Sunday, May 30, 2010

Science News – Newsletter for May 30, 2010

Sunday, May 30, 2010


Bloody-thirsty midges ‘prefer fat and tall people’

LONDON – This may not come as a surprise, but still: Scientists have found that fat and tall people are more likely to be bitten by midges – because they present a bigger target.

Also, according to the study that … Read : Bloody-thirsty midges ‘prefer fat and tall people’.

Near-death experiences ’caused by cascade of electrical activity in dying brain’

LONDON – The mystery of why people “brought back from the dead” report powerful spiritual experiences may have been solved by scientists.

In the study, researchers, who studied brainwaves of dying patients, found a surge of electrical activity in …. Source  : Near-death experiences ’caused by cascade of electrical activity in dying brain’.

Flashfloods in Himachal snap road link with Kashmir

SHIMLA – Flashfloods in the higher reaches of Himachal Pradesh’s Chamba district due to thawing of glaciers and incessant rains have snapped road connectivity with neighbouring Jammu and Kashmir, an official said Sunday. There was no report of loss of life.

“Flashfloods due to melting of glaciers and rains in the past two days have destroyed …. Original article  : Flashfloods in Himachal snap road link with Kashmir.

Underwater robot to collect information about Deepwater Horizon spill

WASHINGTON – The Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) in the US has sent an underwater robot to the Gulf of Mexico to gather information about the Deepwater Horizon spill.

This information will be passed on to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Although satellites and aircraft …. Source article  : Underwater robot to collect information about Deepwater Horizon spill.

British engineer invents pedal powered water pump

WASHINGTON – A British engineering student has invented an innovative bicycle-powered water pump.

Jon Leary, 24, a MEng student in the University of Sheffield’s Department of Mechanical Engineering, took his bicycle machine design from a Steel City drawing board to the heart of Guatemala as … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : British engineer invents pedal powered water pump.

For kids and adults ‘being fair’ could mean different things

WASHINGTON – Our perspective towards what is fair changes as we age, claims a new study.

Young children like all things to be equal, but older adolescents are more likely to consider merit when it comes to dividing up wealth, said the researchers.

As part of a research study in experimental economics in … Read more >>.

Interfering genes protect monkeys from lethal Ebola virus post-exposure

LONDON – By using tiny particles of genetic material to interfere in the replication process of the deadly Ebola virus, scientists have successfully prevented monkeys exposed to that virus from dying of hemorrhagic fever.he proof-of-concept study suggests that such … Read more >>>.

‘VI Fit’ to help blind children exercise via video games

WASHINGTON – A new video game research project, called VI Fit, at the University of Nevada, Reno, could help children who are blind become more physically active and healthy.

The human-computer interaction research team has developed a motion-sensing-based tennis and bowling exergame …. Original source  : ‘VI Fit’ to help blind children exercise via video games.

Preoperative chemo response could predict survival in pancreatic cancer patients

WASHINGTON – Patients with pancreatic cancer whose tumours respond most to preoperative chemotherapy and radiation survive four times as long, on average, as those whose tumours respond least, researchers from Fox Chase Cancer Center have found.

Pancreatic adenocarcinoma is rarely detected in … Original article on : Preoperative chemo response could predict survival in pancreatic cancer patients.

How whales have changed over 35 million years

WASHINGTON – Using molecular and computational techniques, UCLA evolutionary biologists and a colleague, have reported how in the last 35 million years-since the ancestor of all living whales appeared-have fast whales changed their shape and body size.

Analysing the evolutionary tempo of modern whale [..] Read the original article: here.

No more eating shark fin in Hawaii: 50th state becomes first in nation to ban shark fin

No more eating shark fin in Hawaii after new law

HONOLULU – The $48-a-plate shark fin has been a favorite dish to celebrate 80th birthdays and fete out of town VIPs since Vienna Hou’s Chinese restaurant opened 25 years ago.
But Kirin Restaurant customers won’t be dining in that style starting July 1, 2011, when Hawaii becomes … Original source on Gaea Times at : No more eating shark fin in Hawaii: 50th state becomes first in nation to ban shark fin.

We may all be holograms: NYC science festival brings exciting, wild science to the masses

At NYC sci fest, asking ‘What if we’re holograms?’

NEW YORK – Brian Greene works in a world where scientific reasoning rules all and imagination leads to the most unlikely truths.
Greene and other “string theorists” are exploring a possible scenario in which people and the world around us are actually a 3-D holographic projection of two-dimensional … Read more >>.

Barmer hottest as Rajasthan sizzles

JAIPUR – Heat wave conditions continued to prevail in Rajasthan Saturday with the mercury hovering between 41-44 degrees Celsius in many parts of the state.

Barmer was the hottest city in the state Saturday with the day temperature touching 44.6 degrees Celsius. Churu at 43.8 and Kota at 43.6 degree Celsius were the next two hot … Read : Barmer hottest as Rajasthan sizzles.

Light showers in parts of Delhi

NEW DELHI – Some parts of the national capital experienced light showers Saturday evening, bringing relief from the heat wave sweeping the city.

The showers were all the more welcome after the maximum temperature was recorded at 41.2 degrees Celsius from Friday’s 37.7 degrees Celsius, an India Meteorological Department (IMD) official said.
“Some parts of … Read more »».

Rains bring respite from scorching heat in north India (Roundup)

NEW DELHI – Overcast skies and rains brought much needed respite from the blistering heat in several parts of northern India Saturday. However, heat wave conditions continued in most states, including Rajasthan and Orissa, from where many deaths have been reported in the last one month.

The national capital saw pleasant weather with an overcast sky …. Source article  : Rains bring respite from scorching heat in north India (Roundup).

‘Indian rockets to use atmospheric oxygen as fuel by year-end’

CHENNAI – In an attempt to make its rockets lighter and carry heavier satellites, the Indian space agency is planning to flight test by the end of this year its own air-breathing engine that will use atmospheric oxygen as fuel.

Air-breathing engines use atmospheric oxygen and burn it with the stored on-board fuel to generate the … Original article on : ‘Indian rockets to use atmospheric oxygen as fuel by year-end’.

Copper surfaces can kill hospital microbes to maintain sterility

TORONTO – Researchers have theorized that covering frequently covered surfaces with copper can reduce the risk of harmful bugs spreading from one person to another in hospitals.

“It is a simple, elegant solution,” Globe and Mail quoted Michael Schmidt, a professor at the Medical University of South Carolina, as saying.

In a … Read more »».

Scientists conduct ‘post-mortem of comet’ to find origins of solar system

WASHINGTON – Leicester University researchers are putting extraterrestrial material from the Comet Wild 2 under the microscope to find the origins of our Solar System.

By developing micro manipulation techniques, researchers at the University of Leicester have further dissected the tiny samples to study the comet to atomic …. Source  : Gaea News Network.

Pagan burial altar unearthed in Israel

WASHINGTON – A 2,000-year-old altar has been found in an Israeli cemetery, according to archaeologists.

The 24-inch-high granite structure, decorated with carvings of three bull heads, ribbons, and laurel wreaths, was discovered May 17 while salvage excavations were being carried out for a new hospital emergency room in … Original source on Gaea Times at : Pagan burial altar unearthed in Israel.

Fossil of 95-million-year-old pterosaur that fed on baby dinos found

WASHINGTON – Scientists have uncovered the fossil of a new species of a giant flying reptile in the Sahara desert.

However, it seems the 95-million-year-old pterosaur was not too fond of flying as it spent its time looking for prey in the once lush Sahara.

The Alanqa saharicafrom, discovered two years ago … Read more »».

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