Science News – Newsletter for December 25, 2010

Saturday, December 25, 2010

GSAT satellite all set for launch (Lead, Changing dateline)

SRIHARIKOTA – Advanced communication satellite GSAT-5P, which will ensure continuity of telecom, television and weather services after an earlier satellite is retired, will be launched at the Sriharikota rocket launch centre Saturday evening.

If all goes well, the rocket geosynchronous satellite launch vehicle (GSLV) will lift off at 4.04 p.m. Saturday, said an official of …. Original article : GSAT satellite all set for launch (Lead, Changing dateline).

Solar-powered hornet that turns light into electricity found

WASHINGTON – A new study has revealed that the oriental hornet has built-in ’solar cells’ that generate electricity from sunlight-a first in the animal kingdom.

Study leader Marian Plotkin of Tel-Aviv University, said that scientists already knew that the hornet species, for unknown reasons, produced electricity inside its exoskeleton.

It was previously found that the insect … Read more >>>.

Pentagon wants to equip troops with Terminator-vision

WASHINGTON – US soldiers may soon be able to see dangers lurking behind them in real time, and be able to tell if an object a kilometre away is a walking stick or an AK-47. Pentagon researchers are considering giving them terminator vision.

Darpa, the Pentagon’s far-out research branch, has unveiled the Soldier Centric Imaging via …. Source : Pentagon wants to equip troops with Terminator-vision.

Google’s Boutiques.com knows what you want to wear before you do!

WASHINGTON – Google has launched a shopping search engine to not only make it easier to find clothes you like, but to actually predict what those clothes will be.

The site, called Boutiques.com, is organized into a series of ’boutiques,’ which aggregate clothing from more than 250 designers and online stores, reports Wired.com.

The online pages are …. Source : Google’s Boutiques.com knows what you want to wear before you do!.

How ancient penguins got their cold-weather coats

WASHINGTON – Palaeeudyptes-one of the ‘giant’ penguins that lived during the Oligocene, about 28 million years ago-may have evolved a means of retaining heat when they were still living in warm climates, reveals a new study.

A key adaptation that helped modern penguins to invade the cold waters of Antarctica within the last 16 million years … Read this article on Gaea Times at : How ancient penguins got their cold-weather coats.

First X-ray images of lightning captured

WASHINGTON – Scientists say they have captured the first X-ray images of a lightning strike with the help of a, well, lightning-fast camera.

The pictures suggest a lightning bolt carries all its x-ray radiation in its tip.

During recent thunderstorms in Camp Blanding, Florida, the camera’s electronic shutter “froze” a lightning bolt-artificially triggered by rockets and …. Read the original article : here.

New MRSA strain found on Isle of Man

LONDON – A new strain of the superbug Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) that predominately affects young, fit and healthy people has been detected on the Isle of Man.

The island’s Department of Health confirmed a small number of cases of a bacterium called MRSA USA 300.

The department added it was mainly transmitted at sports centres, gyms, … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : New MRSA strain found on Isle of Man.

Extroverts ‘more likely to jump on immediate gratification’

WASHINGTON – If you meet two people-one who is an extrovert and another an introvert-the former is more likely to jump on immediate gratification, while the latter would delay rewards and invest the dough in hopes of a larger payoff down the road, reveals a new study.

“These are choices we’re encountering all the time. There’s … Original source on Gaea Times at : Extroverts ‘more likely to jump on immediate gratification’.

‘Eternal’ solar plane Zephyr confirmed record-breaker

LONDON – The UK-built solar-powered plane Zephyr, dubbed ‘eternal plane’, has been officially announced a record breaker following its feat of non-stop flight for two weeks.

Aeronautique Internationale (FAI), gave Zephyr three records including longest time aloft.

“This aircraft can help track pirates off the Horn of Africa, alert the authorities about where and how fast forest …. Original source : ‘Eternal’ solar plane Zephyr confirmed record-breaker.

US meat company converts waste animal fat into renewable diesel fuel

WASHINGTON – The world’s largest meat company, Tyson Foods, has entered a partnership to process waste animal fat to a renewable diesel fuel.

Along with Syntroleum Corporation, Tyson Foods has opened a plant in Geismar, Louisiana for converting low-grade, inedible fats and greases into a renewable diesel fuel for transportation.

The partnership, called Dynamic Fuels, opened its …. Source article on Gaea Times at : US meat company converts waste animal fat into renewable diesel fuel.

Navy launches first fighter jet that uses electromagnetism, not steam

WASHINGTON – The US naval force has launched for the first time, a fighter jet that uses the force of electromagnetism instead of steam power to fly.

The Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System launched its first F/A-18E Super Hornet on Saturday Dec. 18 at Naval Air Engineering Station Lakehurst, N.J. using the power of electromagnets called raligun … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Navy launches first fighter jet that uses electromagnetism, not steam.

New find: brain tumours in fruit fly mimic genetic program of germline cells

WASHINGTON – Scientists have discovered that some brain tumours in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster mimic the genetic program of germline cells to grow.

And removing some of these genes leads to healthy brains.

In this study, Cayetano Gonzalez and colleagues at IRB Barcelona showed for the first time that silencing some of these genes leads to … Original article on : New find: brain tumours in fruit fly mimic genetic program of germline cells.

Amritsar coldest at 2.5 degrees, cold wave sweeps Punjab

CHANDIGARH – A cold wave continued to sweep Punjab and Haryana Saturday with Amritsar turning the coldest in the riverine plains at a minimum temperature of 2.5 degrees Celsius, the weather office said.

Amritsar city in Punjab, famous for the holiest of Sikh shrines Golden Temple, was one degree below the normal while … Read more »».

At minus 5.2, Dal Lake freezes in Srinagar

SRINAGAR – It was biting cold across Kashmir Valley and Ladakh region Saturday with sub-zero temperatures freezing most water bodies, including Srinagar’s Dal Lake.

“The minimum temperature recorded in Srinagar was minus 5.2 degrees Celsius,” an official of the weather office told IANS.
Most parts of the Dal Lake had frozen in the morning except …. Source article on Gaea Times at : At minus 5.2, Dal Lake freezes in Srinagar.

Countdown for GSAT satellite launch begins

CHENNAI – Advanced communication satellite GSAT-5P – which will ensure continuity of telecom, television and weather services after an earlier satellite is retired – is set to be launched Saturday evening at the Sriharikota rocket launch centre in Tamil Nadu.

If all goes well, the rocket geosynchronous satellite launch vehicle (GSLV) will lift off at …. Original article : Countdown for GSAT satellite launch begins.

Now, a 3D food printer to ‘print and create’ customised food for you!

LONDON – Feel like eating a hamburger? Or would you rather have a pizza? No problem, the 3D food printer will create anything you want, literally at the click of a button.

Scientists at Cornell University in New York are developing a commercially viable 3D food printer, which uses raw food ‘inks’ that are fed into … Read this article on Gaea Times at : Now, a 3D food printer to ‘print and create’ customised food for you!.

One such regulator, called MITF, controls an array of genes that …. Original article : Protein involved in melanoma’s development identified.