Washington, July 04: Middle school students who were part of a unique science learning programme developed by The University of Texas School of Public Health showed significant increases in interest and achievement scores compared to other students, a recent study found.
Results from the study are published in the June issue of the Association of American Medical Colleges’ Academic Medicine.
London, July 04: An optical transistor, successfully crafted from a single molecule, brings researchers a step closer to an optical computer, which would be much faster and more powerful than existing counterparts.
Existing central processing units (CPUs) limit the performance of computers, for example, because they produce an enormous amount of heat.
New Delhi, July 03: The joint venture between Tata Teleservices and Richard Branson’s Virgin Group – Virgin Mobile India on Thursday declared its ingress into the data devices segment with launching of its USB modem ‘vLink’ in India.
Virgin Mobile India claimed that the svelte white colored device – ‘vLink’ – is the data segment’s first device, designed to function as a CDMA USB Modem and 1 GB data storage drive.
Melbourne, July 03: The fossils found in rocks known as the Winton Formation date back to 95 to 98 million years to the middle of the Cretaceous period.
Australian paleontologists have unveiled three newly discovered dinosaur skeletons after examining fossils dug up in Queensland.
In an article published in the journal PLOS One, the scientists described one of the dinosaurs as a terrifying meat-eating predator with three large slashing claws on each hand, similar to the Velociraptor seen in dinosaur blockbuster Jurassic Park.
New Delhi, July 03: Bringing out the deep divisions in Indian society about homosexuality, netizens have given a mixed reaction to the court ruling legalising gay sex, with some terming it as a “great judgement” and some saying same-sex relations are “unnatural” and against Indian culture. Comments poured in blogs and media websites after the Delhi High Court gave the path-breaking judgement legalising gay sex between consenting adults.
Beijing, July 03: China said it opposed part of a landmark US bill to cut greenhouse gas emissions, saying tariffs should not be imposed on countries that do not cut emissions.
“We are firmly against such attempts to advance trade protectionism under the pretext of climate change,” Vice Foreign Minister He Yafei told reporters in Beijing.
The US House of Representatives narrowly passed sweeping legislation Friday that calls for the nation’s first limits on pollution linked to global warming. One provision could impose tariffs on imports from countries that do not make similar cuts.
Los Angeles, July 03: A new satellite designed to allow the convergence of cellphones and satellite phones throughout the US was successfully launched Thursday, mobile communications provider TerreStar announced.
Weighing 6,910 kg, TerreStar-1 is the largest commercial satellite ever and was launched by Arianespace from Kourou, French Guiana Tuesday.
San Francisco, July 03: Security researchers warned of the increasing levels of viruses and spam using Jackson’s name to snare unsuspecting users.
One e-mail carries the subject line ‘Remembering Michael Jackson’ was circulating with a worm in tow. The e-mail has a zip file attached that infects victims if downloaded.
Washington, July 02: The pursuit of human happiness can be tripped by stress, financial trouble or chronic illness. Now, a researcher is trying to find the happiness gene, which may be partially responsible for a positive outlook.
Yoram Barak, a Tel Aviv University (TAU) researcher, is engaged in the “attempt to find the happiness gene, the genetic component of happiness”, which may be 50 percent responsible for an optimistic outlook.
Beijing, July 01: China has backed down from its Wednesday deadline for computer makers to pre-install controversial internet filtering software, following a backlash from inside and outside the country.
The delay in installing the Green Dam Youth Escort firewall is to allow computer manufacturers more time to comply with the new requirement, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said in a statement.
The ministry said it will continue to provide free downloads of Green Dam and install it on more computers at schools and internet cafes.
Wellington, July 01: Australian and New Zealand scientists have used prehistoric feathers to help map the colour of giant extinct birds and they believe their method could help reconstruct the appearance of other extinct bird species.
The researchers retrieved ancient DNA from four species of New Zealand’s extinct Moa from feathers found in caves and rock shelters and believed to be at least 2,500 years old.
The native Moa – a flightless, powerfully built forager that stood over 8 feet tall and weighed 250 kilograms – ranged widely in southern New Zealand before the arrival of man.
Washington, July 01: Nasa is about to unveil one of its most stunning discoveries — new and crystal clear footage of the first moon landing.
The TV images of Neil Armstrong descending down a ladder onto the moon’s surface in 1969 is grainy, blurry and dark, giving rise to conspiracy theories that the entire Apollo 11 mission was an elaborate fraud.
But people have only ever seen such poor quality footage because the original tapes containing the lunar pictures were lost almost as soon as they were recorded.
Bangkok, June 30: One of Thailand’s major wildlife traffickers has been sentenced to two years in jail for trying to smuggle 245 Malayan Pangolins and 63 Black Marsh Turtles into Bangkok three years ago, police sources said Tuesday. The Pangolins, an endangered scaly ant-eater indigenous to South-East Asia, were believed to be destined for China where they are deemed a culinary treat.
Mumbai, June 30:The frantic hunt for the right cellphone charger will soon be a thing of the past–in Europe at least–as major manufacturers on Monday agreed to introduce a universal adaptor within six months.
Industry leaders, including Apple, Motorola, Nokia, Samsung and Sony Ericsson, have struck a deal with the European Union to introduce the one-size-fits-all charger by January 1, 2010, offering a solution to one of modern life’s chief frustrations.
Washington, June 29: Firefox 3.5 will be released tomorrow The developer of free and open source Firefox web browser – Mozilla has announced that it will officially release its Firefox 3.5 on Tuesday, June 30, 2009.
Codenamed as Shiretoko, the Firefox 3.5 version’s first Release Candidate was released on June 16, 2009; the second Firefox 3.5 Release Candidate was released on June 19, 2009; and the third Release Candidate of the version 3.5 of Firefox was released on June 24 2009.
Nokia’s touch-screen multimedia N97 smartphone was designed to take on Apple’s iPhone. The Finnish mobile phone giant dubbed it the “world’s most advanced mobile computer”, promising to bring users closer to the Internet on the move. But that was several months ago during its global launch.
Washington, June 27: People smell them, thump them and eyeball their shape. But ultimately, it is sweetness and a sense of healthy eating which prompt one to buy a melon.
And, now plant breeders now have a better chance to pinpoint such traits for new varieties — thanks to scientists who have mapped the melon genome with hundreds of DNA markers, the ‘Journal of American Society of Horticultural Sciences’ reported in its latest edition.
Washington, June 27: Less than 24 hours after Michael Jackson’s death, fraudsters are exploiting public interest with their attempts to spread spam and malware.
Security researchers say they’ve observed hundreds of cases of malicious messages masquerading as information about Jackson’s death. Some of them, they say, popped up within minutes of the news.
Avoiding these threats isn’t difficult, though: It’s just a matter of staying one step ahead. Here are some of the attackers’ tactics and what you can do to keep from falling victim.
Splunk for Federal Agencies: Download now
Dubai, June 27: The malicious practice of the use of blogs and SMS to defame and blackmail people or organisations is spreading fast in the country, according to senior police officers from Dubai and Sharjah
According to police in the two emirates, the trend is affecting the society to a large extent because some innocent youngsters of wealthy families, including girls, are being targeted by mischievous elements.
London, June 26: Bertrand Picard, a Swiss adventurer is all set to unveil a prototype of a solar-powered plane he hopes eventually to fly around the world.
According to a report by BBC News, the initial version of the solar plane, spanning 61m but weighing just 1,500kg, will undergo trials to prove it can fly at night.
Picard, who made history by circling the globe non-stop in a balloon in 1999, said he wants to demonstrate the potential of renewable energies.
Picard’s Solar Impulse team has invested tremendous energy in trying to find what they believe is a breakthrough design.
Beijing, June 26: China’s government accused Google Inc. of spreading pornography after Chinese Internet users were temporarily unable to gain access to the U.S. search giant’s main Web site or China-based service.
“We have found that the English version of google.com has spread lots of pornographic, lewd and vulgar content, which is in serious violation of Chinese laws and regulations,” said foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang.
He said authorities “summoned representatives of Google.com in China and urged them to remove the content immediately.
London, June 26: Microsoft, the world’s largest software company, has announced pricing for Windows 7, the long awaited replacement for the much disliked Windows Vista operating system.
Starting Friday consumers can pre-order Windows 7 for the next two weeks at discounts of more than 50 percent, while buyers of new computers running Windows Vista will be entitled to a free upgrade once the new operating system is released.
Germany, June 25: Saturn’s icy moon Enceladus could contain watery underground caverns, forming a potential home for alien life, say scientists.
German researchers have found salt – a signature chemical for seawater – in ice grains from vapour jets streaming out of surface cracks, providing the strongest evidence yet of a liquid water reservoir beneath the moon’s frozen crust.
Cape Town, June 24: An insect pest that wrought havoc in the California fruit industry two decades ago has made its appearance in the Western Cape, a University of Stellenbosch entomologist announced on Tuesday.
The Pomegranate or Ash whitefly could severely damage garden shrubs, and apple, pear, olive, citrus and pomegranate trees, Professor Jan Giliomee said in a statement.
Giliomee discovered the insect recently for the first time in South Africa on a wild olive on the Overberg coast, and it was then formally identified by a taxonomist of the National Insect Collection in Pretoria.
Washington, June 24: In an ocean teeming with life, scientists have discovered a barely inhabited sea floor desert.
Researchers curious about the limit to sea floor life turned to the deadest spot in the oceans, the South Pacific Gyre, explained University of Rhode Island oceanographer Steven D’Hondt.
Sediment cores from the region carried as few as 1 000 living cells per cubic centimetre, D’Hondt explained in a telephone interview.
By comparison, nearshore sediments can contain 1 billion living cells per CC and even offshore sediments can have 1 million per CC, he said.