Technology News for October 10, 2008

Google Earths new satellite sends its first image
Google Earths new satellite, GeoEye-1, has provided a high resolution picture of Pennsylvania-based Kutztown University campus, which also happens to be its first picture. ANI

Water snails offer new propulsion possibilities
A UC (University of California) San Diego engineer has found that mimicking the movement of water snails could lead to new propulsion methods. ANI

Stonehenge was a cremation cemetery, not a centre of healing
Throughout history, Stonehenge was used as a cremation cemetery, claims a new report. ANI

Archaeological dig sheds new light on Yorks Viking heritage
A team of archaeologists, through excavations in York, UK, has uncovered the remains of a Viking settlement, which provides a clearer picture of how far the city sprawled during the Viking era. ANI

Scientists identify a new material that could improve gas mileage
A Northwestern University-led research team has identified a promising new material that could efficiently convert waste heat into electricity to help power cars and improve gas mileage. ANI

The mathematical formula for the perfect shower
A shower in the morning provides the perfect kick-start for the rest of the day. Now, neuropsychologists have come up with a mathematical formula to make sure that the cleansing experience is spot on. ANI

3,000 yr old Stonehenge toy like a light in an aura of gloom
A carved toy hedgehog, estimated to be between 2,500 and 3,000 years old, is being hailed as one of the most important finds ever made at Stonehenge. ANI

Early humans left Africa 1.8 million years ago, suggests ancient fossil trail
Using advanced dating techniques, scientists have determined that a trail of stone tools and fossil bones found in China, suggests that early humans left Africa 1.8 million years ago. ANI

Green bulbs UV radiation can cause severe skin damage
Energy saving light bulbs might be good for the environment but can cost you your health, for a new research has found that the compact fluorescent lights can emit levels of ultraviolet radiation sufficient to damage the skin. ANI

Oldest Dinosaur find in Germany questioned by scientists
A scientist from Germany has claimed to have uncovered tracks from the worlds oldest dinosaur, though the footprints at the center of the find have sparked a major debate among scientists. ANI

Cellulose powered fuel cells to run on plant waste
Scientists are working on using cellulose to power microbial fuel cells, in which bacteria digest plant waste matter to create electricity directly. ANI

Scientists find a jackpot of rich marine life near Australia
Scientists have found 274 new species of corals, starfish, sponges, shrimps, and crabs 1.2 miles (2 kilometers) beneath the surface of the ocean around Antarctica. ANI

Tropical rainforest and mountain species may be threatened by global warming
A new study has warned that tropical rainforest and mountain species living in some of the warmest places on Earth may be threatened by global warming. ANI

Volcanoes function in a far more complex way than previously thought
A new research by a team of US and UK scientists has found that volcanoes function in a far more complex way than previously thought, making future eruptions even harder to predict. ANI

Earthworms are far more diverse than previously thought
Scientists have found that the common or garden earthworms are far more diverse than previously thought, a discovery with important consequences for agriculture. ANI

Dogs and men play the same game to woo their women!
Just like men, dogs too know how to win ladies hearts - and that too from a young age. ANI

Wildfires can boost ozone pollution to levels that violate health standards
A new study has shown that wildfires can boost ozone pollution to levels that violate health standards. ANI

Worlds first unbreakable quantum encryption unveiled
Data security worries could soon be an anxiety of the past, courtesy the worlds first computer network protected by unbreakable quantum encryption. ANI

Computers will soon search photos on the web based on their contents
A pair of Penn State researchers has come up with a statistical approach that may one day make Internet searches for photographs quite easier. ANI

Brain keeps in touch with hand feeling even 35 years after limb loss
Four months after going through a successful hand transplant - 35 years after amputation in an industrial accident - a man has shown an emerging sense of touch - a development that could be seen in the former hand area of his brain. ANI

Intelligent men have the best sperm
A mans sperm quality turns out to be a decent indicator of his brain power, says University of New Mexico evolutionary psychologist Geoffrey Miller. ANI

Indian-origin researchers WiFi network for cars cuts commuting time by 25pc
A mobile-sensor network created by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for traffic analysis is being tested on dozens of cars in Boston to determine whether it can help reduce commuting time, and alert drivers to potential engine problems and more. ANI

Shrimps half a billion year-old dance might be earliest known group behaviour
An analysis of a newly discovered caravan of crustaceans from half a billion years ago suggests that group behaviour evolved not long after animals themselves, say experts. ANI

Spider-Mans sticky suit comes closer to reality
If Spider-Man were for real, he might have found a novel material created by U.S. chemists appropriate for his webs. ANI

Nature loss bigger issue than current banking crisis
A EU (European Union) commissioned study has determined that the global economy is losing more money from the disappearance of forests than through the current banking crisis. ANI

Messages beamed to Earth-like planet 20.5 light years away by Bebo
A digital time capsule was beamed in a high-powered radio wave in the direction of Gliese 581c, an Earth-like planet 20.5 light years away, with messages on board that were chosen by Bebo, a youth-orientated social networking site. ANI

Bold traveller bug could be a goldmine of clues to life on other planets
A bug, discovered deep in a goldmine and nicknamed the bold traveller has got astrobiologists excited because of its unique ability to live in complete isolation of any other living species, suggesting it could be the key to life on other planets. ANI

Dinos that didnt chew their food grew huge
A new research has suggested that dinosaurs known as sauropods, which were the largest land animals that ever lived, grew huge and were an evolutionary success in part because they didnt bother to chew their food. ANI

Lure of reward and fear of failure do constant battle in our brains
A new imaging study has revealed that the battle between lure of reward and fear of failure is rooted in the brains architecture. ANI

Economics theory can help trace information flow between brain regions
Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Florida Atlantic University say that they have adapted a technique originally developed for economic study to determine the flow of information from one part of the brain to another. ANI