Science and Technology updates, research findings and scientific reports for September 26, 2008

Easy, faster technique to test disease-causing bacteria in food developed
Microbiologists from Oregon State University have developed a novel method to test food for bacterial contamination - something that can revolutionize the food industry. ANI

Boffins turn to pigs to find cystic fibrosis treatment
In a breakthrough study, a University of Missouri researcher is producing pigs born with cystic fibrosis (CF) that mimic the exact symptoms of human CF, and may help in further studying the deadly lung disease.ystic Fibrosis continues to be a lethal disease for humans despite the identification of the problematic gene two decades ago. Many humans born with CF - the most common genetic disease in Caucasians - often die because of a lung disease developed later. ANI

Meet the man who calls himself the third co-founder of Google
A man, who calls himself Hubert Chang, has released a web video published on Vimeo, in which he has claimed that he is one of the co-founders of Google. ANI

Wi-Fi dead zones may soon be history
Getting away with Wi-Fi dead zones in large wireless networks that cover whole neighborhoods or cities can take a toll on your pocket. But now, thanks to a new technology, the whole procedure can be cheap and easy - without any dead zones. ANI

Soon, a tsunami invisibility cloak to protect off-shore platforms from destruction
A team of physicists has shown that its possible to make a type of dam that acts as an invisibility cloak which hides off-shore platforms from water waves and tsunamis. ANI

Solar-assisted bicycle to give riders extra pedal power
Scientists have invented a solar-assisted bicycle that gives riders extra pedal power. ANI

Scientists take a giant leap forward in developing quantum machines
A team of University of Calgary (U of C) researchers has come up with a unique new way of testing quantum devices to determine their function and accuracy, which could pave the way for a new generation of supercomputers, unbreakable codes, and ultra-fast and secure communication networks. ANI

Worlds largest tsunami debris discovered on the shores of Tonga
A line of massive boulders on the western shore of Tonga may be evidence of the worlds largest tsunami debris, which is up to 9 meters (30 feet) high and weighing up to 1.6 million kilograms (3.5 million pounds). ANI

Young Oz women doing dangerous ice to lose weight
Young Australian women are turning to powerful street drug ice in a bid to shed extra pounds, a shocking new study has revealed. ANI

NASA Stardust capsule to go on display at Smithsonian
Soon, NASAs Stardust sample return capsule, that has returned the worlds first particles from a comet, will join the collection of flight icons in the Smithsonians National Air and Space Museum in Washington, US. ANI

Log on to NASA website if you want your name to float around in space!
For people who want their names to float around in space, NASA has created a website that would enable anyone to place their name on the agencys Glory satellite. ANI

Spacing, not size of letters, matters when it comes to reading from a distance
Its not the size of the letters, but spacing between them, which makes it hard for us to read a book from a distance, according to New York University neuroscientists. ANI

NASA orbiter reveals rock fracture plumbing on Mars
NASAs Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has revealed hundreds of small fractures exposed on the Martian surface that billions of years ago directed flows of water through underground Martian sandstone. ANI

X-ray camera aboard Chandrayaan to eye the Moon
A sophisticated X-ray camera made by scientists and engineers from the UKs Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) is set to launch into space on October 22nd aboard the Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft - Indias first mission to the Moon. ANI

Astronomers identify one of the nearest supernovae in the last 25 years
Using a web of telescopes, astronomers have identified one of the nearest supernovae in the last 25 years, a decade after it exploded. ANI

Human microRNA inhibitor discovery may lead to new cancer therapies
American scientists have identified a molecule that can regulate microRNAs, short strands of RNA that play a vital role in gene expression and are closely associated with cancer. ANI

Amphibians may be wiped out by 2050
Scientists have warned that the combined force of climate change, pollution, disease, habitat loss and degradation, could wipeout amphibians by 2050. ANI

We only start learning from our mistakes after we turn 12
While a pat on the shoulder, or a simple well done! helps 8-year old kids learn better, a negative feedback like got it wrong this time makes 12-year-old children learn from their mistakes, says a new study. ANI

Chinas report of astronauts first night in space a fake
If reports are to be believed, Chinas state news agency had published a dispatch from the countrys three latest astronauts describing their first night in space in the Shenzhou VII space craft before they had even left Earth, indicating that the agency had faked the report. ANI

Kangaroo bones may solve 5,000 yr old Aussie population explosion mystery
Scientists have said that using kangaroo bones, they could help solve the mystery behind the population explosion of the Aborigines in Australia some 5,000 years ago. ANI

Scientists create stem cells without using cancer-causing viruses
Biologists at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, U.S., have shown that it is possible to reprogram adult cells back to an embryonic state without using viruses that can leave dangerous copies of cancer-causing genes in the cells chromosomes. ANI

Fear of losing drives people to overbid at auctions
The fear of losing might drive bidders to pay too much at the auctions, according to a new study. ANI

Ancient shores were full of more slithering creatures than previously thought
New fossils of the first land animals have revealed that ancient shores, 500 million years ago, were alive with more crawling, slithering creatures than anyone previously thought. ANI

Indias Chandrayaan all set and tested for its Moon mission
The integration of all instruments on the Indian Space Agencys Chandrayaan-1, Indias first mission to the Moon, is now complete and validation tests to check the functionality of the spacecraft and the suite of instruments are underway. ANI

Computer games make you good at math
A daily dose of computer games can boost students scores on standard math tests, says a new research. ANI

100-year-old problems solution may enhance fuel efficiency of cars, planes
Researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have opened the door for significant improvements in the fuel efficiency of cars and aeroplanes by solving a century old engineering problem regarding how fluids-such as gasses and liquids-move. ANI

Scientists discover the oldest rocks on Earth
Researchers from the University of McGill in Canada have found the oldest rocks on Earth, which are as old as 4.28 billion years, a discovery which pushes back the age of most ancient remnants of Earths crust by 300 million years.These rocks, known as faux-amphibolites, may be remnants of a portion of Earths primordial crust - the first crust that formed at the surface of our planet. ANI