Technology News for December 15, 2009

Rabies vaccine offers hope for AIDS vaccine
Scientists are one step closer to developing a vaccine against AIDS. ANI

Nanoprobes effective in delivering cancer drugs
Scientists in the U.S. have shown that tiny nanoprobes are effective in delivering cancer drugs more directly to tumour cells and the correct cellular compartments. ANI

Run to the nearest tall building to survive a tsunami!
In a new research, scientists have suggested that fleeing residents would have a better chance of surviving a tsunami if instead of all attempting an evacuation, some could run to the nearest tall building to ride out the wave, which is known as vertical evacuation. ANI

Researchers uncover genetic link to heart failure
Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, have identified a group of 12 genetic variants in the HSPB7 gene, which is linked to heart failure in humans. ANI

Gene that helps domestic pigs develop more muscle and store less fat than wild boars found
In a research on muscle development in pigs, scientists have found a previously unknown gene that has evolved a function in placental mammals, namely, enabling domestic pigs to develop more muscle and store less fat than their wild ancestor, the wild boar. ANI

While shepherds watched carol was sung to folk song Ilkley Moor tune
Todays much-loved carol While shepherds watched used to be commonly sung to the tune Cranbrook, better known as Ilkley Moor (On Ilkla Moor baht at), says a study. ANI

Ancient DNA reveals woolly mammoths survived the Ice Age
An international team has used DNA samples from frozen dirt, not fossilized bones, to show that megafauna like the woolly mammoths survived the Ice Age and were possible alive as recently as 7,600 years ago. ANI

Eminem named Artist Of The Decade
Eminem has been named Artist of the Decade by music industry bible Billboard. ANI

Soon, computers that are cooler and faster
University of Toronto physicists have made a novel advancement, which could lead to faster optical information processing and compact computers that dont overheat. ANI

How biases affect scenarios of moral dilemma
When it comes to situations involving moral dilemmas, an individuals moral judgment is strongly guided by abstract moral principles. But, researchers of a study see a problem with this approach. ANI

Dust and soot causing rapid retreat of Himalayan glaciers
A scientist has put forward a new hypothesis regarding the rapid retreat of Himalayan glaciers in recent decades, attributing the phenomenon to natural elements like the geography and man-made elements like dust and soot. ANI

Brain enzyme may pave way for obesity treatments
Scientists from Brown University, Rhode Island Hospital and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Centre have identified an enzyme found in the brain that may pave way for obesity treatment. ANI

Potential therapeutic target for deadly form of childhood leukaemia found
Scientists from Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine and the University of Virginia have found a gene that can act as a potential therapeutic target for deadly form of childhood leukemia called mixed-lineage leukemia (MLL). ANI

Ethanol-powered vehicles generate more ozone than gas-powered ones
A new study has determined that ethanol-powered vehicles generate more ozone than gas-powered ones. ANI

Ten climate change flagship species named at Copenhagen summit
A report released at the Copenhagen conference by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed ten species likely to suffer huge losses due to global warming. ANI

Ocean acidification could leave one billion hungry, says UKs Environment Secretary
Hilary Benn, Environment Secretary, UK Government, has warned at the ongoing Copenhagen climate conference that more than one billion people could suffer food shortages because of ocean acidification, unless climate change is tackled. ANI

Good dentists may have saved the dinos from extinction
If the dinosaurs had dentists to take care of their teeth, they would have been probably alive today. ANI

Modelling tool for faster pandemic analysis
American scientists are developing a mathematical and visual analytic toolkit to quicken the diagnoses of pandemics and create better ways of dealing with them. ANI

Anti-HIV gel fails human trials
An experimental v*nal gel has failed to prove effective against HIV in human trials. ANI

Rock-breathing bacteria could be used to generate electricity and clean up oil spills
Scientists at the University of East Anglia (UEA) have demonstrated for the first time the mechanism by which some bacteria survive by breathing rocks, which could be used to generate electricity and clean up oil spills. ANI

Soon, flexible retinal implants to restore vision
Scientists from Stanford University in California have developed what they call flexible retinal implant that would help restore vision of people with certain forms of visual impairment. ANI

Women develop emotion-reading superpowers during pregnancy
A new study by scientists in the UK has shown that raging hormones during pregnancy not only prompt mood swings, but may also lead to a heightened ability to recognise threatening or aggressive faces. ANI

Thrill-seeking teens susceptible to fruit-flavoured ciggies: Study
A new research has shown that thrill-seeking teenagers are especially susceptible to fruit-flavoured cigarettes. ANI

Fake red blood cells with agility of real cells created from polymers
It will now be possible to make fake red blood cells from polymers, thanks to a University of California study led by an Indian origin researcher. ANI

Healthy people with brain plaques at increased Alzheimers risk
Healthy people who have an abnormal build-up of a protein in the brain linked with Alzheimers have a higher risk of developing the disease, two new studies have found. ANI

3D model simulates how dinos ran
A computational zoologist at the University of Manchester, UK, has developed a new technique for simulating dinosaur movement in 3D and working out which gaits they most likely used. ANI

Key to resist sweet temptation - exaggerate the threat
Cant resist those tempting cookies? Well, that means you dont consider those sweet temptations as big a threat as you should be, according to a new study. ANI

Tool user octopus carries and hides in coconuts
After humans, other primates and birds, octopuses have joined the growing list of tool users-they carry coconuts. ANI

Prussian blue linked to origin of life
In a new study, a team of scientists has shown that hydrogen cyanide, urea and other substances considered essential to the formation of the building blocks of life can be obtained from the salt Prussian blue. ANI

Gene that regulates obesity and diabetes identified
The discovery of a genetic mutation has given researchers at Boston University School of Medicine, USA, new insights into the cellular mechanisms that link obesity to Type 2 diabetes. ANI

Why girls dont turn out to be geeks
Heres a key reason why girls and women shy away from careers in computer science - environment. ANI

Black carbon deposits on Himalayas threaten Earths Third Pole
A new research by scientists from NASA and the Chinese Academy of Sciences has determined that black soot deposited on Tibetan glaciers in the Himalayas is threatening the Tibetan Plateau, which is called the Earths Third Pole. ANI

Bigger and bossier better for fish families
When it comes to fish families, the bigger and bossier the better, a new study has found. ANI

Tropical depression 05B to bring moderate and heavy rainfall to Chennai
Reports indicate that tropical depression 05B is dissipating on the coast of Sri Lanka today and over the next couple of days, but not before bringing some moderate and heavy rain over the next couple of days to some areas in Sri Lanka and the southeast coast of India, from Chennai, southward. ANI

Scent helps consumers remember product information
A products scent may prove effective in helping consumers remember product information, says a new study. ANI

Musical chords mimic the emotion of speech
The tones of happiness and sadness in speech are mimicked in musical chords, Duke University neuroscientists have shown. ANI

First super Earths discovered around Sun-like stars
An international team of scientists has found the first super Earths to be discovered around two Sun-like stars. ANI

Antidepressants may raise postmenopausal womens stroke risk
Post-menopausal women who take antidepressants may be increasing their chances of suffering a stroke, says a new study. ANI

Wine tastes better when sipped in blue or red lit rooms
Its not just vintage or grapes that make drinking wine a tasteful experience - the room youre sitting in may also have something to do with it, say researchers. ANI