Technology News for July 9, 2008

Brains reward chemical dopamine induces both desire and dread
Experiments on animals have revealed that the chemical dopamine induces both desire and dread, say researchers. ANI

Daring birds sing, and win the girl
A collaborative study by experts from the University of Antwerp and at Eotvos University, Budapest suggests that bird song has a prominent and well-established role in sexual selection, and that it displays considerable variation among individuals, with a potentially strong personality component. ANI

Now, a handheld scanner that zooms in on disease
US scientists have invented a handheld nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) scanner that can facilitate the diagnoses of diseases and identification of pathogens. ANI

Now, pocket-sized MRI scanners
Scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Biomedical Technology Engineering IBMT in Sankt Ingbert have invented pocket-sized scanners that can perform magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans in the field-such as to examine ice cores. ANI

Great Green Wall will slow down southwards spread of Sahara desert
Preparations for an African wall of trees to slow down the southwards spread of the Sahara desert are getting underway. ANI

Megaliths and boulders dating back to 4,100-2,500 B.C. found at temples in Mal
Archaeologists have discovered megaliths and boulders that date back to 4,100-2,500 B.C. at the site of the Tarxien temples in Malta. ANI

Heres what makes people see machines as humans
A collaborative study has for the first time investigated the question as to why and under what circumstances people perceive that machines have human-like capabilities and mental qualities, and how such processes modulate their brain activity. ANI

Stonehenge may have been the biggest cemetery of its time
Research at Stonehenge has established that, in addition to being a place of ceremony connected with the sun and moon, it also was a center of mortuary rituals. ANI

Songbirds sing 100 times faster than humans blink an eye
Researchers at the University of Utah have found that certain songbirds can contract their vocal muscles 100 times faster than humans can blink an eye - placing the birds with a handful of animals that have evolved superfast muscles. ANI

Astronomers baffled by unique redness of star cluster
The Hubble Space Telescope has found a distant galaxy teeming with clusters of stars, with light from some of them redder than expected, an observation that astronomers are still struggling to explain. ANI

Bluetongue virus uses unique viral enzymes to replicate
Scientists at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine have revealed that bluetongue virus (BTV) uses unique viral enzymes to replicate, which is key to the establishment of infection. ANI

Rising demand for palm oil could decimate biodiversity
Based on a new study, ecologists have warned that the rising demand for palm oil will decimate biodiversity unless producers and politicians can work together to preserve as much remaining natural forest as possible. ANI

New advance in nanotechnology could pave way for next gen computer chips and solar cells
Researchers at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) have achieved a significant advance in nanoscale lithographic technology, which could pave the way for the next generation of computer chips, solar cells, and other devices. ANI

New model predicts global warming will intensify storms
A new mathematical model indicates that dust devils, water spouts, tornadoes, hurricanes and cyclones are all born of the same mechanism and will intensify as climate change warms the Earths surface. ANI

Scientists discover new reefs teeming with marine life in Brazil
Scientists have discovered new reef structures in Brazil, that are far more abundant in marine life than the Abrolhos Bank, which was earlier believed to be the Southern Atlantic Oceans largest and richest reef system. ANI

Body fluid may make natural contact lens moisturizer
Contact lens wearers hoping to combat discomfort caused by persistent dryness in the eyes may be happy to know that a possible solution of the problem is in their own bodies, according to a new study. ANI

Scientists urge more careful sperm selection for IVF procedure
US researchers have warned that carelessness during sperm selection for the intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) procedure, where a single sperm is injected into an egg to fertilise it, may decrease the chances of pregnancy. ANI

Why real musicians, not computers make us weep
A musical piece played by a professional can soothe us much better than the one executed by clever computers, according to a new study. ANI

New security patch software tackles major internet security breach
Computer giants like Microsoft, Sun, and Cisco are distributing new software to tackle a major security glitch in the internet addressing system. ANI

Stem cells from human teeth offer new hope for infertile men
Brazilian researchers say that stem cells from human teeth seem to grow into sperm when injected into the testes of mice. ANI

Duckweed has tremendous potential for fighting pollution and global warming
Three biologists at Rutgers Waksman Institute of Microbiology in the US have determined that on duckweed, which is a tiny aquatic plant found in ponds, has tremendous potential for cleaning up pollution, combating global warming and feeding the world. ANI

Human speech may have originated earlier than believed
Scientists studying the structure of the ear canal of 530,000-year-old prehistoric human skulls have suggested that human speech may have originated earlier than some researchers contend. ANI

Baking makes implants as real as natural bones
Experts at the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Applied Materials Research say that they have developed a simulation program that may make it easy to produce bone implants whose structure resembles that of the natural bone. ANI

The more it rains on some mountains, the faster they grow
Geologists studying the fault-riddled, intensely rainy Eastern Cordillera of Colombia, South America, have determined that the more it rains on some mountains, the faster they grow. ANI

Sausage feather fossils may reveal true colours of dinosaurs
Palaeobiologists have found that 100-million-year-old fossilized bird feathers preserve microscopic colour-containing pouches, which when decoded, could reveal realistic colour patterns of the dinosaurs. ANI