Science

Hanoi, July 29: Vietnamese customs officials have uncovered 200kg of elephant ivory tusks illegally imported from Kenya, official media reported on Wednesday.

The tusks were found hidden in timber inside a container at the northern Hai Phong port, said Cong An Nhan Dan (People’s Police) newspaper.

Authorities are seeking the owner of the container, who did not turn up to receive the goods when they arrived in April, the newspaper said.

It did not say who was listed as the receiver, or give a street value for the ivory.

Pietermaritzburg, July 29: A white rhino mother had to be humanely put down by a veterinarian on Tuesday after game rangers were forced to shoot her in self defence and wounded her at Tembe Elephant Park in KwaZulu-Natal on Monday night.

But the baby calf the rhino had been so desperate to protect was eventually tracked down by rangers late on Tuesday afternoon and by about 18:00 was en route to a boma at Imfolozi-Hluhluwe game reserve which is the only Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife game reserve with the facilities to look after orphaned rhinos.

Washington, July 29: Microsoft released a security patch on Tuesday aimed at preventing hackers from exploiting a vulnerability in its web browser, Internet Explorer.

The US software giant said that the security update would be automatically installed for Internet Explorer users who have automatic updating enabled on their computers but would need to be installed manually by other users.

It said the update resolves three privately reported vulnerabilities in Internet Explorer.

Chicago, July 29: A Chicago company ticked off over a former tenant’s “tweet” about a moldy apartment filed a lawsuit on Tuesday.

In its lawsuit, Horizon Group Management LLC accuses Amanda Bonnen of defaming the company in May when she “tweeted” about moldy apartments.

The lawsuit said she used Twitter, a microblogging service that allows users to give brief online status updates, to tell another user: “Who said sleeping in a moldy apartment was bad for you? Horizon realty thinks it’s okay.”

Cape Canaveral, July 29: The United States needs to boost Nasa’s budget by $1.5bn to fly the last seven shuttle missions and should extend International Space Station operations through 2020, a presidential panel reviewing the US human space programme said on Tuesday.

The 10-member board also proposed adding an extra, eighth shuttle flight to help keep the station supplied and narrow an expected five- to seven-year gap between the time the shuttle fleet is retired and a new US spaceship is ready to fly.

Sunnyvale, July 29: Microsoft has reached a deal with Yahoo for an internet search partnership, ending years of back and forth negotiations.

The agreement announced on Wednesday gives Microsoft access to the internet’s second-largest search engine audience.

It adds a potentially potent weapon to Microsoft’s internet arsenal as the software maker girds for an online assault against Google.

Washington, July 29: For years, scientists have debated the exact nature of the worm like structures inside a human tooth. The structures are not worms, but what they are is still in question.

Micro-images in a dissected molar suggest they caused tooth decay.

Studies by University of Maryland (U-M) Dental School researchers’ revealed cylindrical objects extending or ‘growing’ out of the natural pores or tubules of teeth.

Washington, July 29: We’ve all been through the familiar experience of feeling sleepy while driving. But what if your car could nudge you when you started yawning and warn you to pull over and take a break?

That’s the aim of a new in-car yawn-detection system being developed by an Indian-American and two other budding Indian scientists.

Abu Dhabi, July 29: Tourists will be able to journey to outer space via Abu Dhabi as part of a deal by a local investment group to take a stake in the world’s first commercial space travel operator, the two companies said on Tuesday.

Aabar Investments said it plans to build a space port in Abu Dhabi, capital of the seven-member United Arab Emirates federation, after agreeing to buy about a 32 per cent stake in the holding company of Virgin Galactic for USD 280 million, valuing the business at around USD 900 million.

Baltimore, July 29: NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope is offering a glimpse of atmospheric debris from an object that plunged into Jupiter in a rare collision with the planet.

Scientists used the telescope Thursday to capture what they call the “sharpest visible-light picture” so far of the expanding gash. An amateur stargazer in Australia spotted the impression last Sunday.

Dubai, July 29: Commuters using Dubai Metro, which starts rolling from September 9, eventually will be able to pay fares using their mobile phones, the Roads and Transport Authority said on Tuesday.

Authorities said they were working on a system to allow passengers with a special chip fitted to their phones to pay by just putting the phones to the card-reading machines at all stations.

Commuters who forget their nol cards can use this system. The details are being worked out, said Paymen Younes Parham, the director of marketing and corporate communications at the RTA.

Washington, July 29: The crew of the space shuttle Endeavour bid farewell to their colleagues on the International Space Station on Tuesday to head back to Earth.

The space shuttle undocked at 1726 GMT, carrying its seven-member crew after 10 days, 23 hours and 39 minutes at the ISS. Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata is to return to Earth aboard Endeavour after spending four months as a long-term ISS crew member.

US astronaut Tim Kopra is replacing Wakata on the six-member ISS permanent crew.

San Francisco, July 29: Microsoft and Yahoo will announce a search and advertising partnership on Wednesday, capping months of negotiations aimed at challenging the internet dominance of Google, The Wall Street Journal reported late Tuesday.

The paper’s blog AllThingsD said that under the terms of the deal, Yahoo will use Microsoft’s new search engine on its sites, while Yahoo would handle some advertising sales for Microsoft. The two companies will share search-related advertising revenue, the report said.

Neither companies would comment on the reports.

Mumbai, July 28: The launch of the S9110 was today announced by Samsung. The new device is a cutting-edge watchphone which boasts a full touch screen. Reportedly, the Samsung S9110 is the slimmest watchphone device in the market, as it is 0.47 inches only.

The S9110 seems to be perfect for users who want an exceptional fashion item that keeps them connected on the go. The new set also features a 1.76″ full touch screen customized for the wrist-watch form factor. Apart from this, the device also enables the users to check their e-mail seamlessly through Outlook.

Moscow, July 28: Remains of a tool bag dropped by a NASA astronaut during a space walk last year are expected to reach the Earth surface on Tuesday.

Initially, the tool bag was expected to reach the Earth on July 25, but then scientists recalculated the date of a “mini-Apocalypses”.

However, specialists still cannot say where exactly this can happen.

Washington, July 28: The brain is known to perceive information before it reaches a person’s awareness. Until recently, there was little way to determine what specific mental tasks were taking place prior to the point of conscious awareness.

Now scientists at Rutgers University, Newark and University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), have found a way to use functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and can peer into the brain to uncover accurately how information is processed before reaching awareness.

London, July 28: Scientists have edged closer to growing replacement bones with stem cell technology.

Molly Stevens, professor at Imperial College London and author of a new study said: “Our study brings us one step closer to developing materials that will have the highest chance of success when implanted into patients.”

The effort is on to create bone-like materials, derived from stem cells, to implant into patients who have damaged or fractured bones, or who have had parts of diseased bones removed.

Washington, July 28: A revolutionary robot is helping doctors treat and save soldiers, including those deployed in combat zones, from just about any location in the world.

The state-of-the-art robot, which is mounted with a high-tech camera, has helped army doctors conduct at least 200 medical interventions from remote locations in three years, a TV news channel reported.

It has the capability to perform potentially life-saving operations in emergency situations, such as on the battlefield, the report said.

Washington, July 28: Two astronauts have completed their fifth and final spacewalk installing two cameras on Japan’s Kibo laboratory at the International Space Station (ISS), the US space agency NASA said.

The spacewalk, conducted by Chris Cassidy and Tom Marshburn, lasted four hours and 54 minutes.

The astronauts performed an electrical cable swap and adjustment of insulation blankets on the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator.

New Delhi, July 27: The Ministry of Earth Sciences celebrated the foundation day here at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi today.

On foundation day, the National Award for Ocean Sciences and Atmospheric Sciences to be given away by Chief Guest, Prithviraj Chavan, Minister of State for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences (IC).

Dr. K. Kasturirangan, Member, Planning Commission delivered the foundation day lecture.

New Delhi, July 26: Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates said he was forced to give up on the social networking phenomenon Facebook after too many people wanted to be his friend.

Gates, the billionaire computer geek-turned-philanthropist who was honoured on Saturday by India for his charity work, told an audience in New Delhi he had tried out Facebook but ended up with “10 000 people wanting to be my friends”.

Gates, who remains Microsoft chairperson, said he had trouble figuring out whether he “knew this person, did I not know this person”.

New Delhi, July 26: If you are a teenager, be careful who you talk to and what you say on social networking sites — for papa and mama may be watching, sometimes with good reason.

Rakesh Kumar was worried what his teenage daughter was up to on social networking site Orkut. When he finally accessed her profile, he was shocked to find that she was in touch with absolute strangers. Now he has installed a software to keep her in check.

Rakesh’s 15-year-old daughter Akansha has around 2,500 profiles on her friends list on Orkut — a third of whom are people she has never met.

Visakhapatnam, July 26: Another feather will be added to the the Indian Navy today when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh formally launches the indigenously-built nuclear-powered submarine INS Arihant at the Naval Dockyard of the Eastern Naval Command in Visakhapatnam.

With the launch of the INS Arihant, the Indian Navy will join the global elite club of the countries boast of owning indigenously-built nuclear-powered submarine.

Brussels, July 25: Microsoft Corp. will offer computer users a choice of Web browsers to ward off new European Union antitrust fines, EU regulators said Friday.

The European Commission has charged the company with monopoly abuse for tying the Internet Explorer browser to the Windows operating system installed on most of the world’s desktop computers.

It said Microsoft is suggesting that consumers pick a browser from several offered on a ballot screen in its new software release, Windows 7, which will go on sale Oct. 22.

Washington, July 25: US astronauts Chris Cassidy and Tom Marshburn on Friday undertook an intense spacewalk to change batteries on a solar panel of the International Space Station.

During seven hours and 12 minutes of work, the astronauts replaced four batteries that collect and store energy from the station’s solar panels. The old batteries are to return to Earth aboard the space shuttle Endeavour.