Science News – Newsletter for January 3, 2011
Monday, January 3, 2011
Green diets for daughters, bananas and potatoes for sons?
LONDON – Women planning to have a baby who eat more fruits and green vegetables increase their chances of giving birth to a girl. And those who gorge on bananas and potatoes are more likely to have a son.
Researchers have found that consuming food with high levels of calcium and magnesium, such as green …. Source article : Green diets for daughters, bananas and potatoes for sons?.
The guide to ‘Colonizing the Red Planet’
WASHINGTON – A manned mission to Mars would be the greatest adventure in the history of the human race and one man has penned a book on how to make it a reality.
Joel Levine, senior research scientist with NASA’s Langley Research Center and co-chair of … Read more >>.
Fish may have once swum across the Sahara
WASHINGTON – A new discovery that fish may have once swum across the Sahara could shed light on how humanity made its way out of Africa, say researchers.
The cradle of humanity lies south of the Sahara, which begs the question as to how humans made its way past it.
The new study … Original article on : Fish may have once swum across the Sahara.
Cold wave sweeps across Haryana, Punjab
CHANDIGARH – Cold wave conditions continued to sweep through most parts of Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh city Monday, forcing people in the plains to don more layers of woollens and jackets.
There was respite from fog Monday but overcast conditions prevailed in this region.
Haryana’s Narnaul town was the coldest in the region Monday. … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Cold wave sweeps across Haryana, Punjab.
1600-year-old Mayan King’s tomb discovered in Guatemala
WASHINGTON – Archaeologists have discovered a tomb of an ancient Mayan king in Guatemala, filled with materials that have been preserved for approximately 1,600 years.
Brown University’s Stephen Houston and his colleagues uncovered the tomb, which dates from about 350 to 400 A.D. The tomb is packed with of carvings, ceramics, textiles, and the bones of …. Read the original article : 1600-year-old Mayan King’s tomb discovered in Guatemala.
Ancient 8-foot sea scorpions not as frightening as previously thought
WASHINGTON – Huge ancient sea scorpions, believed to be terrors of the seas 470 million to 370 million years ago, long before the dinosaurs appeared, might actually have been timid scavengers or even vegetarians, according to U.S. researchers.
Sea scorpions, known as pterygotid eurypterids, were arthropods, a group that included insects and crabs. Though not actually … Read more : Ancient 8-foot sea scorpions not as frightening as previously thought.
Anger at God ‘common during difficult times’
WASHINGTON – Almost everyone experiences anger toward God at some point in their lives, says an expert.
The notion of being angry with God goes back to ancient days. Such personal struggles are not new, but Case Western Reserve University psychologist Julie Exline began looking at “anger at God” in a new way.
“Many people experience anger … Read more >>.
Simple rubber device sheds light on how birds produce complex songs
LONDON – A group of US scientists, including an Indian-origin boffin, has developed a simple rubber device that replicates complex bird songs.
Researchers at Harvard University said the song is produced by blowing air through the device that mimics a bird’s vocal tract, reports the BBC.
The findings appear to challenge the idea that birds had to … Read more : Simple rubber device sheds light on how birds produce complex songs.
Neanderthal face is not a result of adaptation to extreme cold: Study
WASHINGTON – The long held belief that the Neanderthal nose was a result of adaptations to extreme cold may not be all it seems, say researchers.
The finding is based on a study conducted by researchers from Roehampton University, Universitat Greifswald and The Natural History Museum, London.
Many of the morphological features of Homo neanderthalensis, including the …. Original article on Gaea Times at : Neanderthal face is not a result of adaptation to extreme cold: Study.
Four solar, two lunar eclipses in 2011
Moscow, Jan 3 (IANS/RIA Novosti) Four solar and two total moon eclipses will be observed in different parts of the world, including in India, in 2011.
The first solar eclipse will take place Jan 4. It will begin at 06:40 GMT and will be visible from Europe, the Middle East and Northern Africa.
At maximum … Original source on Gaea Times at : Four solar, two lunar eclipses in 2011.
Bone chilling cold in Kashmir as Leh freezes
SRINAGAR – Extreme cold wave conditions continued to prevail in Jammu and Kashmir Monday with Leh freezing under a minimum temperature of minus 23 degrees Celsius, an official said.
The minimum temperature was minus 5.2 degrees in Srinagar. It was minus 23 in Leh and minus 18.2 in Kargil town (of Ladakh region). In Pahalgam … Read more : Bone chilling cold in Kashmir as Leh freezes.
Disrupted routine makes healthy cats act sick: Study
WASHINGTON – The next time your cat vomits hairballs or refuses to eat, don’t think she is being finicky, as she might just be acting sick because of the stress caused by changes in its environment, suggests a new study.
Researchers at the Ohio State University documented sickness behaviours in healthy cats and in cats with …. Source : Disrupted routine makes healthy cats act sick: Study.
New four-inch gadget can helps spot snipers
LONDON – British soldiers are to test a revolutionary new device in Afghanistan that can pinpoint the exact position of enemy snipers 1,000 yards away.
The tiny computerised ’sniper spotter’, which has been developed by army scientists at the top-secret Defence Science and Technology Laboratory in Wiltshire, identifies the shooter’s location in an instant, enabling …. Source article on Gaea Times at : New four-inch gadget can helps spot snipers.
Delhiites shiver as cold wave grips city
NEW DELHI – It was biting cold in Delhi Monday morning with chilly winds blowing and clouds completely hiding the sun.
The city saw a mist cover during the morning hours and the sun could not be seen at all while cold winds brought the day temperatures down, an official of the India Meteorological Department … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Delhiites shiver as cold wave grips city.
Vegetable diet ‘gives you daughters’
LONDON – Want to have a daughter? Well, then go on a fruit and vegetable diet, say Dutch scientists.
They found that women could increase their chances of giving birth to a girl by consuming food with high levels of calcium and magnesium, such as green vegetables, …. Source article on Gaea Times at : Vegetable diet ‘gives you daughters’.
‘Emotional intelligence’ sharpens as we enter our 60s
WASHINGTON – Psychologists from the University of California, Berkeley have found that older people have a hard time keeping a lid on their feelings, especially when watching heartbreaking or disgusting scenes in movies and reality shows.
However, they’re better than their younger counterparts at seeing the …. Source article : ‘Emotional intelligence’ sharpens as we enter our 60s.
Freezing Sunday sees northern India shivering (Intro Roundup)
NEW DELHI – With Leh in Jammu and Kashmir freezing at minus 23.6 degree Celsius and Keylong in Himachal Pradesh at minus 12.9 degrees Sunday, a cold wave saw people in many parts of northern India shivering their way through the first weekend of 2011.
The plains, including the national capital Delhi and its neighbouring … Read this article on Gaea Times at : Freezing Sunday sees northern India shivering (Intro Roundup).
Freezing Sunday sees northern India shivering (Roundup)
NEW DELHI – With Leh in Jammu and Kashmir freezing at minus 23.6 degree Celsius and Keylong in Himachal Pradesh at minus 12.9 degrees Sunday, a cold wave saw people in many parts of northern India shivering their way through the first weekend of 2011.
The plains, including the national capital Delhi and its neighbouring … Read this article on Gaea Times at : Freezing Sunday sees northern India shivering (Roundup).
Keylong freezes at minus 12.9 degrees
SHIMLA – Icy winds brought the minimum temperatures in the hills of Himachal Pradesh Sunday, with Keylong in Lahaul and Spiti district shivering at minus 12.9 degrees.
Most towns stayed at sub-zero or around below freezing point due to icy winds, the weather office here said.
Keylong had Saturday recorded minus 9.7 degrees Celsius.
Kalpa [..] Read the original article: here.
Science congress to start Monday
CHENNAI – The 98th edition of the Indian Science Congress (ISC) that gets underway here Monday will not only focus on the quality of education and excellence in scientific research in Indian universities but also on chemistry of the future, nano materials and the challenges of climate change and energy security, amongst other issues.