Drivers can be distracted by phone calls

LONDON – The dangers of using a phone while driving are well documented. But a driver can be distracted even if it’s the passenger who is talking on the phone.

Hearing one side of a phone conversation affects concentration more than listening to the entire chat, reports the Daily Mail.
Processing a ‘halfalogue’ is upto …. Original article on Gaea Times at  : Drivers can be distracted by phone calls.

Bacteria found in yogurt turned into ’silver bullets’ to fight flu

LONDON – Scientists are hailing a breakthrough that could provide a cure for the common cold.

They have turned bacteria, normally found in yogurt, into ’silver bullets’ that can destroy viruses.esearchers have found that they can attach tiny studs of silver onto the surface of otherwise harmless bacteria, giving them the ability to destroy viruses.

They …. Original source  : Bacteria found in yogurt turned into ’silver bullets’ to fight flu.

Don’t blame greenhouse gas emissions on dairy cows

WASHINGTON – Dairy industry is responsible for only about 2.0 percent of all US greenhouse gas emissions, according to a new report.

The study, led by the University of Arkansas in association with Michigan Technological University, measures the carbon footprint of a gallon of fluid milk from farm to table and uses 2007 and 2008 data …. Source article on Gaea Times at  : Don’t blame greenhouse gas emissions on dairy cows.

Partly cloudy day in Delhi

NEW DELHI – After days of bright sunshine, Sunday morning was partly cloudy and the weatherman said it would be a pleasant day ahead.

“Partly cloudy skies are predicted throughout the day,” an official of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
The maximum temperature is likely to hover around 34 degrees Celsius, one degree …. Source  : Partly cloudy day in Delhi.

Facebook, Twitter ‘encourage kids to spread gossip and insults’

LONDON – A leading headmaster in the UK has slammed social networking websites Facebook and Twitter for undermining kids’ moral development by rewarding the use of ‘inneuendo, half-truth and insult’.

John Newton, head of fee-paying Taunton School, Somerset, said that such websites pose a serious threat as they blur the lines between gossip and fact … Read more »».

Penguins killed by foxes in London Zoo

LONDON – Penguins and some other animals were killed by foxes in London Zoo, a media report said Saturday.

A probe report showed that 11 South African and rockhopper penguins were killed in a fox attack last year, telegraph.co.uk reported.
The zoo in London’s Regent’s Park now has 41 penguins.
Other victims … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Penguins killed by foxes in London Zoo.

Heavy, not modest, drinkers’ babies more likely to have birth defects

WASHINGTON – A new study has found that babies born to women who drink heavily during their first trimester of pregnancy are more likely to have birth defects, compared to the babies of mothers who abstained from alcohol.

However, kids born to moms who drink occasionally during pregnancy don’t have a higher risk of birth defects … Read : Heavy, not modest, drinkers’ babies more likely to have birth defects.

Scientists create system that ’simulates handwritten captchas’

WASHINGTON – Researchers at the Center for Unified Biometrics and Sensors are developing ways to simulate handwritten captchas.

University at Buffalo computer scientist Venu Govindaraju believes that this annoying 21st-century problem has a decidedly … Read this article on Gaea Times at : Scientists create system that ’simulates handwritten captchas’.

Missouri researcher’s genus discovery is ‘once in a lifetime experience’

WASHINGTON – A new genus named Hondurodendron, which means “tree of Honduras”, has been discovered by a Missouri botanical garden researcher.

Dr. Carmen Ulloa, associate curator at the Missouri Botanical Garden, and co-authors Dr. Daniel L. Nickrent, Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, Dr. Caroline Whitefoord, The …. Original article on Gaea Times at  : Missouri researcher’s genus discovery is ‘once in a lifetime experience’.

Now, cellphones to reveal emerging disease outbreaks

LONDON – Texting, browsing, playing games, taking directions, listening to music are the things you use your cellphone for. But now it can be used to fight diseases.

Cellphones would start a fight against diseases by relaying a telltale signature of illness to doctors … Read more : Now, cellphones to reveal emerging disease outbreaks.

Sex in space is a bad idea, find Oz scientists

WASHINGTON – A new research has suggested that babies would not develop properly in outer space.

Embryonic stem cells behave very differently outside the pull of Earth’s gravity, researchers suggest-a finding leading scientists to fret that procreation in space may be fraught with peril.

The microgravity that astronauts experience orbiting Earth on the … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Sex in space is a bad idea, find Oz scientists.

Nature and humans destroying aquatic food webs

WASHINGTON – A new research has suggested that humans and nature itself are making it tough for rivers to continue in their central role to support fish species.

Globally, rivers and streams are being drained due to human use and climate change. … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Nature and humans destroying aquatic food webs.

New advances may hold key to fight preeclampsia

WASHINGTON – Scientists are set to develop a potential lab test to diagnose preeclampsia-a serious complication often requires premature delivery and is sometimes fatal to both mother and fetus.

Researchers led by a team at Brown University and …. Source  : New advances may hold key to fight preeclampsia.

Milk ‘drove Neolithic immigration of Middle Easterners to Europe’

BERLIN – New research has revealed that immigration from the Middle East to Europe was driven by the newcomers’ sophisticated culture, mastery of agriculture – and their miracle food, milk.

Archaeologist Birgit Srock is analysing a large Neolithic settlement in the Upper Franconia region of northern Bavaria, discovered by workers during the construction of a high-speed … Read : Milk ‘drove Neolithic immigration of Middle Easterners to Europe’.

Where dinos hung out

WASHINGTON – Scientists have determined that different species of North American dinosaurs from the Late Cretaceous period 65 million years ago occupied different environments separated by just a few miles.

Hadrosaurs or duck-billed dinosaurs, …. Source article on Gaea Times at  : Where dinos hung out.

iPhone rates Jolie as ‘hottest celeb’

LONDON – iPhone has launched a new application called Ugly Meter that rates people’s ugliness – and it has rated Angelina Jolie as the hottest celebrity.

The Ugly Meter lets users take a snap of a person’s face. It then analyses the “contours” of the face, and gives a score out of …. Source  : iPhone rates Jolie as ‘hottest celeb’.

Low dose of beta blockers can put patients at subsequent heart attack risk

WASHINGTON – A breakthrough study has revealed that majority of heart patients are not receiving drugs known as beta blockers, which increase their survival prospects, in required quantity.

For nearly 40 years, these drugs have been proven to increase patients’ survival prospects following …. Read the original article  : here.

New imaging technique sheds light on inflammation

WASHINGTON – Using an innovative new imaging technique, researchers at the University of Calgary Faculty of Medicine are studying how white blood cells (called neutrophils) respond to inflammation, and have revealed new targets to inhibit the response.

When the body is invaded by infection, the immune system counters … Read more »»».

Global warming could leave cities flattened

LONDON – With climate change taking its toll on Earth, rock avalanches and landslides have become more common in high mountain ranges over the last decade.

The collapses are caused by melting glaciers and permafrost, which remove the glue that binds steep mountain slopes together.

However, the … Read more >>.

Novel approach for rapid detection of unknown food pathogens

WASHINGTON – Scientists have developed a novel approach to automated detection and classification of harmful bacteria in food.

Researchers from the School of Science at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) and the Bindley Bioscience Center at Purdue University have designed … Read : Novel approach for rapid detection of unknown food pathogens.