Planet-hunting telescope sees three alien worldsAugust 7th, 2009 LONDON - The planet-hunting Kepler space telescope has found its first extrasolar planets, in the form of three alien worlds that had been previously discovered with ground-based telescopes. According to a report in New Scientist, the finds confirm that Kepler's instruments are sensitive enough to detect Earth-like planets around sun-like stars.
New tool studies hair to say what one ate, where one travelledMay 28th, 2009 LONDON - Variation in sulphur concentration in the hair can reveal one's recent diet and the places one has been to. A new laser tool based on this can be very handy to investigators tracking terrorists.
Crows can fashion a hook to get at foodMay 26th, 2009 LONDON - Rooks, a member of the crow family, are surprisingly innovative when it comes to searching food - they are not only capable of using tools but also making and modifying them for their use. "This finding is remarkable because rooks do not appear to use tools in the wild, yet they rival habitual tools users such as chimpanzees and New Caledonian crows when tested in captivity," said Chris Bird of Cambridge University, co-author of the study.
NASA robots may be destroying signs of life on MarsMay 25th, 2009 LONDON - NASA's robot explorers may have been destroying the signs of life on Mars, say researchers. When the twin Viking landers, sent on the planet in 1976, failed to detect even minute quantities of organic compounds, scientists were puzzled because even if Mars has never had life, comets and asteroids that have struck the planet should have scattered at least some organic molecules - though not produced by life - over its surface.
Surprise Rodin bronze part of $2M restoration for New York lighthouse honoring French explorerMay 10th, 2009 Restored NY lighthouse features surprise RodinCROWN POINT, N.Y. — More than 10,000 campgrounds dot the American landscape.
Lasers detect synthetic chemical in baby formula foodMay 1st, 2009 WASHINGTON - Infrared lasers have helped researchers detect minute traces of a synthetic chemical like melamine in baby formula, within minutes. Melamine, used in plastics and other products, has been found in baby formula and other milk-based products imported from China.
Jacqui Smith's home struck with 'shameful' blue porn plaqueApril 14th, 2009 LONDON - Jacqui Smith's house in Nunhead, South London, became a target for pranksters on Monday when they fixed a blue plaque to it, in order to shame the British Home Secretary over her vast expenses claims. The plaque was glued on by arts magazine publisher Joseph Wade.
Fluoro sensors to pick up contamination in recycled waterApril 14th, 2009 LONDON - A team of researchers has said the technology that uses fluorescence sensors to pick up trace sewage contamination may help increase public confidence in recycled water. "A rapid, highly sensitive and selective detector is urgently required to detect contamination events in recycled water systems," Dr Rita Henderson of the University of New South Wales Water Research Centre told ABC News.
A mighty female may have ruled ancient Israeli city: StudyApril 7th, 2009 LONDON - Recent excavations at Tel Beth-Shemesh in Israel have thrown up evidence that challenges the popular belief that all ancient rulers of the land were men. Tel Aviv University (TAU) archaeologists Shlomo Bunimovitz and Zvi Lederman, have come by an unusual ceramic plaque of a goddess in female dress, suggesting that a mighty female 'king' may have ruled the city.
Experts brace for possible computer worm attackMarch 31st, 2009 SAN FRANCISCO - Government and private security teams are in a rush to gear up for a possible attack by a computer worm that threatens to carry on disruptive activities April 1. The Conficker worm, also known as Downadup or Kido, first appeared last November and is estimated to have infected millions of computers worldwide.
Droplet sized sensors form latest security toolMarch 27th, 2009 LONDON - 'Smart Dew', a remarkable network of sensors as tiny as dewdrops, will lurk unseen as the latest security tool to foil the most determined intruder, from a thief to a terrorist. Dozens, hundreds and even thousands of these Smart Dew sensors - each equipped with a controller and RF transmitter/receiver - can also be wirelessly networked to detect the difference between man, animal, car and truck.
"Smart Dew" to safeguard homes against intrudersMarch 27th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Researchers at the Tel Aviv University have designed a network of tiny sensors as small as dewdrops called "Smart Dew", which can provide homes with effective protection against trespassers and intruders. Scattered outdoors on rocks, fence posts and doorways, or indoors on the floor of a bank, the dewdrops are a completely new and cost-effective system for safeguarding and securing wide swathes of property.
Keith Moon immortalised with heritage blue plaqueMarch 12th, 2009 LONDON - Legendary singer Keith Moon has been honoured with a heritage blue plaque in London. The heritage rock dedicated to The Who's drummer, who died in 1978 aged 32 from a prescription drug overdose, was unveiled at London's Marquee Club, where the band played their first gig.
Dhaka salutes Ravi Shankar, George HarrisonFebruary 25th, 2009 DHAKA - The Liberation War Museum here has installed a bronze plaque to commemorate the composition and rendering by Ravi Shankar and late Beatles singer George Harrison for the song 'Bangladesh'. In 1971, Harrison's 'Bangladesh' was a clarion call for the world community to stand by the millions of Bengalis who had been displaced by the Pakistan regime.
New imaging tool helps scientists 'see' cell molecules more clearlyJanuary 19th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A powerful new tool can image single molecules in a cell, with much greater clarity and speed, compared to existing methods. The new tool, dubbed liquid scanning transmission electron microscope or liquid STEM, uses a micro-fluidic device with electron transparent windows to enable the imaging of cells in liquid.
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