Bright sunny day in Himachal

SHIMLA – After three days of moderate to heavy rainfall, the hills of Himachal Pradesh Friday woke up to a bright sunny morning but with a mild chill in the air.

“Almost the entire hill state witnessed a bright sunny day this (Friday) morning after days of heavy rain in middle and lower hills and snow …. Source article on Gaea Times at  : Bright sunny day in Himachal.

AIDS drug could also fight herpes virus

WASHINGTON – A drug approved in 2007 for the treatment of AIDS- raltegravir or Isentress-could also play a role in preventing the herpes virus, found a new study.

Sold by Merck, the drug cancels the function of an essential protein for the replication of one kind of herpes virus, said scientists at the Institute for Research [..] Read the original article: here.

Artificial cilia that respond to heat and light created

WASHINGTON – Inspired by mother nature, researchers at University of Southern Mississippi have for the first time, created a new, skinny-molecule-based material that resembles cilia, the tiny, hair-like structures through which organisms derive smell, vision, hearing and fluid flow.

Although the new material is not exactly like cilia, it responds to thermal, chemical, and electromagnetic …. Source article  : Artificial cilia that respond to heat and light created.

Smart ’spider web’ sensors to make aircrafts fly like birds

WASHINGTON – Mimicking the gossamer strands of spider webs, researchers from Stanford University have created an ultra-fine mesh of strain and temperature sensors that can be wrapped around aircrafts and make them fly like birds.

Wrapped around an aircraft, the sensors could help craft monitor their internal well-being-an advance that could prevent microscopic cracks from developing … Read more >>>.

Current decisions affect your future choices

WASHINGTON – You tend to adjust your opinion to think better of something you choose, even if you don’t known the options you were making a choice from, revealed a new study.

People change their minds about a choice after they make it.

If you ask someone how he feels about Athens and Paris, he might …. Source  : Current decisions affect your future choices.

Double eye of Venus polar vortex disappears

WASHINGTON – Using data from ESA’s Venus Express spacecraft, a new animation has shown that the double eye of the giant vortex at Venus’s South pole has disappeared.

Dr. Giuseppe Piccioni presented the results of a study that shows the complex, variable dynamics at the Venusian south pole.

Orbiting around Venus since April 11, 2006, the …. Read the original article  : Double eye of Venus polar vortex disappears.

Scientists recreate extreme conditions 1800 miles below Earth’s crust

WASHINGTON – A new study by Yale University and the University of California, Berkeley, sheds light on why certain seismic waves travel more quickly through the core-mantle boundary, a thin layer of the Earth’s interior that lies between about 1675 and 1800 miles below the surface.

Lowell Miyagi and his team have managed to heat and [..] Read the original article: here.

Scientists discover pumps that allow bacteria to resist drugs

LONDON – Iowa State University and the Ames Laboratory researchers have discovered the crystal structures of pumps that remove heavy metal toxins from bacteria, making them resistant to antibiotics.

It could help drug researchers develop treatments to combat that resistance, reports Nature.

Edward Yu and his colleagues purified and crystallized the membrane proteins that make up …. Read the original article  : here.

Largest marine oil accident spewed 4.1m barrels into Gulf

WASHINGTON – An independent, peer-reviewed research has revealed that the Gulf spill is the largest marine oil accident ever and spewed around 4.1 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico.

“We wanted to do an independent estimate because people had the sense that the numbers out there were not necessarily accurate,” said Timothy Crone …. Original article on Gaea Times at  : Largest marine oil accident spewed 4.1m barrels into Gulf.

Water buffalo and goat hooves may have disturbed Indian Stone Age sites

WASHINGTON – Interpretations of Stone Age culture from discoveries of ancient tools and artefacts may need to be reanalysed, says a new research conducted in in the Jurreru River Valley in Southern India.

The new study documented how animal trampling in a water-saturated area can result in an alarming amount of disturbance, according to archaeologist Metin …. Source  : Water buffalo and goat hooves may have disturbed Indian Stone Age sites.

Patients reject robotic prosthetic arm because ‘it’s too easy’

WASHINGTON – Participants in a study to test the function of a robotic prosthetic arm were unhappy with the results because it was ‘too easy.’

University of Central Florida researchers had designed the arm to give people in wheelchairs more independence, but participants preferred the manual mode, which requires them to think several steps ahead and … Read more : Patients reject robotic prosthetic arm because ‘it’s too easy’.

Standing on a staircase ‘makes you age faster’

WASHINGTON – Believe it or not, standing on the roof of your building might make you age faster than standing on the ground floor.

Research has revealed that Einstein’s theories of relativity affect earthbound distances and time frames, which simply put means, a clock speeding away from an observer will appear to tick slower than a …. Source article  : Standing on a staircase ‘makes you age faster’.

Increasing taxes on alcoholic beverages cuts disease, crime, death rates

WASHINGTON – A new study has revealed that increasing the costs to consumers of beer, wine, and hard liquor significantly reduces the rates of a wide range of alcohol-related deaths, diseases, injuries, and other problems.

University of Florida (UF) researchers reported that public policies that increase the price of alcoholic beverages, such as increases in alcohol …. Original source  : Increasing taxes on alcoholic beverages cuts disease, crime, death rates.

Allergies ‘a consequence of asthma, not cause of it’

SYDNEY – A new genetic study has revealed that allergies are an outcome of asthma, not a cause of it.

Scientists have also found seven genes linked to the development of the ailment, which could lead to new treatments, reports the Sydney Morning Herald.

Researchers from Imperial College London and colleagues around the world carried out more … Original article on : Allergies ‘a consequence of asthma, not cause of it’.

70pc of women likely to face sexual problems after breast cancer

WASHINGTON – A new study has revealed that 70 percent of women are likely to face sexual function problems if they have breast cancer.

Mary Panjari of the Women’s Health Program at Monash University reported on the sexual well-being nearly two years after diagnosis and initial treatment of participants in the BUPA Foundation Health and Wellbeing …. Original article on Gaea Times at  : 70pc of women likely to face sexual problems after breast cancer.

Sun shines over Delhi, but rains likely

NEW DELHI – A bright and sunny morning greeted Delhiites Friday after days of continuous rain, but weather officials have predicted showers later during the day.

Delhi recorded a minimum of 23.2 degrees Celsius, normal for this time of the season.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the capital has not received any rains … Read : Sun shines over Delhi, but rains likely.

Departure of Soyuz capsule from space station delayed amid undocking problems

Undocking problems delay space station departure

ALMATY, Kazakhstan – The return of three astronauts to Earth onboard a Soyuz capsule from the International Space Station has been delayed after crew ran into problems while undocking.
U.S. astronaut Tracy Caldwell-Dyson and Russia’s Alexander Skvortsov and Mikhail Kornienko were due to land Friday morning local time in the central … Read more »»».

High levels of stress hormone in recovering alcoholics ‘raise relapse risk’

Washington, Sept 24 (ANI): High levels of a stress hormone in recovering alcoholics could increase the risk of relapse, a new study has found.

Scientists at the University of Liverpool showed that cortisol, a hormone produced by the adrenal gland in response to stress, is found in high levels in chronic alcoholics, as well as those …. Original source  : High levels of stress hormone in recovering alcoholics ‘raise relapse risk’.

Withdrawing HRT from women cuts breast cancer risk, shows study

LONDON – Canadian researchers have shown that withdrawing hormone replacement therapy (HRT) from women reduces the risk of breast cancer.

The new study has thrown the safety of hormone replacement into further doubt.

The researchers found that a decrease in the number of menopausal women taking HRT has coincided with a 10 per cent decrease in cancer …. Original article on Gaea Times at  : Withdrawing HRT from women cuts breast cancer risk, shows study.

Win for Woods: High Carolina course on track after developers reach agreement on trout streams

Tiger’s course developers reach settlement

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Chalk up one victory for Tiger Woods this year.
Construction on Woods’ first American golf course, The Cliffs at High Carolina near Asheville, N.C., is back in full swing after developers agreed to reduce the planned impact the layout would have on area trout streams by almost half the … Read this article on Gaea Times at : Win for Woods: High Carolina course on track after developers reach agreement on trout streams.