Bigger brains really are better - at least in wasps
The idea that bigger brains are better has received scientific backing, thanks to a new study of a tropical wasp, which suggests that the brainpower necessary to be dominant drives brain capacity. ANI
Panasonic launches conventional TVs for screen smashing Wii gamers
With Nintendo Wii gamers smashing plasma TV screens when the remote slips from their grasp mid-game, Panasonic is making use of old-style TV tube-making technology for making TVs with tough-screens that do not crack if force is applied. ANI
Scientists create model to identify targets for eradication of malaria
Scientists have taken a major step forward in the fight against malaria, by creating a mathematical model that identifies targets for eradication of the disease. ANI
Cameras at traffic signals increase accidents and costs
Cameras at intersections and red lights significantly increase crashes and accidents, rather than improving motorist safety, according to a University of South Florida (USF) study. ANI
First pics of Earth clicked from Columbus camera safely received
The European Space Agency (ESA) says it has safely received the first pictures of Earth clicked by an automated Earth Viewing Camera (EVC) installed in its science laboratory in space, the European Columbus. ANI
Researchers show how brain copes in language-impaired kids
Researchers at the University College London have highlighted how the brain copes in language-impaired kids, by finding that a system responsible for processing grammar in the brain is damaged in some children with specific language impairment (SLI), but that these children compensate with a different brain area. ANI
Being the first-born may not be so good after all
Contrary to a common perception that baby birds that are laid before their siblings have a better chance of survival, a new study at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has shown that the first-laid eggs are in fact least likely to hatch at all. ANI
Areas covered by ice caps have lesser earthquake activity
A computer model has shown that though earthquakes happen less often in areas covered by ice caps, they come back on a bigger scale when the ice melts. ANI
6th century volcanic eruption may have triggered global cooling
A new theory has suggested that an enormous volcanic eruption in the sixth century seems to have triggered catastrophic global cooling, which had perhaps caused famine, cultural conflict and plague across the planet. ANI
Diesel particulate filter technology that makes clean diesels developed
Unfiltered exhaust fumes are discharged into the air by most diggers and construction machines. This is because special vehicles are made in small batches, and each requires a different filter geometry. But now, a new diesel particulate filter technology is coming that promises to bring in a sea change. ANI
Female katydids prefer mates cool in winter, hot in summer
Female katydids prefer cool mates in winters and in the summer they like them hot, says a new research which found that male bush crickets produce calls to attract females for mating that change with the seasons. ANI
Increased CO2 in the atmosphere affecting soil health adversely
In a new study, increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has been linked to decreased soil organic matter. ANI
New radar software highly accurate at distinguishing birds, insects
It may be good news for air-traffic controllers that an international team of researchers has pronounced new radar software highly effective in differentiating signals from birds and swarms of insects, a problem that stumped previous efforts to automatically tell the two apart. ANI
Lunar telescope will study the dark ages of the Universe
A team of scientists and engineers, led by the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), are going to design a telescope based on the moon, that would study the dark ages of the young Universe - during the first 100 million years of its existence. ANI
New theory suggests certain marine microorganisms do not require photosynthesis
A new study has suggested that certain marine microorganisms do not require photosynthesis, which is the most important biological process on Earth. hotosynthesis by plants, algae, and some bacteria supports nearly all living things by producing food from sunlight, and in the process these organisms release oxygen and absorb carbon dioxide. ANI
Frog gone missing for 14 years rediscovered in Colombia
Scientists have rediscovered the Carrikeri Harlequin Frog, which had been missing for 14 years, in a remote mountainous region in Colombia. ANI
Soon, an intelligent car that protects its occupants milliseconds before a crash
Cars that are able to protect their occupants from a crash at the crucial moment may soon be seen on highways and other roads, for scientists in an European Union (EU) project Advanced Protection Systems (APROSYS) have developed an intelligent side-impact protection system that radically reduces injury risk. ANI
Bird study casts light on how vocal learning evolved
Neurobiologists at Duke University Medical Center have discovered that songbirds, parrots, and hummingbirds use similar brain structures to sing their tunes. ANI
New study might change understanding of size and speed of Earth-bound meteorites
The study of a Peruvian meteorite has yielded an interesting conclusion as to how it made it to Earth, which could upend the conventional wisdom about the size and type of meteorites that can strike Earth. ANI
Dino-era feathers might hold key to how dinosaurs gave rise to birds
Scientists have found seven dino-era feathers preserved in amber in western France, which could fill a key gap in the puzzle of how dinosaurs gave rise to birds. ANI
Ant world is rife with royal corruption
They may be held-up as the ideals of social co-operation but ants can be as sneaky as humans and their colonies are rife with cheating and corruption -with the royal line being the worst offenders, say scientists from the Universities of Leeds and Copenhagen. ANI
Indian-origin researcher makes tiny brain-like computer
A team of experts led by an Indian-origin researcher in Japan has designed a tiny computer that mimics how the brain works. r. Arindam Bandyopadhyay, an artificial intelligence and molecular electronics scientist at the National Institute for Materials Science at Tsukuba, says that the device can simultaneously carry out 16 times more operations than a normal computer transistor. ANI
Flamingos thrive best in the poo of India!
Flamingos thrive best in India, despite the filth and pollution clouding the nation, says a leading ecologist who carried out a research in the sub-continent to discover why the birds are in the pink of health even though they live on untreated waste. ANI