Science News – Newsletter for November 21, 2010

Google to delete personal data collected accidentally

LONDON – Google has agreed to delete all personal data collected by its Street View cars from unsecured wireless networks.

Google sparked an international outrage last month after it admitted to collecting information from unsecured Wi-Fi networks as its vehicles roamed residential streets.
The company was accused of unlawfully harvesting data, including e-mails, passwords and … Read more »».

Bug glue to cement cracks in concrete

LONDON – Scientists have developed a bacteria that can cement cracks in concrete structures by producing a special glue.

The genetically-modified microbe has been programmed to swim down fine cracks in the concrete. Once at the bottom, it produces a mixture of calcium carbonate and a bacterial glue which combine to ‘knit’ the building together.
… Read more : Bug glue to cement cracks in concrete.

3000-year-old conch trumpets played eerie notes

WASHINGTON – Acoustic scientists have put their lips to ancient, ornately decorated conch-shell ‘trumpets’ to recreate sounds from a pre-Incan Peruvian civilization.

The researchers using 3,000-year-old shells discovered at a pre-Inca religious site say the powerfully haunting and droning music could have been used in religious ceremonies.

“You can really feel it in your chest. It has [..] Read the original article: here.

Hi-tech robots search for ancient shipwrecks lying on ocean floor

WASHINGTON – It would now be possible to access ancient shipwrecks lying on the ocean floor, thanks to new robotic submersibles.

These autonomous and remotely operated vehicles are capable of trawling the ocean floor at depths of up to 6,000 meters, to document ancient and recent shipwrecks, and recover key objects.

“RMS Titanic” is the most famous …. Read the original article  : Hi-tech robots search for ancient shipwrecks lying on ocean floor.

Cancer was rare, but it did occur in Ancient Egypt: Scientist

LONDON – In a direct contradiction to a recent Nature article on cancer in Egypt, a Manchester United Egyptologist has stated that cancer was not ‘man-made’, and that it was rare but it did occur in ancient Egypt.

Paula Veiga has cited both her own research during her time at Manchester and Professor Zimmerman.

“It seems Dr. …. Read the original article  : here.

Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy shows promise for knee osteoarthritis

WASHINGTON – A new American study has positioned Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy (PRP) as a viable means in managing knee osteoarthritis.

The research, authored by Steven Sampson of the Orthohealing Center in Los Angeles, details the account of 14 patients with primary and secondary knee osteoarthritis receiving three platelet-rich plasma injections in the affected knee at … Read more >>>.

‘Floating leaf’ skyscraper coming up in Taiwan

LONDON – It could have been straight out of a “Star Wars” film or science fiction video game, but is actually a design for a futuristic skyscraper that will come up in Taiwan.

Called Floating Observatories, it won the first prize in a recent design competition, and will be built in Taichung, Taiwan’s third largest … Original article on : ‘Floating leaf’ skyscraper coming up in Taiwan.

Why open-mouthed laughter makes us feel good

LONDON – Laughter sounds good only when it’s open-mouthed and spontaneous.

Conversely, a closed mouth laugh such as a snigger, which scientists describe as a ‘pant-pant’ sound, has the opposite effect.
The findings suggest that from a young age we learn to associate the wide-open guffaw with life’s most positive experiences and all it takes …. Read the original article  : Why open-mouthed laughter makes us feel good.

300-feet-long wind tunnel is largest of its type in the world

WASHINGTON – A 300 feet long wind tunnel that is the largest of its type in the world is situated at the University of New Hampshire.

The new Flow Physics Facility (FPF) is the world’s largest scientific quality boundary-layer wind tunnel facility.

It will help engineers and scientists better understand the dynamics of turbulent boundary layers, informing …. Original article on Gaea Times at  : 300-feet-long wind tunnel is largest of its type in the world.

Stonehenge builders familiar with ball bearing technology

LONDON – Neolithic engineers may have used ball bearings in the construction of Stonehenge.

The same technique that allows vehicles and machinery to run smoothly today could have been used to transport the monument’s massive standing stones more than 4,000 years ago, says a new theory.
Scientists showed how balls placed in grooved wooden tracks … Read more >>>.

Scientists question widely adopted indicator of ocean health

LONDON – A new analysis by an international team led by a University of Washington fisheries scientist has suggested that the most widely adopted measure for assessing the state of the world’s oceans and fisheries led to inaccurate conclusions in nearly half the ecosystems where it was applied.

“Applied to individual ecosystems it’s like flipping a … Read more »»».

Cement-like substance could help the environment

WASHINGTON – A scientist has developed a cement-like substance that could help with stormwater management while potentially keeping millions of plastic bottles out of landfills.

An assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at Temple University, Naji Khoury, used a mixture of recyclable plastic bottles and soil to create ‘Plastisoil’, a trademarked product he describes as … Original source on Gaea Times at : Cement-like substance could help the environment.

Using poetry to teach computers better language skills

WASHINGTON – A new study has suggested that a better understanding of how we use acoustic cues to stress new information and put old information in the background may help computer programmers produce more realistic-sounding speech.

Michael Wagner, of the McGill’s Department of Linguistics, has compared the way French and English-speakers evaluate poetry, as a way …. Original source  : Using poetry to teach computers better language skills.

How the universe evolved from a super-hot liquid

LONDON – An experiment to recreate the conditions of Big Bang has suggested that the universe was a super-hot liquid in the moments immediately after its birth.

The results of the experiment have surprised physicists as they contradict the accepted view of what happened in the immediate aftermath of the creation of the universe – that …. Source article  : How the universe evolved from a super-hot liquid.

Smartphones record HD videos

BERLIN – Pixilation, trailing, colour mishmashes: recording video with a cell phone camera was long considered more of a gimmick than a serious function. But times have changed. Smartphones are now capable of recording films in HD quality.

The scene: a rock concert in Berlin’s Columbia Halle. American hard rock band Korn is playing its …. Original source  : Smartphones record HD videos.

2010 could be world’s warmest year on record

WASHINGTON – 2010 could finish as the warmest year on record, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has said.

The federal agency said the January-October period was equally as warm as the first 10 months of 1998, which had the highest combined land and ocean surface temperature of any year based on NOAA … Read : 2010 could be world’s warmest year on record.

Delhi gets cooler, clear skies ahead

NEW DELHI – The national capital witnessed a misty morning and a cool weather Saturday, with day temperature staying below average.

Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 13.2 degrees Celsius, two notches above the average for this time of the season, while the maximum settled at 25 degrees Celsius, three degrees below average, an … Read this article on Gaea Times at : Delhi gets cooler, clear skies ahead.

How HIV thwarts the body’s natural defense

WASHINGTON – Researchers at Rush University Medical Center have apparently found why natural killer cells are powerless against HIV.

The study has marked the “beginning of a fascinating story that will shed new light on an important but still poorly understood aspect of …. Original article on Gaea Times at  : How HIV thwarts the body’s natural defense.

Study sheds light on behaviour of enzyme linked to Alzheimer’s, cancer

WASHINGTON – Scientists are using complex computer simulations to shed light on the workings of a crucial protein that, when malfunctioning, may cause Alzheimer’s and cancer.

“Proteins always ‘talk’ to each other inside cells, and they pass information about what happens to the cell and how to … Read more »».

New path discovered for colon cancer drug discovery

LONDON – Scientists have found an old pinworm medicine to be a new lead in the search for compounds that block a signalling pathway implicated in colon cancer.

The findings have suggested a fresh approach for developing therapeutics that target the pathway.

More than 90 percent …. Source article on Gaea Times at  : New path discovered for colon cancer drug discovery.