Technology News for June 16, 2008

Cellphone use among teen drivers increasing despite ban
Cell phone use has grown higher in among teenage drivers in the US state of North Carolina after a mobile phone ban for young drivers was enacted, according to a new study. ANI

Cars may soon come with exterior airbags to protect pedestrians
A Toyota subsidiary is close to perfecting exterior airbags which, in the event of a collision with a pedestrian, will open at the front of the bonnet. ANI

Parents livid over database putting student profiles, pictures online
With the State government planning to post the profile of every state school student on its intranet database, called OneSchool, parents in Australia are livid over the fact that it will make their kids vulnerable to paedophiles. ANI

Theres no such thing as normal behaviour on the Internet
Cyberspace is one domain where the word normal just doesnt apply to the way people behave, says a new research. ANI

Astronomers discover three super-Earths orbiting a nearby star
Astronomers have discovered a batch of three super-Earths orbiting a nearby star, and two other solar systems with small planets as well, which suggests that Earth-like planets may be very common. ANI

Souvenirs from Battle of Waterloo found at Sir Walter Scotts home in Scotland
Four souvenirs from the Battle of Waterloo in 1815 have been found at the famous Scottish historical novelist and poet Sir Walter Scotts home at Abbotsford in Scotland. ANI

Wind power might be cheaper than coal by 2030
An environmental activist group has carried out new economic modelling, which has revealed that wind power might be cheaper than coal by 2030. ANI

Scientist to adapt Indian road technique for improved asphalt use in US
A scientist is adapting Indian and African road techniques to improve asphalt in various ways by developing cold mixtures that blend polymers or plastics with crude oil-derived asphalt. ANI

A fearful face can actually keep you alive
Fearful expressions not just reflect your emotions but also improve your ability to detect danger, according to a new research. ANI

Egypt calls upon Titanic discoverer to find Pharaohs lost sarcophagus
The Egyptian government has called upon Titanic discoverer Robert Ballad to find the lost sarcophagus of Menkaure, one of Egypts greatest Pharaohs. ANI

Average teen has 800 illegal songs on his iPod
In a shocking revelation highlighting music piracy amongst youngsters, a new survey has found that on an average, teenagers and students carry over 800 illegally copied songs each on their iPods. ANI

One of the most important maritime discoveries in England
Archaeologists have recovered a treasure trove of artifacts from a late 16th century shipwreck in the UK, which is being described as one of the most important maritime discoveries in England since the Mary Rose. ANI

Hobbits might have descended from first tiny humans to leave Africa
A new analysis of hobbits, an extinct race of tiny hominids, has suggested that they descended from the first tiny humans to leave Africa, and this might have happened some 2.25 million years ago. ANI

Scientists transform organic insulating materials into metal-like conductors
Scientists at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands have come up with a new trick to transform organic insulating materials into metal-like conductors. ANI

Climate model warns of a megadrought in the US
Scientists have built a climate model which has suggested that ocean changes may bring about a megadrought in the US that would span a period of 500 years. ANI

Scientists create molecule that causes nerve stem cells to mature
Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center claim to have made a small molecule that stimulates nerve stem cells to begin maturing into nerve cells in culture. ANI

Worlds mass extinctions caused by ebb and flow of the sea
A new study has suggested that the epic ebbs and flows of sea level and sediment over the course of geologic time, are to be blamed for the worlds periodic mass extinctions during the past 500 million years. ANI