Technology News for August 26, 2008

Women leaders smarter, more honest than male counterparts
When it comes to honesty, intelligence and a handful of other key traits valued in leaders, the public rates women as superior to men, according to a new survey. ANI

Ancient bacteria may hold key for clean energy in future
Scientists have determined that by tweaking the photosynthetic reactions of cyanobacteria, which is one of the most ancient groups of microorganisms in the world, they might be able to develop carbon-neutral clean energy. ANI

Blame your cleverness for your spelling mistakes!
Struggle with words spellings? Well, dont underestimate your language skills, for chances could be that youre too clever. ANI

New study overturns century-old rule of chemistry
A new study, by research chemists at the University of Warwick in the UK, has challenged a century old rule of chemistry that defined how quickly key chemicals can pass across cell walls, thus having major implications for the development and testing of many future drugs. ANI

Why wind turbines can mean death for bats
Researchers have explained how turbines are a life-threatening hazard for bats, attributing the reason for the death of the flying mammals to internal hemorrhaging consistent with trauma from the sudden drop in air pressure at turbine blades. ANI

Ritual horns do not predate Englands Jewish expulsion of 1290
Radiocarbon dating of two Jewish ritual instruments, which are horn-shaped, found in London a century and a half ago, has dashed hopes that they date from the period before the Jewish community was expelled in 1290. ANI

Bronze Age settlements found in Iran
A team of international archeologists has unearthed over 100 prehistoric mounds in the Darestan region of Irans Kerman Province, which date back to the Bronze Age. ANI

Human race could be headed towards extinction, warns novelist
A prize-winning novelist has warned that the planet is at a crisis moment and the human race could be headed towards extinction. ANI

Sleep may be the price you pay for brain to remain plastic the next day
While the importance of sleep is something that everyone agrees to, there are still many mysteries surrounding its function and how essential it is. Now, a group of scientists have tried to define the core function of the activity, which they say, might be the price one pays pay so that their brain can be plastic the next day. ANI

Perfect pitch is much more common in humans than previously thought
A new study conducted at the University of Rochester has revealed that perfect pitch, the ability to recognize and remember a tone without a reference, is much more common in non-musicians than previously expected. ANI

Geckos tail, secret behind its amazing ability to climb and fall safely
A new study has given geckos an image makeover, suggesting that the lizards tail plays an active role in its amazing ability to climb - for which their sticky feet usually get all the credit - as well as to fall safely. ANI

New software to help astronauts soothe their stress levels in space
Researchers are developing a self-help software that allows astronauts to carry their counselors with them on a DVD, which would help them soothe their stress levels more effectively. ANI

Social situations shape animals vocal signals
A host of studies have identified the way animals adapt their calls, chirps, barks and whistles to their social situation. ANI

Fuel cells power first Formula Zero kart race in the Netherlands
The world witnessed its first international fuel-cell-powered go-kart race, known as the Formula Zero, in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, on August 23. ANI

Large Hadron Collider produces historic particle collisions
On of the Large Hadron Colliders (LHCs) four giant particle detectors has gathered its first authentic data, as well as marking the first time particle tracks have been reconstructed from a man-made event generated by the collider. ANI

Now, a low-cost system to thwart Internet eavesdropping
Carnegie Mellon University experts say that they have developed a low-cost system that can reduce the risk of eavesdropping on Internet communications. ANI

Large mammals like cattle and deer can sense the Earths magnetic field
A team of zoologists have proposed a theory which says that apart from birds, turtles, and fish, large mammals like cattle and deer may also sense the Earths magnetic field. Birds, turtles, and fish are known to use magnetic guidance in migration. Among small mammals, a handful of rodent and one bat species have been shown to possess a magnetic compass. ANI

Secondary sex characters may be behind evolution of new species
Two biologists at Indiana University Bloomington say that sometimes secondary sex characters - which improve a creatures chances of finding a mate - may also drive the reproductive separation of populations, and the evolution of new species. Armin Moczek and Harald Parzer came to this conclusion after examining males from four geographically separated populations of the horned beetle species Onthophagus taurus. ANI

Mars gullies were carved by meltwater just a few hundred thousand years ago
A new study has suggested that eroded gullies on the flanks of a Martian crater may have been carved by flowing meltwater later than previously thought, as recently as a few hundred thousand years ago. ANI

Monkeys too display human-like empathy
Researchers at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, US, have shown by experiments that monkeys have the feeling of empathy, and they enjoy sharing things with others. ANI

Now, a jasmine-based drug to fight cancer
A group of researchers has developed an anti-cancer drug based on Jasmonate, a synthetic compound derived from the jasmine plant. ANI

Neanderthals were not as stupid as previously believed
New evidence has surfaced that debunks an earlier theory propounded by archaeologists, which stated that Neanderthals became extinct because they were less intelligent than our ancestors. ANI

Most massive cluster of galaxies in Universe discovered
ESAs (European Space Agencys) orbiting X-ray observatory XMM-Newton has discovered the most massive cluster of galaxies seen in the distant Universe until now. ANI