‘Bad day’ may be all in your head

NEW YORK – Woke up feeling blue? Does it feel like a ‘bad day’ today? Hold that thought – for it’s all probably just in your head – says a new study.

There’s an actual science behind why a bad day happens, according to Peter J. Bentley, Ph.D., author of “Why Sh*t Happens: The Science of … Read : ‘Bad day’ may be all in your head.

Panda diplomacy: China to send 2 prized creatures to Japan in bid to improve countries’ ties

China to send 2 pandas to Japan in diplomatic move

BEIJING – China has announced plans to send two of its prized giant pandas to Japan, the latest installment of panda diplomacy aimed at warming the two countries’ often-strained relations.
The official Xinhua News Agency reported Wednesday that China will send Bi Li and Xian Nu, both …. Read the original article  : Panda diplomacy: China to send 2 prized creatures to Japan in bid to improve countries’ ties.

Now, ‘Trojan Horse’ delivery system to attack cancer cells from inside

WASHINGTON – Israeli researchers have come up with a tiny “Trojan Horse” system for delivering cancer-fighting drugs.

With this system – developed by scientists at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology – drugs are delivered once they are inside the cancerous cells, so there is no damage to the healthy cells in the surrounding area.

The team [..] Read the original article: here.

Decision-aid program increases safety for abused women

WASHINGTON – University of Missouri researchers have come up with a new Web-based program to help women experiencing abuse develop individualized safety plans and better assess the severity of their situations.

Unlike current Internet resources, the decision-aid program provides women with personalized assessments of the danger of their situations.

The program generates a series of initial …. Source article on Gaea Times at  : Decision-aid program increases safety for abused women.

Cleopatra’s pearl dissolving trick is no fiction

WASHINGTON – The legend has it that in a bid to win a bet, Cleopatra quaffed a vinegar martini made with a dissolved pearl, “the largest in the whole of history.” And now, a researcher has claimed that the Egyptian beauty’s canny chemistry trick -doubted by scholars-might actually have come off.

Classicist Prudence Jones of Montclair … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Cleopatra’s pearl dissolving trick is no fiction.

How the neck helped evolution of human brain

LONDON – The neck gave humans so much freedom of movement that it played a major role in the evolution of the human brain, according to new research.

The study, conducted by neuroscientists at New York University and Cornell University, appears online in the journal Nature Communications.

Scientists had assumed the pectoral fins in fish and …. Read the original article  : How the neck helped evolution of human brain.

Dogs imitate owners ‘automatically’

WASHINGTON – A new study claims that dogs instinctively copy their owners’ behaviours and movements.

“This suggests that, like humans, dogs are subject to ‘automatic imitation;’ they cannot inhibit online, the tendency to imitate head use and/or paw use,” Discovery News quoted lead author Friederike Range and her colleagues from University of Vienna, as saying.

For the … Original source on Gaea Times at : Dogs imitate owners ‘automatically’.

Waste vegetable oils could be used to make fuel of the future: Study

WASHINGTON – The vegetable oil that is often discarded as waste by restaurants and pubs could be a vital source of hydrogen, and therefore, fuel – says a new study.

Although it’s a greener fuel, making hydrogen may consume vast amounts of energy, use scarce natural resources, or spew out high levels of greenhouse gas.

Researchers … Read more : Waste vegetable oils could be used to make fuel of the future: Study.

Potentially hazardous asteroid ‘has 1 in 1000 chance of hitting Earth in 2182???

WASHINGTON – A study claims that Earth could be a target for a possibly dangerous collision with an asteroid in the year 2182.

“The total impact probability of asteroid ‘(101955) 1999 RQ36′ can be estimated in 0.00092 -approximately one-in-a-thousand chance-, but what is most surprising is that over half of this chance (0.00054) corresponds to 2182,” … Original source on Gaea Times at : Potentially hazardous asteroid ‘has 1 in 1000 chance of hitting Earth in 2182′.

Mobiles have 18 times more bacteria than toilet handle

LONDON – The average mobile phone carries 18 times more potentially harmful germs than a flush handle in a men’s toilet, tests have revealed.

One of the phones in the test had such high levels of bacteria that it could have given its owner a serious stomach upset.
The findings from a sample of dozens of …. Original article on Gaea Times at  : Mobiles have 18 times more bacteria than toilet handle.

Delirium in elderly patients linked to greater risk of death, dementia

WASHINGTON – Review and analysis of previous research has indicated that delirium in elderly patients is associated with an increased risk of death, dementia, and institutionalisation.

“Delirium is a syndrome of acutely altered mental status characterized by inattention and a fluctuating course. With occurrence rates of up to half of older patients postoperatively, and even higher … Original source on Gaea Times at : Delirium in elderly patients linked to greater risk of death, dementia.

Moon’s craters can help improve Solar System surface-dating methods

LONDON – Images of the Moon’s surface, sent by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), are shedding new light into the mechanics of asteroid and comet impacts and how frequently they occur-information that could improve estimates of the age of geological formations on other planets.

The work, said planetary geologist Peter Schultz of Brown University in Providence, … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Moon’s craters can help improve Solar System surface-dating methods.

Birds may boost offspring’s survival through infidelity

WASHINGTON – A 10-year study has revealed that female birds may increase their offspring’s survival through infidelity.

The University of East Anglia study has shown that the extra-pair fertilisations can result in a higher diversity of specific genes, which detect disease and trigger an immune response in offspring.

As a consequence, the offspring survive longer probably … Read more >>.

Japanese solar sail uses smart glass to steer only via sunlight

LONDON – In what could be called a first in solar sailing, Japan’s Ikaros spacecraft has used “smart glass” technology to steer using only the pressure of sunlight.

Launched in May, Ikaros has become the first solar sail to be fully propelled by sunlight.

Now liquid crystal devices along the outer edge of the sail have … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Japanese solar sail uses smart glass to steer only via sunlight.

Researchers set to unravel Otzi’s secrets

WASHINGTON – European scientists have made a new advance in the study of Otzi – they now have access to the complete gene profile of the mummy.

Experts from three institutions pooled their skills to map Otzi’s entire genetic make-up: Albert Zink, Head of the EURAC Institute for Mummies and the iceman, …. Original article  : Researchers set to unravel Otzi’s secrets.

Project uses kelp, fish guts to improve Alaska’s rocky soil, help far-north gardeners

Project helps Alaskans spice up soil
PALMER, Alaska – While Alaska has abundant natural resources, soil that’s good for gardening isn’t among them.

To help residents create better dirt and grow vegetables to supplement their hunting, fishing and gathering, the University of Alaska at Fairbanks was given a federal grant to create demonstration gardens where soil will …. Source article  : Project uses kelp, fish guts to improve Alaska’s rocky soil, help far-north gardeners.

Rakesh Sharma to attend Malaysian astronaut’s wedding

KUALA LUMPUR – India’s Rakesh Sharma will be among the 100 astronauts converging here to attend the wedding of Malaysian astronaut Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor.

Shukor’s wedding with Halina Mohammed Yunos is slated for Oct 10, which will be the last day of the Association of Space Explorers’ 23rd Planetary Congress.
Besides Sharma, who undertook … Read : Rakesh Sharma to attend Malaysian astronaut’s wedding.

Listening to music ‘can impair performance’

WASHINGTON – Doing math sums while listening to your favourite songs may not help you focus better – in fact it could cut down your performance in the exam.

A new study shows that listening to music that one likes whilst performing a serial recall task does not help performance any more than listening to music … Read more »».

Relationships ‘improve our odds of survival by 50pc’

WASHINGTON – Friends and family are crucial in predicting our survival – in fact they can better our odds of living by 50 percent – says a new study.

Brigham Young University professors Julianne Holt-Lunstad and Timothy Smith report that low social interactions are as bad as – smoking 15 cigarettes a day, being an alcoholic, …. Source  : Relationships ‘improve our odds of survival by 50pc’.

Sultry morning for Delhi, but rains expected

NEW DELHI – A day after rains lashed the capital, it was a sultry morning in the city Wednesday with the weather office predicting more thundershowers.

“The skies will remain cloudy with one or two spells of thunderstorms in some pockets of the city,” said an official of the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
The minimum temperature …. Read the original article  : Sultry morning for Delhi, but rains expected.