Technology News for February 29, 2008

Robotics experts hope to teach baby-robot to talk
Robotics experts at the University of Plymouth are planning to work with a 1m-high (3ft) humanoid baby robot called iCub, in order to find out if it could be taught to talk. ANI

Mercury has a super long, glowing dragon tail
Mercury has a glowing dragon tail of sodium atoms, which is more than seven times longer than earlier thought, say researchers. ANI

Gene expression differences between ethnic groups affect drug, infection response
Variations in gene expression levels among various ethnic groups may influence their response to drugs and infections, says a new study. ANI

Indoline dyes have helped to improve efficiency of solar cells
The development of new sensitizers based on indoline dyes, has helped to improve the efficiency of photoelectrochemical solar cells. ANI

Bats use air bubbles to stay afloat in the air
Swedish researchers have found out what enables bats to hover in the air like bumblebees, despite the fact that current aerodynamic theories suggest that they should not be able to do so. ANI

Magnetic atoms of gold, silver and copper obtained by scientists
An international team led by Physics and Chemistry teams from the Faculty of Science and Technology at the University of the Basque Country, US, has achieved, by means of a controlled chemical process, magnetic atoms of gold, silver and copper. ANI

Plant roots use fuzzy coat of hairs to find their route
British scientists have shown how roots find their way past obstacles to grow through soil, by finding that plant root hairs have a sense of touch, and feel the soil in much the same way as a person would explore his or her way through a hindrance. ANI

Heres how a mothers brain responds to her infant
Ever wonder how mothers identify the smiles and cries of their offspring? Well, a new study has provided some insight into how the maternal brain accomplishes these amazing feats. ANI

Football-sized boulders may help predict sea-level rise
A new research has determined that boulders the size of footballs could help scientists predict the West Antarctic Ice Sheets (WAIS) contribution to sea-level rise. ANI

Chinas diversion of major river to provide water for Beijing Olympics
China is diverting more than 150 million cubic meters (39.6 billion gallons) of water from the Yellow River through a network of canals to refill a lake near Beijing, which would help provide plentiful water for this summers Olympic Games. ANI

Mercury has a 1.6-million-mile long glowing tail of sodium atoms
Astronomers have discovered that Mercury has a 1.6-million-mile long glowing tail of sodium atoms, which is more than 100 times the radius of the planet itself. ANI

Aussie yabbies dont forget their enemys face
Australian yabbies do not forget the face of their enemies, say researchers. ANI

Interstellar space may be scattered with tiny whiskers of carbon
Scientists at the Carnegie Institution, US, have discovered that interstellar space may be strewn with tiny whiskers of carbon, dimming the light of far-away objects, which may have implications for the dark energy hypothesis. ANI

New evidence of climate change may help explain mystery behind Antarctic ice sheet
Scientists have found new evidence of climate change that may help explain some of the mystery surrounding the appearance of the Antarctic ice sheet. ANI

Less students in class doesnt reduce academic achievement gap
While shrinking the number of students in a class can lead to higher test scores overall, it might not necessarily reduce the achievement gaps that exist between students in a given classroom, a Northwestern University study suggests. ANI

Speedo designs worlds fastest swimsuit
A revolutionary new swimsuit designed with the help of a specialised computer modelling technique developed at The University of Nottingham is being hailed as the worlds fastest swimsuit. ANI

Humans and chimps communication based on similar brain patterns
Researchers at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center have found that humans and chimps share similar brain patterns when communicating. ANI

Scientists find evidence of rain-making bacteria
Scientists have found the evidence of rain-making bacteria that are widely distributed in the atmosphere, which could factor heavily into the precipitation cycle, affecting climate, agricultural productivity and even global warming. ANI

Eating broccoli sprouts may help prevent bladder cancer
Broccoli has always been known to fight cancer. Now, a new study has found that eating concentrated extract of freeze dried broccoli sprouts may curb the development of bladder tumours. ANI