More water released from Bhakra Dam

CHANDIGARH – More water was released from the Bhakra Dam into the Satluj river Sunday as its spillways were opened to maintain the water level in the reservoir.

The water level in the Gobind Sagar reservior of dam touched the 1,680 feet maximum storage mark Saturday. It was increasing by half to one foot every day. …. Source  : More water released from Bhakra Dam.

Long-term impact of drug use – ‘Brain damage’

SYDNEY – A new research on ecstasy, ice and speed users in Australia has uncovered tell-tale signs of brain damage.

The study adds to concerns over the long-term impact of drug use.

As part of the study, doctors at Royal Perth Hospital scanned the brains of 30 patients who were treated in the emergency department for problems …. Original article  : Long-term impact of drug use – ‘Brain damage’.

Want to have a baby girl? ‘Quit salt and bananas’

LONDON – Want to have a daughter? Well, then quit bananas and go on a diet of beans and hard cheese, say scientists.

Researchers from Maastricht University in Holland have discovered that a combination of the right food and the timing of sex are the key to the nursery being painted pink rather than blue.

They say … Original source on Gaea Times at : Want to have a baby girl? ‘Quit salt and bananas’.

Data from Chandrayaan moon mission to go public

BANGALORE – Voluminous scientific data, including rare images of the moon, from India’s maiden lunar mission Chandrayaan-1 will be made public by the year-end.

“People will have free access to the huge data obtained from our first moon mission on a web portal that will be launched by this year-end,” a senior scientist of the Indian … Read more »»».

Egg-laying lizards on verge giving live births

LONDON – Scientists have caught up with lizards about to abandon egg-laying for live births in an evolutionary leap.

The skink, snake-like with four tiny legs, has been found laying eggs along the New South Wales coast in Australia.
However, its counterpart, a three-toed lizard inhabiting the colder mountainous region of the country, is giving birth … Read this article on Gaea Times at : Egg-laying lizards on verge giving live births.

Now, make a bright fashion statement with LED-studded skirt!

LONDON – Fashionistas can now make a bright fashion statement – by donning a LED-studded fabric that gets lit up by wearer’s own movements.

Rehmi Post and colleagues at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology developed the Sp4rkl3 skirt, which contains simple circuitry within alternating layers of nylon and Teflon.

The materials generate static as they rub … Original article on : Now, make a bright fashion statement with LED-studded skirt!.

How did animals evolve personalities?

LONDON – Just like humans, animals too have personalities – consistent behavioural patterns. But how did they evolve?

To determine, scientists at Max Wolf of the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin, Germany, created simple simulated animals with personalities that were either consistently aggressive or meek, or flipped between the two.

They were pitted against … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : How did animals evolve personalities?.

Craigslist dumps ‘adult service’ ads

NEW YORK – The popular website for classified ads Craigslist has blocked access to its ‘adult services’ section.

Users now see a black bar with the word ‘censored’ where the listings previously appeared, reports the New York Times.

Craigslist took the decision after law-enforcement officials and groups that oppose human trafficking slammed the website, saying that the …. Read the original article  : Craigslist dumps ‘adult service’ ads.

Heavy September rains in Delhi, more forecast

NEW DELHI – Heavy rains lashed the national capital Sunday morning, bringing down the temperature and causing the usual flooding of city streets.

The national capital received 36.4 mm of rains from Saturday morning till 8.30 a.m. Sunday. The downpour is likely to continue through the day, an official of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. …. Read the original article  : Heavy September rains in Delhi, more forecast.

How cancer ‘eats patients alive’

WASHINGTON – Scientists have proposed a new theory about how cancer cells grow and survive.

The finding could help researchers design better diagnostics and therapies to target high-risk cancer patients.

A large team of researchers at Thomas Jefferson University’s Kimmel Cancer Center conducted four new studies.

This new idea also explains why so many cancer patients say that … Read more >>.

Spitzer Telescope spots mix of asteroids near Earth

WASHINGTON – NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope has revealed a colourful mixed bunch of asteroids, with a surprisingly wide array of compositions, much like an assorted box of candies.

Some are dark and dull; others are shiny and bright. The findings are helping astronomers better understand near-Earth objects as a whole-a population whose physical properties are not … Read more »»».

LA artists fight to save the city’s historic legacy of murals against a tide of graffiti

LA artists fight to save city’s legacy of murals

LOS ANGELES – Every so often, Ernesto de la Loza drives around the city to check on the state of his murals. It’s a short tour these days. Out of 42 swirling, vivid pieces he’s painted, only seven remain, the rest lost to graffiti, whitewash and withering …. Source  : LA artists fight to save the city’s historic legacy of murals against a tide of graffiti.

Subsidiary of Koch Industries donates $1M to suspend California’s global warming law

Koch brothers give $1M to back Proposition 23

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Oil billionaires David and Charles Koch have jumped on board an effort to suspend California’s global warming law by making a million-dollar contribution this week.
A subsidiary of Wichita, Kan.-based Koch Industries, the nation’s second-largest private company with oil refineries and pipelines, made a $1 million …. Source  : Subsidiary of Koch Industries donates $1M to suspend California’s global warming law.

Hubble observations of supernova reveal composition of ’star guts’ pouring out

WASHINGTON – A new study led by the University of Colorado at Boulder has revealed that observations made with NASA’s newly refurbished Hubble Space Telescope of a nearby supernova are allowing astronomers to measure the velocity and composition of ’star guts’ being ejected into space following the explosion.

The astronomers detected significant brightening of the …. Original article  : Hubble observations of supernova reveal composition of ’star guts’ pouring out.

First clinical trials on potent new hepatitis C drug successfully completed

WASHINGTON – Scientists have successfully completed the first clinical trials on a new investigational drug being developed to treat infections caused by Hepatitis C virus.

INX-189, which is still in the initial stages, is being considered better than current treatment drugs- ribavirin and interferon, whose side effects are often severe.

Professor Chris McGuigan of the Welsh School …. Original article on Gaea Times at  : First clinical trials on potent new hepatitis C drug successfully completed.

Wild chimps learning how to outwit human hunters

LONDON – A new study has revealed that wild chimpanzees are learning how to outwit human hunters.

Across Africa, people often lay snare traps to catch bushmeat, killing or injuring chimps and other wildlife.

But researchers have found that a few chimps living in the rainforests of Guinea have learnt to recognise these snare traps …. Original article  : Wild chimps learning how to outwit human hunters.

Missing piece of Mars puzzle may reveal whether life existed on planet

WASHINGTON – Experiments prompted by a 2008 surprise from NASA’s Phoenix Mars Lander suggest that soil examined by NASA’s Viking Mars landers in 1976 may have contained carbon-based chemical building blocks of life.

“This doesn’t say anything about the question of whether or not life has existed on Mars, but it could make a big difference …. Original article  : Missing piece of Mars puzzle may reveal whether life existed on planet.

‘Swiss-style voting can end mining woes’

PANAJI – A suitably-adapted Swiss-referendum style mode of grassroots governance could control excess mining in Goa and other parts of the country, convenor of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) good governance cell Manohar Parrikar said Saturday.

Speaking to IANS on the sidelines of a workshop on mining and human rights here, Parrikar said uncontrolled and [..] Read the original article: here.

Preventive mastectomies pay off for some women

WASHINGTON – A long-term study of women who are genetically prone to breast or ovarian cancer has shown that those who undergo major preventive surgeries had a reduced risk of those cancers.

Gail Tomlinson of the University of Texas said that for … Read more »».

Food poisoning bacteria may be key to future of renewable energy

WASHINGTON – Unlike the popular correlation of E. coli with sickness and food poisoning, the malevolent bacteria may also be the key to the future of renewable energy, study suggests.

Desmond Lun of Rutgers University is apparently researching how to alter the genetic …. Original article on Gaea Times at  : Food poisoning bacteria may be key to future of renewable energy.