Rare tornado seen in Haryana village

FATEHABAD – Water from the fields rising in a streak hundreds of feet up in the air. This was a rare sight seen by a youth in Haryana’s Fatehabad district. And Met officials say it was a rare tornado he had witnessed.

Ahlisdar village, nearly 280 km from Chandigarh, had never seen such a phenomena of … Read more : Rare tornado seen in Haryana village.

Iran to send man into space by 2019

TEHRAN – Iran has plans to launch its first manned mission into the space by 2019, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said.

The president said the project was originally planned to take place in 2035, but it has been preponed in response to the pressure from the US and the West against its nuclear programme, according to … Original source on Gaea Times at : Iran to send man into space by 2019.

Green group asks Ramesh not challenge power plant quash order

HYDERABAD – An environmental group fighting against a proposed thermal power project in the wetlands of Srikakulam district in Andhra Pradesh has urged the environment and forests ministry not to challenge quashing of environmental clearance to it.

Forum for Better Visakha has appealed to Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh not to contest the order by the National … Read more »».

Soon, t-shirts to power your cell phone as you jog

WASHINGTON – The day could be near when you would be able to recharge your phone or music player while jogging, according to a new study.

A team from University of Southern California has produced flexible transparent carbon atom films that the researchers … Read more >>.

Study examines gene that may hold key to reducing spread of oral cancer

WASHINGTON – A new research at the University of Illinois at Chicago has suggested that the spread of cancer cells in the tongue may be reduced if a gene that regulates cancer cell migration can be controlled.

Xiaofeng “Charles” Zhou, assistant professor in the UIC Center for Molecular Biology of Oral Diseases … Read : Study examines gene that may hold key to reducing spread of oral cancer.

Forests really do have healing touch

WASHINGTON – The next time someone says “hug a tree”, go ahead and do it, as forests – and other natural, green settings – certainly have some healing effects on health and mind.

Researchers have claimed that forests can reduce stress, improve moods, reduce anger …. Source article on Gaea Times at  : Forests really do have healing touch.

‘Sleep control’ receptors help blind mice see

LONDON – When blind mice are made to run, they can identify objects using receptors in the eye, also called ’sleep control’ cells, that were previously thought to have no role in forming images, found researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.

Since humans possess the same receptors, the finding … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : ‘Sleep control’ receptors help blind mice see.

iPhone voted ‘Coolest Thing on the Planet’

LONDON – Apple’s iPhone has been voted the coolest thing on the planet.

A poll of 3,000 Brits saw the iPhone just ahead of its maker Apple, which was at the second place.

The Internet was the third coolest thing according to the Costa Coffee study.

At the … Original article on : iPhone voted ‘Coolest Thing on the Planet’.

NASA astronaut sends first message in sign language from space station

WASHINGTON – For the first time, NASA astronaut Tracy Caldwell Dyson has sent a message in American Sign Language (ASL) from the International Space Station to the deaf community.

In the video, Caldwell Dyson answered several questions about living and working aboard the station … Read more >>.

Why we can’t sit idle

WASHINGTON – We fiddle, or start tidying up, or take something apart like a clock just to put it back again – just so that we don’t get bored.

Such work is a better alternative than engaging in busy, yet destructive activity, such as crimes, …. Read the original article  : Why we can’t sit idle.

‘Eternal plane’ Zephyr returns to Earth after record 2 weeks

LONDON – The UK-built Zephyr unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is officially the first ‘eternal plane’ in aviation history.

The solar powered craft has flown unmanned for two weeks before being commanded to land.

Zephyr will be credited with a new world endurance record (336 hours, 24 minutes) for an … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : ‘Eternal plane’ Zephyr returns to Earth after record 2 weeks.

How babies draw their first breath

LONDON – Scientists may have found the answer to the long-standing mystery – how newborn mammals draw their first breath after life in a fluid-filled womb.

The find could help them understand why this mechanism fatally fails in some individuals causing sudden infant death syndrome and sleep apnoea.

Xavier …. Source  : How babies draw their first breath.

Giant comet ’smacked Neptune 200 years ago’

WASHINGTON – A new research has revealed that Neptune was struck by a giant comet about two centuries ago.

The discovery suggests that comet collisions with gas giant planets may be more frequent than astronomers thought.

Gas giants like Jupiter, Uranus, and Neptune … Read more »».

NASA spacecraft provides most accurate Martian map ever

WASHINGTON – A camera aboard NASA’s Mars Odyssey spacecraft has helped develop the most accurate global Martian map ever.

The map was constructed using nearly 21,000 images from the Thermal Emission Imaging System, or THEMIS, a multi-band infrared camera on Odyssey.

The pictures …. Source  : Gaea News Network.

Rains expected in Delhi

NEW DELHI – It will be a humid day in Delhi Saturday but light showers are expected in the evening, the met office said.

“Delhi will experience partly cloudy sky with the possibility of thundershowers in some areas towards the evening. The maximum temperature is expected to hover around 36 degrees Celsius,” said the official of … Original source on Gaea Times at : Rains expected in Delhi.

Greenpeace founder Dorothy Stowe is dead

VANCOUVER – Greenpeace founder Dorothy Stowe died here Friday. She was 89.

She and her husband founded the environmental movement here in 1971 along with Jim Bohlen who also died just three weeks ago.Stowe was suffering from kidney disease, leukemia and diabetes and died at the University of British Columbia hospital here.
A Rhode Island … Read this article on Gaea Times at : Greenpeace founder Dorothy Stowe is dead.

Not just the Gulf: Environmentalists tell Congress onshore drilling also needs more oversight

Environmentalists: Don’t overlook onshore drilling

CHEYENNE, Wyo. – Dozens of environmental groups large and small are urging congressional leaders not to overlook onshore drilling amid debate over how to prevent another oil spill like the Gulf of Mexico disaster.
Drilling for oil and gas often occurs in residential areas, yet it uses large volumes of toxic chemicals …. Read the original article  : Not just the Gulf: Environmentalists tell Congress onshore drilling also needs more oversight.

Invasive fungus threatening Colorado’s oldest trees, which can live longer than 2,000 years

Invasive fungus threatening Colo.’s oldest trees

DENVER – Federal scientists say an exotic fungus spreading through Rocky Mountain forests is threatening Colorado’s oldest trees – the gnarled limber and bristlecone pines that can live longer than 2,000 years.
The white pine blister rust fungus, which spread from Asia, has attacked hundreds of those trees on national forest … Read this article on Gaea Times at : Invasive fungus threatening Colorado’s oldest trees, which can live longer than 2,000 years.

Medical journal expresses concern about cancer research by Duke scientist put on leave

Duke scientist’s cancer research is questioned

Concerns are being raised about the validity of research done by a Duke University cancer scientist who recently was placed on leave while the school investigates whether he falsely claimed to be a Rhodes scholar.
The editor of a British journal, Lancet Oncology, issued an “expression of concern” Friday, citing a …. Read the original article  : here.

NASA camera yields most accurate Mars map ever

WASHINGTON – The NASA Friday said a camera aboard its Mars Odyssey spacecraft has helped develop the most accurate global Martian map ever.

Researchers and the public can access the map via several websites and explore and survey the entire surface of the red planet, Xinhua reported.
The map was constructed using nearly 21,000 images from … Original article on : NASA camera yields most accurate Mars map ever.