Scientists observe insect decline in Chernobyl two decades after nuclear meltdown

September 15th, 2009 No we can't _ UK think tank says US power fadingLONDON — A weakened United States could start retreating from the world stage without help from its allies abroad, an international strategic affairs think tank said Tuesday. The London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies said President Barack Obama would increasingly turn to others for help dealing with the world's problems — in part because he has no alternative.

September 15th, 2009 No we can't? UK think tank says US power is fadingLONDON — A weakened United States could start retreating from the world stage without help from its allies abroad, an international strategic affairs think tank said Tuesday. The respected London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies said President Barack Obama will increasingly have to turn to others for help dealing with the world's problems — in part because he has no alternative.

September 13th, 2009 LONDON - Brit scientists have developed a cutting-edge method to treat victims of radiation contamination in an event of "dirty bomb" explosion. The suitcase-size device can rapidly detect the extent of cellular damage caused by exposure to a nuclear will be announced this week.

September 6th, 2009 LONDON -Ever wondered why some people are bitten less than others by mosquitoes and midges? Well, the answer is: their sweet-smelling sweat. In a new study, boffins have discovered key differences in the body odours produced by people who are more prone to insect bites compared to those who seem resistant.

July 29th, 2009 LONDON - In a new research, scientists have shown that the tactic of insects to squirt toxic blood out of gaps in their body to avoid being eaten by predators really does work. Armoured ground crickets (Acanthoplus discoidalis) are fat, flightless insects that live in the African bush across Namibia, Botswana and South Africa.

July 12th, 2009 LONDON - Scientists have created insect cyborgs, which can mimic the way some insects communicate to give early warning of chemical attacks on the battlefield. The cyborgs, which have been implanted with electrodes to control their wing muscles, could help in locating disaster victims, monitoring for pollution and gas leaks, or acting as smoke detectors.

June 29th, 2009 LONDON - Belarus, a country affected much by the fallout of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster of 1986, is planning to grow biofuels to make its soil fit to grow food again within decades rather than hundreds of years. The Chernobyl disaster was a nuclear reactor accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine, then part of the Soviet Union.

June 17th, 2009 LONDON - Iran is mastering nuclear technology and believes firmly in having the option of a nuclear weapon, the chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Mohamed ElBaradei, said in a BBC interview Wednesday. "It is my gut feeling that Iran would like to have the technology to enable it to have nuclear weapons," ElBaradei said.

May 23rd, 2009 LONDON - Scientists at the California Institute of Technology have developed a microchip-sized digital camera that can provide vision for the US military's insect-sized aircraft. The researchers say that the tiny camera is so light that it can be easily carried by the tiny surveillance drones.

May 22nd, 2009 LONDON - A new study has suggested that marine habitat loss is causing a decline in shellfish populations, which is having an adverse knock-on effect on sensitive ecosystems. According to a report by BBC News, the study, described as the first global assessment of its kind, warns that 85 percent of the world's oyster reefs have already been lost.

March 31st, 2009 LONDON - Scientists are all set to start the US National Ignition Facility (NIF), which is literally a huge laser experiment aimed at recreating conditions at the heart of our Sun. According to a report by BBC News, the experiment is designed to demonstrate the feasibility of nuclear fusion, a process that could offer abundant clean energy.

March 27th, 2009 LONDON - Scientists have used a virtual model to investigate options to save the Earth from an asteroid impact. According to a report in New Scientist, the model was developed by a team led by David Dearborn of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, which modelled the impact of a nuclear explosion on an asteroid's trajectory.

March 23rd, 2009 LONDON - In a new research, scientists from Edinburgh and Oxford Universities have found that bees and ants are true team players unlike other creatures who seek safety in numbers for selfish reasons. According to a report by BBC News, the scientists, using mathematical models to study "swarm behaviour", found that bison or fish want to get to the centre of large groups to keep themselves safe from predators.

March 18th, 2009 LONDON - British Prime Minister Gordon Brown Tuesday urged Iran to 'make the right choice' in its current stand-off with the West over its nuclear programme and said Tehran could become a 'test case' for co-operation between atomic nations and non-nuclear states. Brown, in a speech in London, said Iran remained a 'critical proliferation threat' while it continued to enrich weapons grade uranium and risked severe sanctions.

March 15th, 2009 LONDON - Using world's most powerful laser system, scientists are planning to replicate sun's fiery core in experiments that may offer a clean source of energy. Physicists are hoping to develop the first form of nuclear fusion technology that produces more energy than it consumes after more than 50 years of experimentation.