Drug-free cannabis plant comes closer to reality

October 5th, 2009 LONDON - Taking a step closer towards a wonder pill that could extend people's lifespan by up to 25 years, scientists have claimed that over half of babies born in the new future in the UK and other wealthy nations will live to 100 years. The drug, touted as the "elixir of life" drug, works by using a molecule called spermidine, which helps to protect the body against damaging chemicals known as free radicals.

September 25th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Moving a step closer towards nanoparticle-based battlefield pain treatment, scientists at the University of Michigan have developed a combination drug that promises a safer, more precise way for medics and fellow soldiers at warfronts to give a fallen soldier both morphine and a drug that could limits morphine's dangerous side effects. The researchers at the Michigan Nanotechnology Institute for Medicine and Biological Sciences (MNIMBS) have used nanotechnology to devise ultra-small polymer particles capable of carrying the drugs into the body.

September 3rd, 2009 California solar company to get federal backingWASHINGTON — A California company that makes solar panels will receive a $535 million federal loan guarantee, allowing it to complete the first phase of a new manufacturing plant in Fremont. The expansion is expected to create up to 3,000 construction jobs and 1,000 long-term jobs.

August 21st, 2009 LONDON - A University of St Andrews scientist has made fresh advancement in bringing Harry Potter's invisibility cloak closer to reality. Professor Ulf Leonhardt, who has won funding to develop a real version of the magical device, describes his work as the "ultimate optical illusion'.

August 20th, 2009 LONDON - Scientists have come up with a new rice plant that grows "snorkels" when exposed to floods. According to a paper published in the journal Nature, the super plant could help boost the production of the staple food in Asia and Africa, where up to 40 per cent of crops are subject to flash floods or deep water.

August 13th, 2009 LONDON - Invisible gateways, like the one in Harry Potter, are a step closer to reality, thanks to a new theory developed by scientists. With the help of a technique known as transformation optics, the research team from Hong Kong University and Fudan University in Shanghai has found a way to alter the pathway of light waves that could eventually allow them to develop portals that are invisible to the human eye, reports The Telegraph.

August 10th, 2009 LONDON - A new study has revealed that stress and dieting can lead to a positive cannabis test long after the drug was last used. Lead researcher Jonathon Arnold, from the University of Sydney in Australia, says that the main psychoactive ingredient of cannabis tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is instantly absorbed by fat cells and over the next few days is slowly diffused back into the blood.

June 24th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Worldwide production of cocaine and heroin dropped in 2008, with the sharpest reductions in Colombia and Afghanistan, the UN said in a report Wednesday. Cultivation of opium poppies - from which heroin is derived - fell by 19 percent in Afghanistan, which is the largest producer of the drug.

June 16th, 2009 WASHINGTON - U.S. scientists have confirmed that there exists a type of material that could one day provide dramatically faster, more efficient computer chips.

June 10th, 2009 WASHINGTON - At least 21 people were injured and two others missing after the roof of a food plant collapsed in the US state of North Carolina, media reports said Tuesday. According to TV reports, the roof of a food plant that belongs to ConAgra Foods Company partially collapsed Tuesday morning following an explosion inside the plant.

May 8th, 2009 Senate approves Seattle police chief as drug czarWASHINGTON — The Senate has approved the nomination of Seattle Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske as the national drug czar. Kerlikowske, a 36-year law enforcement veteran, has said he will take a balanced, science-based approach to the job of director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy.

April 25th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A third of teens who smoke cannabis regularly use it as medication, rather than as a means of getting high, claims a new study. Joan Bottorff worked with researchers from the University of British Columbia, funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, to conduct in-depth interviews with 63 cannabis-using adolescents.

March 27th, 2009 WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama has told an online crowd that legalizing marijuana won't do any good to the sinking American economy. Obama was drawn into the debate over legalizing pot when the cannabis crowd flooded the first-ever Internet-based presidential Town Hall meeting.

March 14th, 2009 WASHINGTON - US President Barack Obama's promised Afghanistan-Pakistan strategy to be delivered to the April 3-4 North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) summit should track 'dirty money', both from drug production and neighbouring countries, two US experts have suggested. 'Follow the Money,' suggested former Central Intelligence (CIA) intelligence analyst Paula Garthoff and former White House drug policy spokesman Robert Weiner in an op-ed column titled 'Banking: Stop Flow of Funds that Underwrite Terrorism' in the Miami Herald Friday.

March 12th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Thrill-seeking youngsters are likely to engage in reckless driving when under the influence of cannabis (DUIC), finds a new study. The study led by researchers from University of Montreal showed that men who are sensation-seekers, an average age of 27 and impulsive will consider taking the wheel after consuming cannabis more often than older peers.