Technology News for July 24, 2008

Bossy parents cause older teens to indulge in more sex
Keeping a close eye on your teenage kids every move will actually encourage him or her to have more sex, according to a new study which provides a link between rigid parenting and increased sexual activity in older teens. ANI

Boozing mice get the blues on abstinence
Its not just humans who get the blues when they abstain from alcohol, for even mice become depressed and lose brain cells when they stay away from liquor, says a new study. ANI

Titanium could get eco-friendly role as antiwear additive for engine oils
Titanium, a protean element with applications from pigments to aerospace alloys, could get a new role as an environmentally friendly additive for automotive oil, thanks to work by materials scientists from Afton Chemical Corporation and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in the US. ANI

Biomass of parasites exceeds that of top predators in Pacific Coast estuaries
In a study of parasites living in three estuaries on the Pacific coast of California and Baja California in the US, researchers have determined that biomass of these parasites exceeds that of top predators, in some cases by more than 20 times. ANI

Paying to save tropical forests could be a way to reduce global carbon emissions
A new research has suggested that wealthy nations willing to collectively spend about 1 billion dollars annually could prevent the emission of roughly half a billion metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) per year for the next 25 years, which can put an end to a tenth of the tropical deforestation in the world. ANI

Website operators stretching the truth over page hits
An expert from the Internet Advertising Bureau has warned that website operators are using tricks to boost traffic numbers in the eyes of advertisers. ANI

Signature whistles help dolphin calves identify their mums
American researchers have discovered that female bottlenose dolphins whistle 10 times more often than usual after giving birth - to tell their offspring who their mothers are. ANI

Common scented laundry products, air fresheners contain toxic chemicals
In a study of top-selling laundry products and air fresheners, researchers at the University of Washington have found toxic chemicals in the commodities. ANI

1 missing gene makes fruit flies love lives go upside down
When it comes to matters of love, the entire courtship repertoire of male fruit fly goes awry because of one missing gene, scientists at Duke University Medical Center have discovered. ANI

New model shows how secure your computer network is
Hackers targeting confidential data pose the biggest problems for IT managers. Now, computer scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) led by an Indian-origin researcher have developed a new model for helping these managers safeguard valuable information most efficiently, ANI

Ancient galactic magnetic fields were just as strong as those existing today
A team of scientists has proposed that magnetic fields of ancient galaxies like ours were just as strong as those existing today, prompting a rethinking of how our galaxy and others may have formed. ANI

Analysis of ancient Egyptian texts may shed light on historys mysteries
Almost 70 pieces from Stanford Universitys papyri collection, which consist of ancient Egyptian texts, are being analyzed after being kept in storage since the 1920s. ANI

Bacteria communities use chemical weapons to protect themselves
Scientists at the Helmholtz Center for Infection Research have found that bacteria communities use chemicals as weapons to protect themselves against the attacking phagocytes, biological cells that ingest and destroy foreign matter like micro-organisms. ANI

Tiny fossils take Antarctic Dry Valleys origin back to 14 million years
Scientists have used tiny fossils to refine the timing of the climate shift that gave rise to Antarcticas remarkable Dry Valleys, a landscape akin to Mars, estimating it to date back to 14 million years. ANI

800-year-old footprint unearthed in Canada
An 800-year-old footprint has been unearthed at one of Canadas top archaeological sites in the western Manitoba Province. ANI

Cow power could generate electricity for millions
A new research has determined that converting livestock manure into a domestic renewable fuel source could generate electricity for millions of people. ANI

Now, blame TV ads for global warming!
Audit figures have revealed that television advertising can produce a large amount of carbon dioxide. ANI

Google launches online encyclopaedia to counter Wikipedia
Internet giant Google has come up with a new online encyclopaedia to counter Wikipedia. ANI

Artifacts from ancient Roman villa go on display in the UK
Hundreds of artifacts that were excavated from an ancient Roman villa in the UK around 60 years ago, have gone on display. ANI

Eat less to save the environment, suggest researchers
Researchers at Cornell University in New York have suggested that the most effective way to save the environment is by eating less. ANI

Funerary monument dating back to 1st millennium AD uncovered in Russia
Archeologists have uncovered a unique funerary monument of the first millennium AD on the territory of Opolye, Suzdal, in Russia. he discovery of this Finno-Ugric burial ground is a real event for archeologists. ANI

Astronomers use infrared filters to get a clean view of black hole disks
Astronomers have used a infrared filter with large telescopes to get a clean view of the scattered light coming from the disks surrounding black holes. ANI

Nanonet technology may soon make for flexible electronics
A team of researchers from Purdue University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign claims to have overcome a major obstacle in producing transistors from networks of carbon nanotubes, a technology that could make it possible to print circuits on plastic sheets for applications including flexible displays, and an electronic skin to cover an entire aircraft to monitor crack formation. ANI

Link between sex and lifespan uncovered
In a study on sex pheromones in a tiny worm, scientists have discovered a link between reproduction and lifespan through so-called small molecules. ANI

Stellar nursery found around Milky Ways black hole
Astronomers have spotted evidence of very young stars in a ring of gas close to the heart of the Milky Way, where a massive black hole is thought to reside. ANI

Dinos may have been absent from the terrestrial revolution of Cretaceous period
A new study has suggested that though dinosaurs may have been the largest land animals of the Cretaceous period, but they were probably conspicuously absent from the terrestrial revolution of that time, in which the number of land species rose rapidly. ANI