Technology News for July 11, 2008

Young children are naturally inclined to feel empathy for others in pain
A new study conducted by University of Chicago researchers suggests that children between the ages of seven and 12 are naturally inclined to feel empathy for those in pain. ANI

Mobile web surfing on the rise
The number of people using their mobile phones to surf net has significant increased this year. ANI

New weight loss device quells hunger pangs to make people eat less
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is testing a new weight loss device called the VBLOC for its ability to suppress hunger pangs, making a patient eat less. ANI

Men face extinction in future hermaphrodite world!
Are men the latest endangered species? Well yes, insists a leading Aussie expert, who says men are much ahead in the queue of becoming extinct. ANI

Nano-sized electronic circuit will help detect invisible light from early universe
A team of physicists has developed a nano-sized electronic device, which would help astronomers to see invisible light dating from the creation of the universe. ANI

New technique can help further shrink silicon chips
US scientists have achieved a breakthrough that can cause silicon chips to become more densely packed with transistors than before. ANI

Microorganisms may help produce renewable energy in large quantities
Scientists at the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University say that two complementary approaches may help use microorganisms to produce renewable energy in large quantities, without damaging the environment or competing with the food supply. ANI

Ancient star cluster has three different birthdays
Astronomers have used NASAs Hubble Space Telescope to determine that the ancient open star cluster NGC 6791 has three different birthdays. ANI

Coal generated CO2 captured for the first time in Australia
Coal generated carbon dioxide (CO2) has been captured for the first time in Australia. ANI

Positivity in older adults behind their more balanced investments
A new study from West Virginia University has shown that younger adults were more likely to commit to a situation if they had already invested money into it, while older adults showed a more balanced perspective of gains and losses. ANI

Antarctic Peninsula is changing fast, thanks to global warming
Scientists have determined that the ecosystem of the Antarctic Peninsula is changing fast, driven by warming waters and a loss of sea ice. ANI

Genes determine the black sheep of the family
Scientists at the CSIRO Queensland Bioscience Precinct in Australia have identified the genetic basis for the black, and white, coat color in a breed of domestic sheep. ANI

Scientists uncover genes that control embryonic stem cell fate
Scientists at the University of California, San Francisco say that they have identified about two-dozen genes that control embryonic stem cell fate. ANI

LCD chemical has 17,000 times the climate impact of CO2
A recent study has found nitrogen trifluoride (NF3), a chemical which is found in the LCD panels of several electronic devices, to have a global climate impact 17,000 times greater than carbon dioxide (CO2). ANI

Micro-sized sewing machine sews long threads of DNA into shape
Researchers in Japan have developed a micro-sized sewing machine to sew long threads of DNA into shape. ANI

Fractures under snow may be underlying cause of deadly avalanches
Researchers at a Scots university have determined that fractures under the surface of snow may be the underlying cause of the kind of avalanches most commonly triggered by skiers. ANI

Romulus and Remus statue made in 13th century, not 500 BC
A statue symbolizing the mythical origins and power of Rome, long thought to have been made around 500 BC, has been found to date from the 1200s. ANI

One third of reef-building corals threatened with extinction
A new study has determined that a third of reef-building corals around the world are threatened with extinction. ANI

Study confirms protein as atherosclerosis marker
Researchers have confirmed that a protein previously suspected in hardening of the arteries or atherosclerosis is indeed a marker for the disease. ANI

Middle Eastern families help in autism genes identification
An international team of researchers has identified six genes that, when mutated, contribute to autism with the help of Middle Eastern families. ANI

How to detect fake art from originals
With museums increasingly digitizing their art collections, it becomes pretty easy to forge paintings. Now, two researchers are working on a digital system to help detect original works from counterfeit ones.he findings of the study, which was led by James Z. Wang, associate professor of information sciences and technology, Jia Li, associate professor of statistics, were based on 101 high-resolution grayscale scans of van Gogh paintings provided by the Van Gogh and Kroller-Muller Museums in the Netherlands. ANI

Now, a robot that can do almost all household chores
Scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA in Stuttgart are working on a new generation of household robots that may one day relieve people of heavy, dirty, and often irksome tasks. ANI

NASAs Phoenix touches Martian soil with fork-like probe to find water
NASAs Phoenix Mars Lander has touched Martian soil with a fork-like probe for the first time, which could provide information about frozen or unfrozen water in the soil. ANI

Scientists turn ordinary glass into high-tech solar concentrator
Experts at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have achieved a major breakthrough in developing an affordable method to turn ordinary glass into a high-tech solar concentrator. ANI

Extreme stellar machine pumps out 4,000 stars every year
Astronomers have uncovered an extreme stellar machine - a galaxy in the very remote universe pumping out stars at a surprising rate of up to 4,000 per year. ANI

Scientists take first look at working muscle fibres
Stanford researchers have found that it is possible to look at tiny fibres of working muscles in live humans with the aid of an unusual microscope that has a tip the size of a needle, without causing much of discomfort to the patient. ANI