Science News – Newsletter for February 3, 2011

‘Fishing net’ to collect space debris

LONDON – Japans space agency and a 100-year-old fishing net company have designed a huge net to collect space junk, a British report said.

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and Nitto Seimo Co plan to tackle once and for all the hazardous litter in orbit damaging space shuttles and satellites.
Last year, a US report …. Source  : ‘Fishing net’ to collect space debris.

Dragonfly’s stability in flight inspires micro wind turbine design

LONDON – Micro wind turbines that can withstand gale-force winds are being developed with the technology that allows a dragonfly to remain stable while in flight.

Micro wind turbines work very well in light winds, but when there is a storm they tend to spin faster, and that …. Original article  : Dragonfly’s stability in flight inspires micro wind turbine design.

Ready-to-use bioengineered veins expand off-the-shelf vessels options

LONDON – A new study might make it possible one day for surgeons to simply open the refrigerator when patient-ready bioengineered blood vessels might be needed.

To avoid complications in patients with coronary artery disease or peripheral arterial disease surgeons prefer to use vessels taken from a … Original article on : Ready-to-use bioengineered veins expand off-the-shelf vessels options.

Cosmos 250 times bigger than visible universe

LONDON – Just how big is the universe is a question that has baffled cosmologists for decades. But now scientists have reasons to believe that it is at least 250 times bigger than the visible universe.

Researchers at Oxford University and Imperial College, London, focused on measuring the curvature of the universe.
Should it be … Original source on Gaea Times at : Cosmos 250 times bigger than visible universe.

Too much of sunblock ‘causing a rise in Vit D deficiency in children’

LONDON – A new study has found that using too much of sunblock lotion is causing an increase in Vitamin D deficiencies in children.

“People have a stronger belief in the sun causing cancer than the benefits of getting vitamin D but we need to get a balance,” the Daily Express quoted Dr Colin Michie, a …. Source article  : Too much of sunblock ‘causing a rise in Vit D deficiency in children’.

Martian meteorites suggest collision with Red planet caused water flow

WASHINGTON – University of Leicester researchers are investigating rare fragments of Martian meteorites to reveal one of the ways water flowed near the surface of Mars.

Scientists at the University’s renowned Space Research Centre, in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, examined five meteorite samples – including the very first nakhlite, found a century ago.

Nakhlites are … Original article on : Martian meteorites suggest collision with Red planet caused water flow.

How light can be used for making smaller, faster, cheaper computer chips

LONDON – University of Maryland researchers have found how they can use visible light to make tiny integrated circuits.

The find could one day, have implications for making ever smaller, faster, and cheaper computer chips.

Integrated circuits are made using a technique called photolithography. However, fitting more and more circuits on each chip has meant making smaller …. Original source  : How light can be used for making smaller, faster, cheaper computer chips.

Malaria drug may help treat specific form of dementia

WASHINGTON – A new study has revealed that various drugs already on the market to treat malaria, angina pectoris or heart rhythm disturbances could also be used in treating a specific form of frontotemporal dementia.

Frontotemporal dementia is caused by the breakdown of nerve cells in the frontal and temporal region of the brain (fronto-temporal …. Source article on Gaea Times at  : Malaria drug may help treat specific form of dementia.

Mother Nature’s new gift to prevent and treat bone diseases

WASHINGTON – A new discovery of a substance-obtained from a coral-reef inhabiting cyanobacterium-may pave way for new drugs to prevent and treat bone diseases.

By some estimates, more than half of today’s medications are in Largazole’s family, the ‘natural products.’ They come from trees, snails, scorpion venom, soil bacteria, other plants and animals; however, so far …. Original article  : Mother Nature’s new gift to prevent and treat bone diseases.

Lower back disease may be inherited: Study

WASHINGTON – A new study has indicated that symptomatic lumbar disc disease, a condition caused by degeneration or herniation of the discs of the lower spine, may be inherited.

“The results of this study provide evidence based on a population of more than 2 million people, indicating that there likely is a genetic component in the …. Read the original article  : here.

1000 Genomes Project to reveal how genetics influence human health

LONDON – Scientists at Boston College are playing an integral role in the global effort to sequence 1000 genomes and move closer to understanding in fine detail how genetics influence human health and development.

The most comprehensive map to date of genomic structural variants has been assembled by analyzing 185 human genomes by Gabor Marth and [..] Read the original article: here.

Shed those extra kilos before pregnancy for a healthy baby

WASHINGTON – A mice study has found that if obese women shed some extra weight before pregnancy, it has health benefits for their offspring.

In the study, researchers with the Center for Pregnancy and Newborn Research at the Health Science Center and the National Institute of Nutrition in Mexico City induced maternal obesity by feeding a … Read more »»».

Osteoporosis treatment gives patients an extra 5 years of life

WASHINGTON – Australian researchers have found that osteoporosis treatment-taking bisphosphonates-not only gives patients a better life but increases their lifespan by five years too.

Jacqueline Center and John Eisman, from Sydney’s Garvan Institute of Medical Research, based their findings on data from the long running Dubbo Osteoporosis Epidemiology Study.

Out of a total cohort of around 2,000, …. Original source  : Osteoporosis treatment gives patients an extra 5 years of life.

Now, give your brain an ‘electric thinking cap’ to solve complex issues

WASHINGTON – A University of Sydney study has found that it may be possible to stimulate the brain to see the world anew-an electric thinking cap.

Research by Richard Chi and Allan Snyder from the Centre for the Mind at the University of Sydney has found that participants who received electrical stimulation of the anterior temporal …. Read the original article  : Now, give your brain an ‘electric thinking cap’ to solve complex issues.

Bye-bye sniffer dogs! Now, trained mice to sniff out terrorists at airports!

LONDON – Israeli researchers have developed a new detector where trained teams of mice will sniff would-be bombers and drugs at airports.

Researchers say it is more accurate than using dogs, pat downs and x-ray machines, reports the Daily Mail.

It looks like a metal detector or full-body scanner, but one side of it houses three …. Original source  : Bye-bye sniffer dogs! Now, trained mice to sniff out terrorists at airports!.

Internet IP addresses will run out ‘in the next 24 hours’

LONDON – Growth of Internet-enabled phones like the iPhone and web use in Asia has seen a rapid depletion of IP addresses, which are going to run out in the next 24 hours.

Every device, which connects to the Internet, is assigned a “number” but with millions of web enabled phones now online they are … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Internet IP addresses will run out ‘in the next 24 hours’.

Internet will run out of IP addresses by Friday

LONDON – The internet will run out of numerical IP (Internet Protocol) addresses by Friday. But the web will not ground to a halt. A new system, Internet Protocol version 6 or IPv6, will replace version 4.

Every device connected to the net is assigned a number. But with millions of web enabled phones now … Read the original article on Gaea Times at : Internet will run out of IP addresses by Friday.

Temperatures rise in Jammu and Kashmir, but cold stays

SRINAGAR – The minimum temperatures across Jammu and Kashmir rose Thursday after weeks of harsh winter chill, but things may be different as the weatherman Thursday forecast rain and snow at isolated places in the Kashmir Valley.

“Rain and snow will occur at isolated places across the Kashmir Valley during the next 48 hours,” a … Read more : Temperatures rise in Jammu and Kashmir, but cold stays.

PM wants to end environmentally damaging behaviour

NEW DELHI – India must put in place regulatory environment policies that will prevent “potentially damaging behaviour” but not retore the “license permit raj”, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Thursday.

Addressing the inaugural of the Delhi Sustainable Development Summit here, Manmohan Singh said that incentives must encourage economic decision makers to act in an environmentally … Original article on : PM wants to end environmentally damaging behaviour.

Alien find likelier after NASA finds evidence of over 1,200 more planets

LONDON – After NASA revealed that it has found evidence for over 1200 planets more, the chances of discovering alien life are a lot higher.

And according to some experts, 54 of them could be able to support life.

Kepler chief scientist William Borucki said 54 is “an enormous amount, an inconceivable amount,” reports the Daily Mail.

Using [..] Read the original article: here.