Science News – Newsletter for December 29, 2010

Worst of winter over in Britain

LONDON – Britain is set to witness a cold – but normal – start to the new year as the worst of winter is over, forecasters said.

After nearly a month of sub-zero temperatures and repeated snowfalls, the southern part of the country Tuesday reached a thawing 11 degrees Celsius. Over the next few …. Source  : Gaea News Network.

New York blizzard: Residents asked to be patient amid chaos

NEW YORK – Authorities are doing all they can to clear streets of snow and abandoned vehicles, New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg said as he appealed to the residents to “be patient”, amid chaos arising out of a major blizzard that hit the city.

Bloomberg said Tuesday that the blizzard clean-up across the city [..] Read the original article: here.

Using liquid foam technology to improve greenhouse, plant microclimates

WASHINGTON – A team of Canadian researchers has developed a liquid foam technology to improve greenhouse climates by reducing solar heat radiation and temperatures during the hot summer season.

Results showed that the shading technology worked better than conventional shading curtains.

The innovative technology by Sunarc of Canada generates retractable liquid foam and distributes it between two … Read more »»».

Marine life inspires new chemical-free, anti-bacteria plastic ’skins’

WASHINGTON – A team of five companies has come together to create anti-microbial surfaces for use on ships, lenses and even medical devices – all inspired from marine animals.

Researchers from A*STAR’s Industrial Consortium On Nanoimprint (ICON) are using nanotechnology to create synthetic, chemical-free, anti-bacterial surfaces, which can reduce infections caused by pathogens such as S. …. Source article on Gaea Times at  : Marine life inspires new chemical-free, anti-bacteria plastic ’skins’.

New computer project to simulate ‘everything happening on Earth’

LONDON – One of the most large-scale computer projects undertaken aims to simulate everything that happens on Earth – global weather patterns, spread of diseases or international financial transactions.

“Many problems we have today – including social and economic instabilities, wars, disease spreading – are related to human behaviour, but there is apparently a serious lack … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : New computer project to simulate ‘everything happening on Earth’.

IANS launches news on iPhone, Android platforms

NEW DELHI – Leading Indian wire agency Indo-Asian News Service (IANS) has launched its free iPhone and Android applications to help readers across the globe track the latest news, updates, features and analyses on a real-time basis.

The iPhone and Android applications allow users to read news on all the major categories … Original source on Gaea Times at : IANS launches news on iPhone, Android platforms.

Protein that helps parasite survive in host cells identified

WASHINGTON – Researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified a protein that helps parasite survive in host cells.

Toxoplasma gondii and other related parasites surround themselves with a membrane to protect against factors in host cells that would otherwise kill them.

And the researchers have now identified a parasite protein that … Original source on Gaea Times at : Protein that helps parasite survive in host cells identified.

Galileo pathfinder GIOVE-A still working well after 5 years in space

WASHINGTON – The first prototype satellite of Europe’s Galileo satellite navigation system-ESA’s GIOVE-A-is still working well after five years in space.

Soyuz rocket from Baikonur in Kazakhstan launched the first ‘Galileo In-Orbit Validation Element’, GIOVE-A, on 28th December 2005, carrying a prototype rubidium atomic clock designed for the Galileo constellation.

It was joined on 27 April … Read more »»».

Potential new target for hepatitis C drug development identified

WASHINGTON – Scientists have discovered a molecular interaction between a structural hepatitis C virus protein (HCV) and a protein critical to viral replication.

This new finding by researchers from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute strongly suggests a novel method of inhibiting the production of the virus and a potential new therapeutic target …. Read the original article  : Potential new target for hepatitis C drug development identified.

Panel to set tourism norms around tiger reserves

NEW DELHI – The environment ministry has formed a committee to lay down guidelines for regulating forest and wildlife eco-tourism in the country, especially around tiger reserves, officials said Wednesday.

The seven-member committee set up under the chairmanship of Sujit Banerjee, former secretary with the tourism ministry, will submit its final report …. Source article on Gaea Times at  : Panel to set tourism norms around tiger reserves.

Marginal improvement in Kashmir weather

SRINAGAR – A nightlong cloud cover brought some respite to people in Jammu and Kashmir as the minimum temperature in summer capital Srinagar and other places rose marginally. Rain and light snowfall is likely in the valley at night.

“Because of the cloud cover during the night, the minimum temperature rose from Tuesday’s minus …. Source  : Marginal improvement in Kashmir weather.

Scientists design chip 20 times faster than current PCs

LONDON – Scientists have created an ultra-fast computer chip which is 20 times faster than current desktop computers.

Modern PCs have a processor with two, four or sometimes 16 cores to carry out tasks. But the central processing unit (CPU) developed by the researchers effectively had 1,000 cores on a single chip.
The development could …. Original article  : Scientists design chip 20 times faster than current PCs.

Delhi faces water crisis, two treatment plants shut down

NEW DELHI – Parts of Delhi woke up to a water crisis Wednesday as two of the main water treatment plants in the city were shut down by the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) because of high levels of ammonia in the water.

“High levels of ammonia and chromium were traced in the water Tuesday and … Read more »»».

Dense fog in Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh

CHANDIGARH – A thick blanket of fog covered Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh Wednesday morning with some areas witnessing light rainfall. The weather office predicted more foggy mornings and evenings.

“There is a thick blanket of fog in all major towns of Punjab and Haryana like Patiala, Ludhiana, Amritsar, Ambala, Narnaul and Karnal,” a Met official … Read this article on Gaea Times at : Dense fog in Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh.

Elephant kills five in Jharkhand

RANCHI – A rampaging elephant Wednesday trampled to death five people, including a woman and a seven-year-old boy, in Gumla district in Jharkhand, said an official.

The incident took place in Kujam Nawatoli and Rmjharia villages. The elephant also destroyed two houses and crops.
Elephants have trampled and killed more than 750 people in Jharkhand … Read : Elephant kills five in Jharkhand.

Canada is the most web-addicted nation on earth

TORONTO – Canada is the most web-addicted nation on the planet.
Canadians spend more time on the web and its offshoots – Facebook, YouTube and Twitter – than people anywhere else in the world. They are neck and neck with Indians for the number of Facebook accounts, says a report.

According to comScore, the leading … Read more >>.

Scientists tackle major obstacle in developing breathalyzers

WASHINGTON – Researchers at Purdue and National Institute of Standards and Technology have tackled a major barrier in developing breath-analysis technology to diagnose patients by detecting chemical compounds called “biomarkers” in a person’s respiration in real time.

Carlos Martinez said the approach could rapidly detect biomarkers in the parts per billion to parts per million range, … Original article on : Scientists tackle major obstacle in developing breathalyzers.

SOHO reaches milestone after spotting 2000th comet

WASHINGTON – An ESA/NASA spacecraft has reached a milestone- the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) has spotted its 2000th comet.

SOHO-designed to monitor the Sun and not find comets-has become the single greatest comet finder of all time.

“Since it launched on December 2, 1995 to observe the sun, SOHO has more than doubled the number of …. Source article  : SOHO reaches milestone after spotting 2000th comet.

Banks want chip-and-PIN flaw exposure hushed up

LONDON – Banks were accused of a cover-up after they tried to silence a Cambridge University scientist who exposed a fatal flaw in chip and PIN card security.

The UK Cards Association (UKCA), which represents the country’s biggest banks, objected to research that showed how a simple 20 pounds device could be used by fraudsters … Read : Banks want chip-and-PIN flaw exposure hushed up.

Rocket failure hits India’s prospects in satellite launch market

BANGALORE – Indias prospects of hard-selling its capability to launch commercial satellites received a setback when one of its heavy rockets exploded on Christmas day due to a puzzling snag in the first stage, space experts opined.

As it is the second time this year when the geosynchronous satellite launch vehicle crashed, we may have … Read more >>>.