Science News – Newsletter for February 19, 2010
Diatoms key to evolution of whales According to a report by ABC Science, the research was carried out by Felix Marx …. Original source : Diatoms key to evolution of whales.
Friday, February 19, 2010
SYDNEY – A new study by scientists has determined that a type of algae called diatoms have been key to the evolution of the diversity of whales.
Smart football ’sOccket’ to charge batteries in developing countries
WASHINGTON – Scientists have developed a smart football called ’sOccket’, which captures and stores energy during normal game play to be used to later charge batteries and LEDs (light emitting diodes) in developing countries.
Co-creator Jessica Lin told Discovery News that the … Read more >>>.
PleaseRobMe website reveals risks of posting personal details online
LONDON – A website called PleaseRobMe has been launched to underscore the risk posed by posting personal details on the Internet.he site claims to reveal the location of empty homes based on what people post online.
The Dutch developers said that the site was created to prove … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : PleaseRobMe website reveals risks of posting personal details online.
Huge spiders and anti-freeze fish discovered in depths of Antarctic’s seas
EDINBURGH – The Census of Antarctic Marine Life has revealed the variety of bizarre creatures lurking in the depths of the Antarctic seas, including spiders the size of dinner plates and fish with anti-freeze to cope with the cold, among 6,000 other species.
According … Original source on Gaea Times at : Huge spiders and anti-freeze fish discovered in depths of Antarctic’s seas.
NASA’s Stardust adjusts time for encounter with comet
WASHINGTON – NASA’s Stardust spacecraft has successfully performed a maneuver to adjust the time of its planned encounter with comet Tempel 1 by eight hours and 20 minutes.
The Stardust spacecraft is expected to flyby comet Tempel 1 next year.
The delay maximizes the probability of the spacecraft capturing high-resolution images of the desired surface features of … Read more : NASA’s Stardust adjusts time for encounter with comet.
Dolphin clue to human cervical cancer treatment
WASHINGTON – Dolphins may be the ideal model for the study of cervical cancer in people, say University of Florida aquatic animal health experts.
“We discovered that dolphins get multiple infections of apillomaviruses, which are known to be linked with cervical cancer in women,” said Hendrik Nollens, a marine mammal biologist and clinical assistant professor at … Read more >>>.
Seven species of rare Indian wild cats caught on film
LONDON – Reports indicate that one of the world’s highest number of wild cat species has been recorded on film in India’s Eastern Himalayan rainforest.
According to BBC News, seven species of wild cats were photographed by remote cameras equipped with motion sensors in a remote area of rainforest in northeast India.
The study was conducted by …. Source article : Seven species of rare Indian wild cats caught on film.
SUV-sized fish swam the Jurassic waters 170 million years ago
WASHINGTON – Scientists have identified 170 million year old fossils as belonging to SUV-sized filter-feeding fishes that emerged during the Jurassic Period, and lived until the extinction event that wiped out dinosaurs and numerous other species.
Although the now-extinct fishes, called pachycormiforms, were not closely related to whales, their demise left an ecological niche void that …. Source : Gaea News Network.
Drake wants to create off-world listening post to listen for alien messages
LONDON – Frank Drake, the founder of the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI), has proposed sending a spacecraft to planets orbiting distant stars to overhear alien communications, which would be too faint for telescopes on Earth to detect.
According to a report in New Scientist, Drake wants to take the search for aliens about 82 billion …. Read the original article : Drake wants to create off-world listening post to listen for alien messages.
Ramesh inaugurates Kerala’s second tiger reserve
PALAKKAD – Environment and Forests Minister Jairam Ramesh Friday declared open the country’s 38th tiger reserve and Kerala’s second. It would be known as the Parambikulam Tiger Reserve.
The Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary was established in 1973 in a 285-sq-km protected area in Chittur taluk of Palakkad district.
To this area, another 358.662 sq km of forests … Read more »».
Astronauts close hatches, say goodbye as shuttle Endeavour preps to undock from space station
Endeavour astronauts say goodbye to space station
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The crews of the linked space shuttle and space station embraced and said farewell Friday as they prepared for Endeavour to begin its two-day trip home after “a mission of Olympic proportions.”
There were hugs and handshakes all around as the six Endeavour astronauts floated one …. Source : Gaea News Network.
Orange peels and newspapers may lead to cheaper and cleaner fuel
WASHINGTON – A team of scientists has developed a groundbreaking way to way to produce cheap and clean fuel from waste products such as orange peels and newspapers, to power the world’s vehicles.
The team was lead by University of Central Florida professor Henry Daniell.
His approach is greener and less expensive than the current methods available …. Source : Gaea News Network.
Scientists unveil system for regulating anesthesia via computer
WASHINGTON – Researchers have created a technique for automatically controlling anaesthesia during surgical operations.
The new system detects the hypnotic state of the patient at all times and supplies the most appropriate dose of anaesthetic.
“This is an efficient control technique which regulates anaesthesia in operating theatres by computer, with the aim of adapting the dose of …. Source article : Scientists unveil system for regulating anesthesia via computer.
Listening to Sun may improve forecasts of solar flares
SYDNEY – Scientists have come up with a new method that analyses sound waves generated by the Sun, which would help scientists forecast solar flares and promises to be twice as accurate as current models.
Solar flares can trigger disruptions and errors in GPS signals and other equipment receiving radio waves that bounce off or travel … Read : Listening to Sun may improve forecasts of solar flares.
Residents, Human Society fight to clean huge Calif. chicken egg farm’s putrid waste lagoon
Residents fight to clean up Calif. chicken waste
FRENCH CAMP, Calif. – At the end of a remote road lined by houses, children play in yards just a short distance from a stagnant, 16.5-acre lagoon filled with the waste sludge of a factory egg farm.
Flies hover over the pond as chicken urine and feces get pumped … Read more : Residents, Human Society fight to clean huge Calif. chicken egg farm’s putrid waste lagoon.
Marine sponges may help fight cancer
WASHINGTON – The natural compound sceptrin, which is found in marine sponges, reduces cancer cell motility (movement) and has very low toxicity, researchers have found.
Investigators at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (Sanford-Burnham, formerly Burnham Institute for Medical Research) led by Kristiina Vuori, M.D., Ph.D., made the discovery.
Metastasis is one of the deadliest aspects of cancer, so … Read more »».
Novel algorithm improves video game quality
WASHINGTON – A new algorithm to improve computer graphics for video games has been unveiled by researchers.
In a paper by Morgan McGuire, assistant professor of computer science at Williams College, and co-author Dr. David Luebke of NVIDIA, the researchers have explained that they have developed a new method for computerizing lighting and light sources that …. Read the original article : here.
‘Marathon gene’ makes picking racehorses a safer bet
WASHINGTON – Picking racehorses may now be a safer bet, thanks to a new research, which has resulted in the identification of a ’speed gene’ in thoroughbreds.
According to researchers, the gene would enable thoroughbred owners to sort would-be sprinters from plodders.
Equinome, a horse genome sequencing company based in Ireland, has developed a new test …. Original source : ‘Marathon gene’ makes picking racehorses a safer bet.
Untreated poor vision in elderly tied to Alzheimer’s risk
WASHINGTON – Lack of adequate vision coverage of older adults may put them at increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease – the most common form of dementia, according to a University of Michigan Health System study.
The study, which used Medicare data, showed that those with poor vision who visited an ophthalmologist at least once for an …. Original article : Untreated poor vision in elderly tied to Alzheimer’s risk.
How seeds from Moringa tree can be used for water purification
WASHINGTON – A new study by scientists has described how extracts from seeds of the Moringa oleifera tree can be used for water purification.
Researchers from Uppsala University, Sweden, in co-operation with The University of Botswana, carried out the study.
Flocculation of particulate impurities is a common first stage in purification of water.
This often uses addition of … Read more »».