Technology News for August 18, 2008

Mobile phones still being used primarily for conversations
Mobile phones are primarily used for conversations, despite also being equipped to let people watch videos, listen to music, surf the Internet and check e-mail. ANI

Less rain linked with warming of Indian Ocean
A study conducted by the Goddard Space Flight Center under NASA has suggested that the decrease of rainfall along the eastern seaboard of Africa is a result of the warming up of the nearby Indian Ocean. ANI

Bad hair days may soon be a history
Bad hair days may soon be a history for you, as a German research has identified the root cause that may be a key to improved shampoos, conditioners, and other products for repairing damaged hair. ANI

Novel approach may help understand methane generation and consumption by microbes
A research team has developed a novel approach for extracting single genomes and discerning specific microbial capabilities from mixed community (metagenomic) sequence data, which may help understand methane generation and consumption by microbes. ANI

Cradle of maternity in the brain discovered
A new study on mice conducted at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine has shown that the inactivation of brain serotonin in the mothers may affect the quality of the maternal care, and in turn offspring survival. ANI

Underworld Mayan buildings discovered in Mexico
A team of archaeologists has claimed to have discovered a legendary route inside caves and sinkholes in Mexico that leads to several underground Mayan buildings. ANI

Tar was used as waterproofing material by 3,500 yr old Mexican civilization
Archaeologists have gathered the earliest evidence of tar used as waterproofing material in Veracruz in Mexico, which is more than 3,500 years old. ANI

Bronze Age and Iron Age artifacts unearthed in Myanmar
A team of archaeologists has unearthed ancient artifacts from the Bronze Age and the Iron Age in Myanmar. ANI

1,700-year old Apollon statue unearthed in Turkey
Archaeologists have unearthed a 1,700-year old Apollon statue in Soloi Pompeipolis ancient city in the southern province of Mersin in Turkey. ANI

Video games boost gamers cognitive and perceptual skills
A collaborative study has found that certain types of video games can have beneficial effects, improving gamers dexterity as well as their ability to problem-solve - attributes that have proven useful not only to students but to surgeons. ANI

Archaeologists discover 2,500 yr old gold earrings
An archaeologist has discovered gold earrings, a ring, and other funeral gifts that date back to the 5th century B.C., roughly 2,500 years ago, while excavating a Thracian tomb near the village of Kushare, about 280 km from Sofia, Bulgaria. ANI

Milky Way tightens reins on speeding Large Magellanic Cloud
A new analysis has suggested that the Milky Way would be able to hold on to the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), in spite of it speeding through space at lightening fast speed. ANI

Breakthrough in studying protein structures in humans
University of Illinois researchers have come up with an improved technique that can make help study forms and functions of certain proteins in the human body faster and easier. ANI

Scientists identify new plant protein that holds promise for biofuel production
Scientists at Michigan State University in the US have identified a new protein necessary for chloroplast development, a discovery that could ultimately lead to plant varieties tailored specifically for biofuel production. ANI

Plastic spin transistors come closer to reality
Researchers at the University of Utah have achieved a significant success in controlling an electrical current using the spin within electrons, which they say brings the realisation of a plastic semiconductor switch for future ultrafast computers and electronics a step closer to reality. ANI

Wastewater extensively used in agriculture in India and China
Countries like India, China and Vietnam use wastewater for agriculture, which apart from its negative impacts, has its share of positive implications as well, and has recently received attention worldwide. ANI

Scientists copy nature to split water into hydrogen and oxygen
An international team of researchers has used chemicals found in plants to replicate a key process in photosynthesis, paving the way to a new approach that uses sunlight to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. ANI