Technology News for December 30, 2007

Weaver ants use silk to construct their homes
Researchers have shown that weaver ants in tropical Australia construct their homes from leaves and silk, by identifying the silk-producing genes in the creatures, as well as in bulldog ants, bumblebees and honeybees. ANI

Nano flakes to promise improved solar energy efficiency
A nanophysicist has paved the way for a revolution in the transformation of solar energy to electricity, by discovering a new material, called nano flakes. ANI

How male fiddler crabs send females into a sexy swoon
The sight of a male fiddler crab waving its single giant claw can be a big turn on for a female crab, says a new study. ANI

Ancient pandas battled with giant apes for food resources
Ancient pandas competed with the largest known apes for habitat and food nearly half a million years ago on the tropical coast of southern China, suggest new fossils. ANI

Invading Pacific salmon pose a threat to penguins in southern Argentina
A new study has indicated that the colonization and breeding of the Pacific Salmon in rivers in southern Argentina might threaten penguins and other marine creatures in the region. ANI

Now, a self-operating spycam to detect fires at a radius of 11 km
Researchers in Sydney, Australia, have created a new high-tech spy camera which can detect fire at a radius of about 11km using recognition software which enables it to virtually think for itself. ANI

Global seed bank would ensure crop survival in doomsday scenario
The Norwegian Government has built a repository to store backup copies of as many as three million different crop varieties, to ensure that humans could regrow the crops needed for survival in case of a doomsday scenario. ANI

2007 has been a good year for Egyptologists
As far as discoveries related to Egyptian history are concerned, 2007 has been a very good year for archaeologists so far, says a report. ANI

IT investments at fortune 1000 companies riskier than ordinary capital investments: Study
A study of Fortune 1000 companies led by two Indian-origin researchers at the University of California at Irvine suggests that investments in information technology carry more risk than other capital investments. ANI

Nigeria launches solar power scheme to light up villages
A new solar power scheme in Nigeria is all set to provide electricity to as many as 10 rural communities, which have no access to the national electrical grid. ANI