Technology News for July 8, 2008

Sex in space is Inevitable, say experts
With US agency NASA and several other countries planning more and more space missions, scientists have started to debate on the possibility of cosmic sex. ANI

Half of US coral reefs in poor or fair condition, says NOAA report
Almost 50 percent of U.S. coral reef ecosystems are in poor or fair condition, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) report. ANI

Scientists use 3-D data across coastal seascapes to study climate effects on young fish
A team of scientists, from NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) in the US, has integrated three-dimensional (3-D) data across coastal seascapes to study climate effects on young fish. ANI

Scientists come up with an eco-friendly solution for biofuel production
A group of scientists have come up with an eco-friendly solution for biofuel production in the form of using plants to make the enzymes that can break down the plant material into useable compounds. ANI

Coming soon, a laser gun that can detect roadside bombs
Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee have developed a laser system that can safely tell if a suspicious package is an explosive, from up to 100 meters away. ANI

Rapid changes in Earths core affecting the planets magnetic field
Scientists have shown that motions in the fluid in the Earths core are changing surprisingly fast, and that this, in turn, affects the magnetic field of our planet. ANI

Scientists uncover process used by microbes to make greenhouse gases
Scientists have uncovered a key molecule that lets microbes produce carbon dioxide and methane - the two greenhouse gases associated with global warming. ANI

New wind turbine blade inspired from shape of whale and dolphin flippers
Scientists have used the shape of whale and dolphin flippers as inspiration for the creation of a completely novel design for wind turbine blades. ANI

Potter wasps use parasitic mites to guard their babies
Japanese scientists have discovered that that potter wasps use a parasitic mite called Ensliniella parasitica as bodyguards to protect their babies from parasitic wasps. ANI

Chip sized dirty bomb detector on the anvil
American researchers are working on lab-on-a-chip technologies that will facilitate the detection of the kind and amounts of radiation people at any particular area have received after being exposed to a dirty bomb just by testing their saliva or urine samples. ANI

Old newspapers can literally land you a gold mine!
Japanese scientists have suggested that newsprint is a vital ingredient in a new process for recovering gold and other precious metals from industrial waste metal solutions. ANI

Toyota Prius with solar panels may soon hit the road
Automaker Toyota reportedly has plans to install solar panels in its Prius hybrid cars so as to power on-board electrical items like the air-conditioning system. ANI

UNESCOs World Heritage List has new additions from Mauritius, Saudi Arabia and China
UNESCOs World Heritage List has included the mountain of Le Morne, a former hideout of runaway slaves in Mauritius, a Nabataean archaeological site in Saudi Arabia and earthen houses in Fujian Province in China. ANI

Sunscreens in the sky may be useless in combating global warming
A new study has determined that a proposal to reverse climate change by placing mirrors in the sky to reflect sunlight away from Earth would be useless in combating global warming. ANI

Diamonds may have rained down during last Ice Age
New chemical analyses of diamond, gold and silver found in the US has revealed that these precious materials might have rained down during the last Ice Age after a comet shattered over Canada and set North America ablaze, all leading to a mass die-off of animals and humans. ANI

Hyenas groans may be just as important as their laugh
Spotted hyenas are well known for their laughs, but researchers at the University of California in Berkeley, US, have just determined that in intimate social situations, the carnivores often groan softly to one another. ANI

Some grassland ecosystems in Europe may be resistant to global warming
New results from a long-term experiment indicate that grassland ecosystems found in higher altitudes throughout Western Europe may be resistant to climate change. ANI

Birds migrate together at night in dispersed flocks
A new study has indicated that some birds keep together at night on their migratory journeys, flying in dispersed flocks, even when they are 200 meters or more apart. ANI