Trapped NASA Mars Rover finds more evidence of water on ‘Red Planet’

WASHINGTON – The presence of water on Mars has become more evident, suggests a new NASA finding.

Scientists have revealed that the ground where NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover Spirit became stuck last year holds evidence that water, perhaps as snow melt, trickled into the subsurface fairly recently and on a continuing basis.

Stratified soil layers with different …. Source article  : Trapped NASA Mars Rover finds more evidence of water on ‘Red Planet’.

Like humans, chimps too prefer using their right hands

WASHINGTON – A new study by Spanish scientists has revealed that humans are not the only species to prefer to use their right hand-chimpanzees also share the trait.

The researchers reached their findings after observing 114 chimpanzees from two primate rescue centers, one in Spain and the other in Zambia.

The primates were provided with food … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Like humans, chimps too prefer using their right hands.

Earth-size planets ‘prevalent’ in our Milky Way galaxy

WASHINGTON – A new study funded by NASA and the University of California has revealed that nearly one in four stars similar to the Sun may host planets as small as Earth.

The study is the most extensive and sensitive planetary census of its kind. Astronomers used the W.M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii for five …. Original article on Gaea Times at  : Earth-size planets ‘prevalent’ in our Milky Way galaxy.

Now, a blood test to spot ectopic pregnancy

LONDON – Scientists are developing a blood test for ectopic pregnancies, which could help save the fertility of thousands of women.

It would enable the life-threatening condition to be diagnosed within a day, instead of the several weeks it takes for tests to come back now.

This would allow doctors to intervene earlier to save reproductive organs …. Original article  : Now, a blood test to spot ectopic pregnancy.

Getting older ‘leads to emotional stability, happiness’

WASHINGTON – Some of us moan and groan at the idea of getting older, but a new Stanford study suggests that aging could be a positive thing after all.

According to the study’s lead author Laura Carstensen, as we grow older, we tend to become more emotionally stable. And that translates into longer, more productive lives … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Getting older ‘leads to emotional stability, happiness’.

Two people can learn to cooperate with each other intuitively: Study

LONDON – A new study has found that two people can learn to co-operate with each other intuitively, without communication or any conscious intention to co-operate.

However, the process breaks down in the group of three or more, says the research.

The members of University of Leicester’s School of Psychology and Department of Economics undertook the …. Read the original article  : Two people can learn to cooperate with each other intuitively: Study.

Child-mother interactions study to pave for robots with social skills

WASHINGTON – Researchers are studying infant-mother interactions and working to implement their findings in a baby robot capable of learning social skills.

The first phase of the project by University of Miami (UM) developmental psychologists and computer scientists from the University of California in San Diego (UC San Diego) was studying face-to-face interactions between mother …. Original article on Gaea Times at  : Child-mother interactions study to pave for robots with social skills.

‘Wireless’ humans could backbone new mobile networks

LONDON – People could form the backbone of powerful new mobile internet networks by carrying wearable sensors.

The sensors could create new ultra high bandwidth mobile internet infrastructures and reduce the density of mobile phone base stations.
Engineers from Queen’s Institute of Electronics, Communications and Information Technology are working on a new …. Source article  : ‘Wireless’ humans could backbone new mobile networks.

First complete remains of dinosaur’s ancestor found in China

WASHINGTON – For the first time, scientists have discovered the complete remains of a pivotal ancestor of Earth’s largest land animals – the sauropod dinosaurs, in China.

The new species, tentatively dubbed Yizhousaurus sunae, lived on the flood plains around Lufeng in the Yunnan Province of South China about 200 million years ago.

Unlike its 120-foot-long, 100-ton … Read more >>.

Art of making tools 55,000 years older than previously thought

WASHINGTON – For a long time, it was thought that the art of shaping stones into sharp-edged points originated about 20,000 years ago, but a new study has revealed that it may in fact, have started around 75,000 years ago.

A study of stone tools from Blombos Cave in South Africa has suggested that tool making …. Source  : Gaea News Network.

Smokers ‘more likely to be impulsive, indecisive’

WASHINGTON – A new study has revealed that people who smoke are more likely to be impulsive and indecisive than those who have never smoked in their life.

Researchers of the Charite – Universitatsmedizin Berlin and Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) have found that a specific region of the cerebral cortex of smokers is thinner than that of …. Read the original article  : Smokers ‘more likely to be impulsive, indecisive’.

Study on insulin-creating cell may lead to better diabetes treatment

WASHINGTON – A new study has revealed that beta cells-responsible for making insulin in the human body-do not replicate after the age of 30, indicating that scientists are closer to advancements in diabetes treatment.

Type 1 diabetes is caused by a loss of beta cells by auto-immunity while type 2 is due to a relative insufficiency …. Source article  : Study on insulin-creating cell may lead to better diabetes treatment.

Dementia drug could be ‘within our grasp’, say Oz scientists

MELBOURNE – Australian scientists say that a drug treatment that could slow the onset of certain types of dementia could be ‘within our grasp’.

Dr John Kwok and colleagues from Neuroscience Research, Sydney, have identified a gene that causes abnormal protein deposits in the brains of people with frontotemporal dementia (FTD), a disease that affects …. Source article  : Dementia drug could be ‘within our grasp’, say Oz scientists.

Hands can detect typos even when the mind doesn’t: Study

WASHINGTON – For professional typists, the act of typing is almost an automaton and now a new study reveals why.

“We all know we do some things on autopilot, from walking to doing familiar tasks like making coffee and, in this study, typing. What we don’t know as scientists is how people are able to control …. Original article on Gaea Times at  : Hands can detect typos even when the mind doesn’t: Study.

Smallest electric engine could power future nanomachines

LONDON – Scientists at the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands have designed a blueprint for the smallest electric engine ever that could eventually drive tiny conveyor belts or pumps in future nanomachines.

The motor’s rotor is a long, coal-derived molecule called anthracene. It possesses what is known as a dipole moment – its negatively …. Original article on Gaea Times at  : Smallest electric engine could power future nanomachines.

5 risk factors for late-stage head and neck cancer identified

WASHINGTON – Researchers at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit say that developing a molecular fingerprint for head and neck cancer tumors could help improve diagnosis and treatment for this deadly and often-times disfiguring form of cancer.

Their new study has taken the first step toward doing that by identifying five risk factors for late-stage head and [..] Read the original article: here.

Superhero suit to prevent bone loss in astronauts

LONDON – Micro-gravity in space can cause significant amount of bone loss in astronauts, but now a new superhero suit is set to change that.

Even with regular exercise, an astronaut can lose 1.5 per cent of bone mass in just a month – similar to the bone loss experienced by a post-menopausal woman in a … Read more : Superhero suit to prevent bone loss in astronauts.

Warm day, chilly evening ahead in Delhi

NEW DELHI – It was a misty Friday morning in the capital and the weather office said it will be sunny as the day progresses but the evening would be chilly.

“There was mist in the morning but it will be a clear sky as the day advances. The chill will be back in the … Read more >>>.

Scientists estimate Earth-sized planets could be common

WASHINGTON – A group of astronomers has estimated that as many as one in four stars similar to the Sun could be orbited by Earth-size planets.

A five-year observation of 166 stars within 80 light years of Earth, using the powerful Keck telescope in Hawaii, counted planets orbiting the stars, down to the smallest planets …. Original article  : Scientists estimate Earth-sized planets could be common.

Capital braces for early onset of winter as mercury dips

NEW DELHI – Delhiites can look forward to early onset of winter now that mercury levels are dipping and the city is witnessing chilly mornings and evenings, the weatherman says.

The maximum temperature Thursday was recorded two notches below the average, at 30.2 degree Celsius, while the minimum remained at 15 degree Celsius, … Read this article on Gaea Times at : Capital braces for early onset of winter as mercury dips.