Life in Kolkata goes haywire after monsoon rains

KOLKATA – Traffic snarls and waterlogging threw normal life out of gear in this West Bengal capital following heavy monsoon rains for over an hour Monday.

Several schools declared a holiday as the skies opened up in the morning flooding large parts of the eastern metropolis under ankle- to knee-deep water.
The weatherman said the city … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Life in Kolkata goes haywire after monsoon rains.

Showers cool down Chandigarh, Punjab and Haryana

CHANDIGARH – Moderate rainfall Monday in Chandigarh and parts of Punjab and Haryana brought much needed respite from the scorching heat and made the weather pleasant as the temperature fell by two to four degrees, a met official here said.

“This rainfall has lowered down the temperature in Chandigarh and in most parts of Punjab and …. Original source  : Showers cool down Chandigarh, Punjab and Haryana.

Delhi to miss its date with monsoon

NEW DELHI – Delhiites can look forward to thundershowers Monday, but will have to wait for a few more days for the monsoon as it would miss its June 29 date with the capital, a weather official said.

“The monsoon (usually) reaches Delhi on June 29 but this time it will hit the capital by early … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Delhi to miss its date with monsoon.

Arsenic in drinking water of millions in Bangladesh, called worst mass poisoning in history

Arsenic water killing 1 in 5 exposed in Bangladesh

CHANDIPUR, Bangladesh – Hanufa Bibi stoops in a worn sari and mismatched flip-flops to work the hand pump on her backyard well. Spurts of clear water wash grains of rice from her hands, but she can never get them clean.
Thick black warts tattoo her palms and fingers, …. Source  : Gaea News Network.

Despite light rains, another hot day for Delhi

NEW DELHI – Delhi remained hot and muggy Sunday with the mercury above 40 degrees Celsius and the humidity levels high, despite light showers early in the day. Monday is expected to be the same, though light rains or thundershowers are forecast, weather officials said.

The maximum temperature was 41.1 degrees Celsius, one degree above the …. Read the original article  : Despite light rains, another hot day for Delhi.

Amputee cat gets prosthetic legs

LONDON – In a first-of-its-kind surgery, a cat that had its hind feet severed by a harvester has been given two prosthetic limbs by a British vet.

The new custom-made implants, which joined the cat’s ankles to the feet, were surgically attached by Noel Fitzpatrick, a veterinary surgeon based in Surrey, the BBC reported.
The … Read : Amputee cat gets prosthetic legs.

Another hot day in Himachal Pradesh

SHIMLA – The hills of Himachal Pradesh experienced another hot day Sunday with the state capital Shimla recording a maximum temperature of 26.5 degrees Celsius, a met official said.

The high temperature in Shimla, situated at an altitude of 2,130 metre, was 3.2 notches above average. It had recorded a high of 26.4 degrees Celsius Saturday. … Read more : Another hot day in Himachal Pradesh.

Oprah Winfrey embroiled in vote-rigging scandal

MELBOURNE – Oprah Winfrey, known for reporting others’ scandals, is now embroiled in a vote-rigging scandal in her search for the next great TV star.

The talk-show queen’s website is accused of fixing results against a disabled contestant in a competition to find the next great TV star.

People are contending for a chance at …. Original article on Gaea Times at  : Oprah Winfrey embroiled in vote-rigging scandal.

Universal grammar rule that applies to all languages

LONDON – People who have tried learning a new language know how difficult it is to learn a different grammar. But now, experts have said that there are some grammatical rules that can be applied to all languages.

Norvin Richards of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has proposed a universal rule linking intonation with where …. Source  : Gaea News Network.

Wikipedia becomes home base for paedophiles

WASHINGTON – An investigation has revealed that Wikipedia has become a home base for a worldwide network of paedophiles.

According to the investigation, paedophiles are campaigning on the famous online encyclopaedia and are trying to lure more and more people.

Chat room posts on Wikipedia are used by pedophiles to further their agenda.

Message board posts often include … Read more »»».

Global wind-shift caused Earth’s last ice age to end

WASHINGTON – A global shift in winds is what led to the end of Earth’s last ice age- an event that ushered in a warmer climate and the birth of human civilization.

It is believed that, in the geological blink of an eye, ice sheets …. Original source  : Global wind-shift caused Earth’s last ice age to end.

Gene behind four-leaf clover discovered

WASHINGTON – The gene that turns ordinary three-leaf clovers into the coveted and ‘lucky’ four-leaved ones has been found.

Masked by the three-leaf gene and strongly influenced by environmental condition, molecular markers now make it possible to detect …. Read the original article  : here.

Plants too show intelligence in capturing nutrients

TORONTO – Researchers have discovered that a plant’s strategy to capture nutrients in the soil is the outcome of integrating different types of information.

University of Alberta ecologist J.C. Cahill says that the plant’s strategy mirrors the daily risk-versus-reward dilemmas that animals experience in their quest for food.
Biologists established long ago that an animal uses …. Source  : Plants too show intelligence in capturing nutrients.

How our inner clock copes up with jet lag

WASHINGTON – In a rodent study, researchers have shown how individual “clock” genes and the internal clocks of the different organs synchronise with the new external time in the case of jet lag.

Travelling across different time zones makes our internal body clocks go haywire.

Scientists at the Max …. Source article on Gaea Times at  : How our inner clock copes up with jet lag.

‘Doubters’ of climate change lack expertise: Study

WASHINGTON – Scientists who doubt that human beings have contributed significantly to climate change have far less expertise and prominence in climate research as compared to scientists who are convinced, according to a study led by Stanford researchers.

In a quantitative …. Source article on Gaea Times at  : ‘Doubters’ of climate change lack expertise: Study.

Now, lizard-like robot that ’swims’ through sand

LONDON – Scientists have designed a lizard-like robot that can ’swim’ through sand.

The robot, which could help find people trapped in the loose debris resulting from an earthquake, is being called Scincus scincus by Daniel Goldman and Ryan Maladen’s team at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta.

Once the 35-centimetre-long sandfish is submerged, it tucks … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Now, lizard-like robot that ’swims’ through sand.

New protein complex that regulates 4000 genes in fruit fly identified

WASHINGTON – Scientists have identified a novel protein complex that regulates around 4000 genes in the fruit fly Drosophila and likely plays an important role in mammals, too.

“This new complex seems to be one of the major regulatory complexes both in Drosophila and in mammals,” says Asifa Akhtar, former EMBL group leader and now at … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : New protein complex that regulates 4000 genes in fruit fly identified.

Mechanism that may trigger degenerative disease discovered

WASHINGTON – Scientists say that a mechanism, which regulates stem-cell differentiation in mice testes, suggests a similar process that may trigger degenerative disease in humans.

By manipulating STAT3 – a protein that signals stem cells to decide differentiation – researchers identified a key regulator of spermatogonial stem cell self-renewal.

STAT3 protein regulates genes that are involved …. Original article on Gaea Times at  : Mechanism that may trigger degenerative disease discovered.

New test for bladder cancer diagnosis

WASHINGTON – Scientists have developed a novel assay to test for multiple tumor markers in bladder cancer.

Methylation specific-multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplication (MS-MLPA) can be used to screen multiple target sequences simultaneously in a single reaction, allowing … Read more »».

Vitamin D vital for cognitive function

WASHINGTON – Scientists have contributed to a limited but growing body of evidence of a link between vitamin D and cognitive function.

The study was led by epidemiologist Katherine Tucker with the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (HNRCA) at Tufts University in … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Vitamin D vital for cognitive function.