Technology News for December 28, 2009

Scientists investigating ways to develop more stress-tolerant vegetable plants
A team of scientists is investigating ways to help vegetable plants make a less stressful transition from the greenhouse to the field. ANI

New warning system to prevent car accidents
Spanish researchers have come up with a new driving assistance system that keeps track of a drivers attention level and helps to prevent accidents caused by drowsiness or distractions behind the wheel. ANI

Scientists store information in isolated brain tissue
Researchers at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have, for the first time, created stimulus-specific sustained activity patterns in brain circuits maintained in vitro. ANI

People can see colours while reading despite any experience
People can feel synaesthesia- a condition that involves seeing colours when reading words and numbers- even when he or she is not consciously aware of the experience. ANI

Some genes boost odds for distributing variety of traits, drive evolution
Two Johns Hopkins scientists have said that genes that dont themselves directly affect the inherited characteristics of an organism but leave them increasingly open to variation may be a significant driving force of evolution. ANI

Archaeologists may have found notorious 3rd century Chinese generals tomb
Chinese archaeologists have unearthed a large third-century tomb, which they say could be that of Cao Cao, the politician and general infamous in East Asia for his Machiavellian tactics. ANI

Microscopic gyroscopes could make mobile phones personal navigation tools
If scientists have their way, then microscopic gyroscopes could soon be a part of mobile phones, doubling them as personal navigation tools. ANI

Women can sense attraction by smell of mens sweat
The smell of mens sweat is enough to tell women if they are attracted to them, according to a new study. ANI

Naga heritage traced back to 50 B.C.
Scientists have carried out the radiocarbon dating of archaeological sites from New Phor, Movolomi and Khusomi in Nagaland, which have further pushed back the antiquity of Naga ancestral sites as early as 50 BC. ANI

Australias Aborigines may have been the worlds first astronomers
An astronomer from Sydney took inspiration from an aboriginal story about a star crashing to earth with a noise like thunder, to discover an ancient meteorite crater in central Australia, taking the help of Google Earth, a finding that leads to the suggestion that the Aborigines may have been the worlds first astronomers. ANI

Now, a song for the Big Bang Machine
Reports have indicated that the official choir of the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) is to record a song dedicated to the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), popularly known as the Big Bang Machine. ANI

Acacia plant can release chemicals to stop ants from interfering in pollination
In a new research, scientists have found that the acacia plant can stop ants from interfering in their pollination process, by producing chemicals that send the approaching insects into a defensive frenzy, forcing them into retreat. ANI

Sore throat could be a sign of something worse, say scientists
Sore throat, or pharyngitis, could be a sign of something worse, say scientists from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). ANI

Milk thistle herb can prevent chemo from harming cancer patients liver
A new American research has suggested that the herb milk thistle can help treat liver inflammation in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. ANI

Sat-nav systems pose risk to drivers
Satellite navigation devices could prove to be a big distraction for drivers, thus increasing the risk of getting involved in an accident, say researchers. ANI

Brain can distinguish real sugar from fake
While products with calorie-free artificial sugar claim to be as sweet as actual sugar, researchers have claimed that our brains can distinguish real from fake. ANI

Wheels already turning on Earths sixth mass extinction
A scientific analysis of millions of years of data has suggested that if the course of human history is any model, then the wheels are already turning on Earths sixth mass extinction, thanks to habitat destruction, pollution and now global warming. ANI

The most loved and hated science stories of 2009
A list of some of the most loved and hated science stories of the year has been put together. ANI

Once in a blue moon on New Years Eve
On New Years Eve this year, party hoppers have another reason to rejoice, as they would be able to witness a blue moon, which would be visible after a gap of 20 years on the last day of the year. ANI

Happy fruit flies look for habitat just like their old homes
A new study has shown that adult fruit flies, which were happy in their youth, tend to choose a habitat similar to ones they were born in. ANI