Oxygen bugs evolved 2.72 billion years ago

SYDNEY – Bug that produces oxygen may have evolved hundreds of millions of years earlier than previously thought.

Well-preserved fossils of stromatolites, a rock formation in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, have been dated as 2.72 billion years old, more than 270 million years older than the previous oldest evidence of oxygenic photosynthesis. …. Read the original article  : here.

Tinkered-gene rice fights salinity, increases yield

MELBOURNE – A team of scientists in Australian claimed to have altered the genes of rice so as to improve its tolerance to toxic sodium ion and increase the crops’ yields.

The scientists from the Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics (ACPFG) at the University of Adelaide worked in collaboration with colleagues based in Cairo, Copenhagen … Read more »».

Get ready to see the elusive ‘False Dawn’ of zodiacal light next week

WASHINGTON – Over the next week, sky-watchers in the Northern Hemisphere will get a rare chance to see an elusive celestial pyramid known as the zodiacal light.

The triangular tower of light is easiest to spot around the spring and fall equinoxes.

People can look … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Get ready to see the elusive ‘False Dawn’ of zodiacal light next week.

New discoveries make ancient animal explosion bigger

WASHINGTON – Scientists have discovered eight new kinds of the earliest animals from the Cambrian Explosion in a unexpected section of ancient rock 30 miles from the famous Burgess Shale of Canada.

The new discoveries are remarkable because they preserve features of animals which …. Source  : New discoveries make ancient animal explosion bigger.

Ancient Greeks ‘the first to spot Halley’s comet’

LONDON – Greeks in the 5th century BC were the first to spot the Halley’s comet-an event that marked a turning point in the history of astronomy.

According to ancient authors, from Aristotle onwards, a meteorite the size of a “wagonload” crashed into northern Greece sometime between 466 and …. Original article on Gaea Times at  : Ancient Greeks ‘the first to spot Halley’s comet’.

‘Sponge on a string’ can check oesophageal cancer risk

LONDON – UK experts have claimed that swallowing a sponge on a piece of string could help prevent a deadly form of cancer.

Medical Research Council scientists have created the “cytosponge” which collects cells from the stomach, reports the BBC.

These cells can be checked for a pre-cancerous condition called Barrett’s oesophagus, … Original article on : ‘Sponge on a string’ can check oesophageal cancer risk.

Mars had ‘recent’ interaction with water and volcanoes, finds study

WASHINGTON – Liquid water has interacted with the Martian surface throughout the planet’s history and into modern times, according to data from NASA’s Phoenix Mars Lander.

The research also offers new evidence that volcanic activity has persisted on the Red Planet into geologically recent times, several …. Original article on Gaea Times at  : Mars had ‘recent’ interaction with water and volcanoes, finds study.

Experts disagree on whether big farms are riskier, but agree egg recall shows potential danger

Experts say big egg farms can mean big problems

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – From the first days of the recent recall of 550 million eggs from two Iowa farms, one issue about large-scale agriculture has been clear: When something goes wrong on a big farm, it’s going to be a big problem.
It’s a point even some supporters …. Original source  : Experts disagree on whether big farms are riskier, but agree egg recall shows potential danger.

Philips ‘AirFryer’ uses hot air to make chips without any oil

LONDON – You can now eat fried food in a healthy way, for Philips has invented a frying machine that it claims gives you that same satisfying fatty taste – but without the oil.

The AirFryer uses Rapid Air Technology, hot air in other words, to cook the … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Philips ‘AirFryer’ uses hot air to make chips without any oil.

Toyota to build a $300 million plant in Melbourne to produce greener engines

Toyota plant in Australia to build greener engines

MELBOURNE, Australia – Toyota will build a 300 million Australian dollars ($277 million) plant in Melbourne that will produce greener engines that deliver reduced carbon emissions, the company said Friday.
The plant will begin operations in the second half of 2012, said Toyota Australia chief executive Max Yasuda. It …. Original article  : Toyota to build a $300 million plant in Melbourne to produce greener engines.

After years of red tape, Revolution museum plans to build in Philadelphia near Liberty Bell

Revolution museum settles on Philly after 11 years

PHILADELPHIA – A spot for a Revolutionary War museum has finally been chosen after 11 years of planning and bureaucratic squabbling – about three years longer than it took the Colonies to win independence.
Under an agreement that becomes official Friday, the National Park Service will hand over a …. Original article  : After years of red tape, Revolution museum plans to build in Philadelphia near Liberty Bell.

Punjab, Haryana villages flooded as rivers rise alarmingly

CHANDIGARH – Close to 75 villages in Punjab and Haryana were flooded and thousands of acres of farm land inundated as the Yamuna, Satluj and other rivers rose to alarming levels and overflowed their banks due to incessant rains, an official said Friday.

The rainfall over the past few days in the region and in the … Read more : Punjab, Haryana villages flooded as rivers rise alarmingly.

Deceptive robots to revolutionise military, search and rescue operations

WASHINGTON – In what is believed to be the first detailed examination of robot deception, researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology made a robot dodge an enemy soldier by creating a false trail and hiding so that it will not be caught.

In the future, robots capable of deception may be valuable for several different … Read more >>.

‘Iran building secret underground nuclear plant’

LONDON – Iran has been secretly building a vast underground nuclear plant 200 metres deep inside a desert mountain ridge in east of Tehran, in violation of the UN sanction regime, an anti-Iran group has claimed.

The People’s Mujahedeen of Iran, which had previously revealed secret atomic plants at Natanz and Qom that the Iranian regime … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : ‘Iran building secret underground nuclear plant’.

Repeated exposure key to remembering faces

LONDON – Faces and words that reactivate neural patterns in the same region of the brain over and over again are more likely to be remembered, revealed a study.

People find it easier to recall things if material is presented repeatedly at well-spaced intervals rather than all at once.

For …. Source  : Gaea News Network.

Log on to www.pulseofthetweeters.com to know Twitter’s most influential people

WASHINGTON – If you thought Ashton Kutcher, Lady Gaga and Britney Spears were the most influential people on Twitter with an ever-increasing list of followers, then you are wrong, according to researchers from Northwestern University.

The researchers have said that just because one has …. Source article  : Log on to www.pulseofthetweeters.com to know Twitter’s most influential people.

Himachal rivers may abate, ease Punjab, Haryana floods

SHIMLA – The flow in rivers and streams running downstream from Himachal Pradesh to neighbouring Punjab and Haryana is likely to abate as the rains are receding, the weatherman said here Friday.

Moderate to heavy rainfall in Himachal Pradesh in the past few days is among the factors that have contributed to a flood-like situation …. Source  : Himachal rivers may abate, ease Punjab, Haryana floods.

Delhi to remain sultry, light rains expected

NEW DELHI – Delhi woke up to a wet morning Friday and the weather office forecast partly cloudy sky and light rains during the day, which is expected to be sultry.

“There may not be much rains but the sky will remain partly cloudy. There is possibility of light rains in some parts,” said an official …. Source article  : Delhi to remain sultry, light rains expected.

Activist says endangered right whale beached in Brazil is too weak to be rescued

Activist: Beached whale in Brazil can’t be saved

SAO PAULO – An animal-rights activist says an endangered right whale stranded on a beach in southern Brazil for two days is too weak to be rescued and returned safely to the sea.
Elizabeth Carvalho da Rocha is head of the right-whale protection area in Brazil. She is quoted … Read more »»».

EPA officials tell Kan. legislators that state must get in line with new greenhouse gas rules

EPA officials: Kan. must revise air permit process
TOPEKA, Kan. – Federal officials told Kansas legislators Thursday that the state will be expected to cut greenhouse gas emissions as it considers air-quality permits for power plants, large factories, and oil refineries – and if it refuses, the Environmental Protection Agency could step in.
Regional EPA …. Read the original article  : here.