Steel maker ArcelorMittal loses court challenge to exemption from EU cap-and-trade program

ArcelorMittal loses court challenge on emissions

BRUSSELS – The world’s largest steel maker ArcelorMittal SA has lost a legal challenge that sought to exempt it from the European Union’s greenhouse gas cap-and-trade system.
The EU’s general court said Tuesday the company could not annul the EU law that issues pollution permits to major carbon dioxide emitters and …. Source article  : Steel maker ArcelorMittal loses court challenge to exemption from EU cap-and-trade program.

It’s official: Violent video games make kids more aggressive

WASHINGTON – Exposure to violent video games makes more aggressive, less caring kids – regardless of their age, sex or culture, concludes a new study.

Iowa State University Distinguished Professor of Psychology Craig Anderson and colleagues analyzed 130 research reports on more than 130,000 subjects worldwide to reach the conclusion.
The …. Original article  : It’s official: Violent video games make kids more aggressive.

Discovery in legumes could reduce fertilizer use and aid environment

WASHINGTON – New findings by Stanford researchers that reveal the inner workings of nitrogen-producing bacteria living inside legumes such as soybeans could enable scientists to blunt the negative effects of excess nitrogen and aid efforts to make agriculture more sustainable.

Excess nitrogen from fertilizer runoff into rivers …. Original source  : Discovery in legumes could reduce fertilizer use and aid environment.

Pandemic flu virus may become resistant to Tamiflu

WASHINGTON – A new study, conducted by researchers at the Ohio State University, analysing the behaviour of seasonal H1N1 suggests that pandemic flu may become resistant to Tamiflu, the main drug used against it.

OSU scientists traced the evolutionary history of the seasonal H1N1 influenza virus, which first infected humans during the …. Original article  : Pandemic flu virus may become resistant to Tamiflu.

Is climate change causing hay fever to stay longer?

WASHINGTON – Increase in allergy may be linked to climate change, according to Italian doctors.

A six-year study in Italy registered a considerable increase in pollen seasons and the amount of pollen in the air, doctors told a meeting of the American Academy of … Read more >>>.

Now, tobacco to clean up environmental toxin

WASHINGTON – A new research by scientists has suggested that a new strain of tobacco plant can make antibodies to clean up toxic pond scum that affects humans, livestock and wildlife.

In a new research report appearing in the March 2010 print issue of the FASEB …. Original source  : Now, tobacco to clean up environmental toxin.

El Nino killed Costa Rican toad, not global warming

WASHINGTON – A new study has determined that global warming not kill the Monteverde golden toad of Costa Rica, an often-cited example of climate-triggered extinction, but the culprits were El Nino, combined with a pathogen.

The toad vanished from Costa Rica’s Pacific coastal-mountain cloud forest in …. Read the original article  : El Nino killed Costa Rican toad, not global warming.

Nose scanning – the newest way to blow security hooter

LONDON – With iris and fingerprint scanning already in existence, now the nose is being taken into consideration as a method of identification.

The study from the University of Bath, UK, finds that noses could be an even better method, as researchers scanned noses in 3D and characterised them by tip, ridge profile and … Original article on : Nose scanning – the newest way to blow security hooter.

Russia shortlists 11 for Mars mission simulation

Moscow, March 2 (IANS/RIA Novosti) Russia’s Institute of Medical and Biological Problems has shortlisted 11 volunteers to take part in a 520-day simulation of an expedition to Mars, a spokesman said.

The 11 candidates will complete basic spaceflight training and in spring, six of them will be chosen to take part in the experiment, which will … Original source on Gaea Times at : Russia shortlists 11 for Mars mission simulation.

Ancient snake devoured dinosaur young in India

AHMEDABAD – Ancient snakes in India fed on young dinosaurs. The remains of a fossil unearthed in 67-million-year-old sediments in Gujarat provide a rare glimpse of this unusual feeding behaviour.

An international palaeontological team led by the University of Michigan’s Jeff Wilson and Geological Survey of India’s (GSI) Dhananjay Mohabey conducted the research.
The remains …. Read the original article  : Ancient snake devoured dinosaur young in India.

Operate multiple accounts with single password

SYDNEY – A little-used internet authentication system from the 1980s could enable web users to securely log in only once per internet session, says a new study.

PhD researcher S. Suriadi from Queensland University of Technology (QUT) Information Security Institute said a secure single sign-on system was more than simply using the same password for multiple …. Original article on Gaea Times at  : Operate multiple accounts with single password.

Tiny-shelled creatures shed light on extinction and recovery 65 million years ago

WASHINGTON – In a new research, scientists are studying tiny-shelled creatures called nannoplanktons to explain the geographic unevenness of extinctions and recovery 65 million years ago.

The researchers, using 823 samples from 17 drilling sites in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, analyzed the community structure of calcareous – shelled – nannoplankton.
Included in their study were [..] Read the original article: here.

Chile quake occurred in zone of “increased stress” caused by 1960 temblor

WASHINGTON – A geologist has determined that the massive, 8.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Chile on February 27 occurred in an offshore zone that was under increased stress caused by a 1960 quake of magnitude 9.5.

The geologist in question is Jian Lin of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI).
The Feb 27 earthquake, some 300-500 times more …. Source article on Gaea Times at  : Chile quake occurred in zone of “increased stress” caused by 1960 temblor.

New innovations required for finding aliens

WASHINGTON – The author of a new book, titled “The Eerie Silence: Are We Alone?” has said that bold new innovations are required to search for extraterrestrial intelligence.

Writing in March’s Physics World, Paul Davies, director of BEYOND: Center for Fundamental Concepts in Science at Arizona State University in the US, explains why the search for …. Read the original article  : here.

Community involvement drives success of marine reserves

WASHINGTON – The largest study of marine reserves has found that community involvement is among the most important factors driving the success of marine reserves.

The study was carried out by a team of natural and social scientists from the University of Rhode Island (URI) and other institutions.
“We make a big mistake thinking that a marine …. Source  : Community involvement drives success of marine reserves.

Fruit flies employ stabilizer reflex to recover from midflight stumbles

WASHINGTON – New observations by scientists indicate that fruit flies use an automatic stabilizer reflex that helps them recover with precision from midflight stumbles.

The aerial maneuvers of fruit flies were observed by Cornell University researchers.
The team led by Cornell doctoral candidate Leif Ristroph made its observations with three high-speed (about 8,000 frames per second) video … Original source on Gaea Times at : Fruit flies employ stabilizer reflex to recover from midflight stumbles.

Chinese pandas spotted eating bones rather than bamboo (Lead, Changing Dateline)

Beijing, March 2 (IANS/RIA Novosti) Some Chinese pandas have started eating animal bones instead of their traditional diet of bamboo, state-run China Central Television has said.

The bizarre change in the endangered creatures’ diet is thought to be due to the large-scale cutting down of bamboo forests in China.
According to eyewitnesses, wild pandas have …. Read the original article  : Chinese pandas spotted eating bones rather than bamboo (Lead, Changing Dateline).

2-D graphene quilt offers new microelectronic possibilities

WASHINGTON – Scientists at Rice University, US, have found a way to stitch graphene and hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) into a two-dimensional quilt that offers new paths of exploration for materials scientists.

New research from the lab of Pulickel Ajayan, Rice’s Benjamin M. and …. Source  : Gaea News Network.

Garlic may harbour cancer cure

WASHINGTON – A urine test that can simultaneously measure the extent of a potential carcinogenic process and a marker of garlic consumption in humans has been designed.

In a small pilot study, the test suggested that the more garlic people consumed, the lower …. Original source  : Garlic may harbour cancer cure.

Chinese pandas seen eating bones rather than bamboo

Moscow, March 2 (IANS/RIA Novosti) Some Chinese pandas have started eating animal bones instead of their traditionally-preferred diet of bamboo, state-run China Central Television has said.

The bizarre change in the endangered creatures’ diet is thought to be due to the large-scale cutting down of bamboo forests in China, says a RIA Novosti report.
According to … Read : Chinese pandas seen eating bones rather than bamboo.