Science News – Newsletter for November 26, 2010
Friday, November 26, 2010
Fairground mirrors could resolve TSA scanner controversy, says scientist
LONDON – Worried that your full-body-scan images at US airports would end up being misused? Well, take a breather, as a scientist has offered a solution- make every naked scan look like the grotesque contorted image in a fairground mirror.
Bill Wattenburg, nuclear weapons designer, has planned to use in-scanner image-processing software to make every naked … Original source on Gaea Times at : Fairground mirrors could resolve TSA scanner controversy, says scientist.
Plans for dog-shaped vacuum cleaner come to light
LONDON – Does your dog get mad at the sight of a vacuum cleaner? Well, you can now take a breather, as plans for a dog-shaped vacuum cleaner designed to make pooches more comfortable around the household cleaning device have emerged.
Although a patent application was submitted in the UK in 1973, the unusual device was … Read this article on Gaea Times at : Plans for dog-shaped vacuum cleaner come to light.
Soyuz spacecraft back after 5-month International Space Station stint
WASHINGTON – The Soyuz spacecraft flown by Expedition 25 Commander Doug Wheelock and Flight Engineers Shannon Walker and Fyodor Yurchikhin safely landed on the Kazakhstan steppe Thursday, wrapping up a five-month stay aboard …. Read the original article : here.
First evidence of magnetic field ejected from a young star
WASHINGTON – Astronomers have discovered the first evidence of a magnetic field in a jet of material ejected from a young star.
The find could eventually help scientists understand the nature of all types of cosmic jets and of the role of magnetic fields in star formation.
Throughout the Universe, jets of subatomic …. Original source : First evidence of magnetic field ejected from a young star.
‘Bloody’ Battle of Towton is ‘first proven gunfight in Brit history’
LONDON – A new archaeological find has revealed that the bloodiest battle ever fought on the English soil is the first proven gun battle in British history.
The Battle of Towton on March 29, 1461, was a ten-hour clash between the Yorkists and the Lancastrians, which ended … Original source on Gaea Times at : ‘Bloody’ Battle of Towton is ‘first proven gunfight in Brit history’.
Engineered DNA device could make cells differentiate or die on demand
LONDON – Biologists have constructed a programmable genetic ‘circuit’ that can rewire cells to respond on demand to just about any signal desired – it could coax cells to differentiate – or die.
The technique could have a wide range … Read more >>.
Environment ministry issues notice to Lavasa hill town
NEW DELHI – The environment ministry has issued a show cause notice to Lavasa Corporation Limited, a unit of Hindustan Construction, which is constructing a township on hills in Pune, for violating environmental laws, officials said Friday.
Asking the company to reply within 15 days, the ministry asked why the unauthorised structures erected without … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Environment ministry issues notice to Lavasa hill town.
Soyuz returns to Earth from ISS ahead of schedule
MOSCOW – The Russian Soyuz capsule landed safely early Friday after disembarking from the International Space Station (ISS) four days earlier than originally planned.
Cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin and astronauts Shannon Walker and Douglas Wheelock touched down in Kazakhstan at 0446 GMT, after undocking from the ISS at 0123 GMT, according to Russia’s space agency Roskosmos.
…. Source article on Gaea Times at : Soyuz returns to Earth from ISS ahead of schedule.
Looking at meat could have a calming effect on you
LONDON – Want to calm down your hubby after a stressful day? If yes, then you should cook him a steak, say experts.ontrary to popular belief that red meat makes humans aggressive, scientists have found that it actually has a calming affect.
Psychologist Frank Kachanoff said the belief that a hunk of red meat would prompt …. Original article : Looking at meat could have a calming effect on you.
It’s a boy, reveals Egyptian mummy’s scan
LONDON – A 1,700-year-old Egyptian mummy has been revealed to be a boy dressed in girl’s clothing, thanks to high-tech hospital scans.
The child, who lived around 350 AD, underwent scans as experts hoped to determine its sex and discover how it suffered a fatal brain haemorrhage.
The mummy, housed at Saffron Walden Museum in …. Original article : It’s a boy, reveals Egyptian mummy’s scan.
Criminal behaviour could be ‘all in the genes’
LONDON – Is a life of crime hereditary? Apparently, it is, says a new research carried out in the US.
The study of young men and women who had been adopted as children found they were up to four and a half more times to have been in trouble with the police if one of their …. Original article on Gaea Times at : Criminal behaviour could be ‘all in the genes’.
Air pollution ‘costs us 6 months of our lives’
LONDON – Air pollution from vehicles and power stations is reducing life expectancy in the UK by an average of 6 months, the government has warned.
“It’s a national scandal that the average life expectancy of people living in the UK is reduced by six months because of road traffic pollution,” the Daily Express quoted MP …. Source article : Air pollution ‘costs us 6 months of our lives’.
Oxygen atmosphere found on Saturn’s moon
WASHINGTON – Astronomers have announced that an oxygen atmosphere has been found on Saturn’s second largest moon, Rhea.
At about 527,000 kilometres from Saturn, Rhea orbits inside the planet’s magnetic field. Rhea’s oxygen atmosphere is maintained by the ongoing chemical breakdown of water ice on the moon’s surface, driven by radiation from Saturn’s magnetosphere.
NASA’s Cassini spacecraft, …. Source article on Gaea Times at : Oxygen atmosphere found on Saturn’s moon.
Collision of galaxies ‘formed Andromeda’
LONDON – Astronomers has revealed that Andromeda – the nearest spiral galaxy to the Milky Way- was born when two smaller galaxies collided.
An international team, who conducted a computer simulation of how Andromeda evolved over time, suggest that two galaxies collided some nine billion years ago and permanently fused about 5.5 billion years ago, reports …. Original source : Collision of galaxies ‘formed Andromeda’.
Cheap, high-yield ‘bio-oil’ could reduce reliance on fossil fuels
WASHINGTON – A team of University of Massachusetts Amherst chemical engineers has developed a way to produce high-yield bio-oils that could reduce or eliminate industry’s reliance on fossil fuels.
Chemical manufacturers will now be able to use relatively cheaper, widely available pyrolysis oils made from waste wood, agricultural waste and non-food energy crops to produce the … Read more »»».
Mozart’s symphonies grow ’sweeter bananas, tastier sake’
TOKYO – Mozart’s music has regaled man for years, but now some are exploring the possibility that his symphonies may benefit fruits and vegetables too.
In July, the Hyogo Prefecture-based fruit company Toyoka Chuo Seika shipped out its first batch of “Mozart Bananas” to supermarkets in the area.
The bananas are exposed to “String Quartet 17″ and [..] Read the original article: here.
Dino extinction made mammals grow ‘1000 times bigger’
WASHINGTON – The extinction of dinosaurs 65 million years ago resulted in the size of mammals increasing – by about a thousand times bigger than they had been.
“Basically, the dinosaurs disappear and all of a sudden there is nobody else eating the vegetation. That’s an open food source and mammals start going for it, and …. Source article : Dino extinction made mammals grow ‘1000 times bigger’.
Green-eyed Chinese ‘could be descendants of lost Roman legion’
LONDON – A new study has claimed that the green-eyed residents of the remote north western Chinese village of Liqian may be the descendants of a lost Roman legion that settled in the area.
DNA testing of the villagers has shown that almost two thirds of them are of Caucasian origin – they have green eyes …. Source : Green-eyed Chinese ‘could be descendants of lost Roman legion’.
Fog disrupts flights, sunny day ahead in Delhi
NEW DELHI – Delhiites woke up Friday to heavy fog, which delayed the landing of a few flights and led to the diversion of some. The weather office predicted a bright and sunny day ahead.
“Mist and heavy fog early morning, but it will be mainly clear sky with sun shining bright today (Friday),” an [..] Read the original article: here.
Delhi to get colder
NEW DELHI – The national capital witnessed a misty cold morning Thursday and the day temperature stayed below average. The weatherman has predicted that the chill may increase in the next few days.
On Thursday, Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 16.7 degrees Celsius, one notch above the average, while the maximum settled at 21.8 …. Source : Gaea News Network.