its much touted BlackBerry Bold smartphone.
The new device, which comes within weeks of the global launch of Apple's iPhone, was launched in Austria Thursday. Like the iPhone, the BlackBerry Bold will also operate on the much faster, next-generation 3G network and has a built-in GPS.
Now a car with inbuilt electric scooter
By IANS,
Melbourne : Traffic snarls in cities need not cause much worry as a new car with an inbuilt electric scooter that flips and folds into the boot will allow commuters to zip through the congested streets.
Carmaker Volkswagen is working on a bike that neatly compacts into the boot of a car and can be recharged on the move, The Age reported.
The "Bik.e" may look like a traditional push bike, but there are no pedals - thus it's actually more like a folding electric scooter.
New tool opens up world of cells in greater detail
By IANS
London : A revolutionary new tool not only allows a better, brighter visualisation of two or more proteins but also helps differentiate young and old copies of a protein within the human cell.
Developed by researchers at Ecole Polytechnique in Lausanne, Switzerland, the procedure is the latest in a line of innovative tools relying on fluorescent molecules to view such biochemical processes.
This tool, called SNAP-tag, can be labelled in living cells using benzylguanine (BG) derivatives bearing a chemical probe.
Memory chip of future promises massive storage capacity
By IANS,
New York : A hardy, heat-resistant, graphite-based memory device holds the potential of making massive amounts of storage available for computers, handheld media players, cell phones and cameras.
Rice University researchers, who are currently developing the device, said the solid-state device takes advantage of the conducting properties of graphene and would have many advantages over today's state-of-the-art flash memory and other new technologies.
Breakthrough in battle to curb greenhouse gases
By IANS,
London : A team of scientists has developed a highly energy-efficient method of converting waste carbon dioxide into chemical compounds, marking a breakthrough in the fight to cut greenhouse gases.
The team from Newcastle University estimates that the technology has the potential to use up to 48 million tonnes of waste carbon dioxide per year, reducing Britain's emissions by about four percent, ScienceDaily reported.
The method developed by the team led by Michael North, a professor of organic chemistry, converts waste carbon dioxide into cyclic carbonates.
Aggressive boys tend to gossip, spread rumours
By IANS,
Washington : A new analysis based on nearly 150 studies of aggression in children and adolescents, has found that while boys are more aggressive than girls physically, they are the same in indirect attacks like gossiping, rumour mongering and intentionally isolating others.
"These conclusions challenge the popular misconception that indirect aggression is a female form of aggression," said Noel A. Card, assistant professor of family studies, University of Arizona and the study's co-author.
Humans first covered their nakedness 170,000 years ago
By IANS,
Washington : A research suggests that humans first covered their nakedness some 170,000 years ago, something which helped them move out of Africa.
Phoenix probe sends 1st pictures from Mars’ north pole
By Xinhua,
Beijing : In the most ambitious mission to date to find life-sustaining minerals on the Red Planet, NASA's Phoenix Mars probe sent back never-before-seen pictures of Mars' north pole Monday, media reported Tuesday.
The pictures from the probe confirmed that the solar arrays needed for the mission's energy supply had unfolded properly, as the craft's batteries would have run out in about 30 hours.
Beijing : In the most ambitious mission to date to find life-sustaining minerals on the Red Planet, NASA's Phoenix Mars probe sent back never-before-seen pictures of Mars' north pole Monday, media reported Tuesday.
The pictures from the probe confirmed that the solar arrays needed for the mission's energy supply had unfolded properly, as the craft's batteries would have run out in about 30 hours.
Delhi willing to fund entire project to install CCTVs
New Delhi: The city government on Wednesday told the Delhi High Court that it was willing to fund the entire project of installation of...
Google features Gandhi doodle
By IANS,
London : The search engine Google Friday decorated its home page with a sketch of Mahatma Gandhi on his 140th birth anniversary.
The page, seen by millions of people around the world every day as they search the internet, showed Gandhi's face - the dome of his head and mushtacheo forming the initial letter 'G'.
Researchers identify gene that may help improve rice yield
By IANS,
Washington : A gene in rice identified by scientists, that controls the size and weight of the grains, might open the way to high-yield variant and benefit vast numbers for whom it is staple.
"Our work shows that it is possible to increase rice yield by enhancing the expression of a particular gene," said Hont Ma, professor at the Pennsylvania State University.
Technologies that don’t disappoint
By Jay Dougherty, DPA
Washington : Some technology products can really improve your life, allowing you to work more productively or accomplish tasks that you couldn't before. Others just promise to fall into that category but ultimately lead you to question why you bothered.
The challenge for buyers, of course, is discerning the must-haves from the rest. While all new technologies these days vie for your attention, there are a few out there now that truly deserves it. Here's a rundown.
China develops fastest super computer
By IANS,
Beijing : China has developed a super computer that runs at more than one quadrillion (one thousand million million) calculations per second, making it the fastest one in the country, experts have said.
The super computer named "Xingyun", has been developed in Tianjin, and works at double the speed of "Tianhe-1", the previous fastest machine in China.
The Tianhe-1 was developed by the National University of Defence Technology in October 2009, Li Jun, president of the Dawning Information Industry Co. Ltd., was quoted as saying by Xinhua.
EU, India plan corpus for nano-technology research
By IANS
New Delhi : India and the European Commission (EC), a governing body of the European Union (EU), will set up a corpus fund of euro 10 million (Rs.576.7 million) for research in nano-technology, a top EC official said here Wednesday.
"We are for a joint call, which will focus on collaborative research. The effort will receive support of about euro 5 million (Rs.288.4 million) from each party," EC director general (research) Jose M.S. Rodriguez told reporters.