Technology News for July 3, 2009

Brain malformations linked to preterm birth
Brain malformations are significantly associated with preterm birth, according to new research from Wake Forest University School of Medicine. ANI

Overweight kids experience more depression, loneliness, anxiety
A new study by University of Missouri researchers has found that overweight kids, especially girls, show signs of the negative consequences of being overweight as early as kindergarten. ANI

New form of El Nino may increase chances of hurricanes making landfall
A study by climatologists at the Georgia Institute of Technology suggests that a new form of El Nino may be changing potentially causing not only a greater number of hurricanes than in average years, but also a greater chance of hurricanes making landfall. ANI

Hepatitis B virus mutations may help predict liver cancer risk
Scientists from Second Military Medical University in Shanghai have revealed that mutations in the DNA of hepatitis B virus (HBV) might help predict which patients are at increased risk of developing liver cancer, ANI

Origin of very high-energy gamma rays pinpointed to giant black hole
Using a worldwide combination of diverse telescopes, astronomers have discovered that a giant galaxys bursts of very high energy gamma rays are coming from a region very close to the supermassive black hole at its core. ANI

Autistic kids should be taught in smaller groups, say experts
A new study suggests that children with autism need to be taught in smaller groups. ANI

Ferns climbed aboard trees to experience flowering of their own species diversity
Scientists have constructed a new time-calibrated family tree for ferns, which has indicated that while modern tropical rain forests were becoming established, ferns climbed aboard, and experienced a flowering of their own species diversity. ANI

Scientists use genetic engineering to make virus-resistant grapevines
Scientists are making certain plants resistant to the Grapevine fanleaf virus GFLV by genetic engineering. ANI

Scientists reconstruct giant extinct moa bird using ancient DNA
Scientists have performed the first DNA-based reconstruction of the giant extinct moa bird, using prehistoric feathers recovered from caves and rock shelters in New Zealand. ANI

Pacific Northwest forests hold significant potential to increase carbon storage
A new study has determined that the forests of the Pacific Northwest hold significant potential to increase carbon storage and help mitigate greenhouse gas emissions in the coming years. ANI

Reintroduction of extinct butterfly in Britain a lesson for animal conservationists
The successful reintroduction of a once extinct butterfly in Britain has led scientists to determine that intelligent countryside management could improve the survival chances of animal and plant species threatened by climate change.This is the conclusion drawn by scientists at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) from a British study on saving the Large Blue butterfly (Maculinea arion). ANI

Plants internal clocks may improve climate change scenarios
In a new study, scientists have suggested that the internal clock in plants can help make climate change scenarios and CO2 level figures more accurate. ANI

Now, printable batteries that can be integrated into ATM cards, greeting cards
Have problems remembering that TAN number while doing online transactions? Well, your ATM card could soon tell the code just with a simple touch, all thanks to newly developed printable batteries that could easily be fitted into bankcards. ANI

Natural compound can prevent diabetic retinopathy
A natural compound can be used to stop diabetic retinopathy, one of the leading causes of blindness around the world, according to researchers at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. ANI

Land Rover launches worlds toughest phone
Land Rover has unveiled what it claims to be the worlds strongest phone, after the gadget survived being dropped from a tall building, stood on by an elephant, and roasted in an oven. ANI

Cosmic fireworks display seen inside Helix Nebula
A new image, taken with an infrared camera on the Subaru Telescope in Hawaii, has revealed a cosmic fireworks display, in the form of tens of thousands of previously unseen comet-shaped knots inside the Helix Nebula. he sheer number of knots - more than have ever been seen before - looks like a massive fireworks display in space. ANI

NASAs Fermi Telescope discovers 16 pulsars in deep space
Astronomers have used NASAs Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope to discover 16 pulsars. ANI

Mars had a wetter and warmer climate in the recent past
Findings by NASAs Phoenix Mars mission indicates that the Red Planet had a wetter and warmer climate in the recent past, and could again in the future. ANI

Excavation at 3000 yr old Vietnam site reveals ancient child deaths
An archaeological excavation in southern Vietnam of a site more than 3000 years old has shed new light on how the death of young children was viewed by community members and uncovered the oldest clear evidence of rice agriculture in the region. ANI

The smell of fear is both real and contagious
The smell of fear really does exist, according to a new study, which also suggests that being terrified is infectious.The study, conducted by Dr Bettina Pause and colleagues at the University of Dusseldorf in Germany, suggests that people subconsciously detect whether others are scared by picking up chemicals they release from their bodies. ANI

Carnivorous clock that tells time by killing bugs!
Two artists in London have come up with a bizarre invention in the form of a carnivorous digital clock, which catches bugs, then dissolves their bodies to create electrolytes to power itself. ANI

Brain scanner for astronauts passes vomit comet test
A gadget that could sneak a glimpse inside an astronauts brain has passed the vomit comet test, which means the device can be calibrated to measure blood flow in zero gravity. ANI

Middle-aged singletons at higher dementia risk
People who live alone in middle age face nearly double the risk of developing dementia in later life compared with married or cohabiting counterparts, according to a new study. ANI

Three new Aussie dinos discovered
In a new research, paleontologists have unveiled three new Australian dinosaur skeletons in outback Queensland, Australia. ANI

What prompts lung cancer to spread
Researchers from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Centre claim to have identified a cellular pathway that is involved in spread of lung cancer. ANI

Parkinsons medications may help treat extreme drug-resistant TB
Two drugs that are commonly used to treat Parkinsons disease have been found to be effective in treating extreme drug-resistant tuberculosis, say researchers at the University of California, San Diego. ANI

Its official: anger does cause a rush of blood to the brain
A piece of research has shown that anger or mental stress can increase the flow of blood in the brain. ANI

Diamond dust snow falls every night on Mars in winter
New data from NASAs Mars Phoenix Lander has revealed that every night during the Martian winter, water-ice crystals fall from high, thin clouds over the north pole, just like diamond dust that falls through the air in the Arctic. ANI

Teens who think theyll die young more likely to engage in risky behaviour
One in seven adolescents think theyre going to die young, leading many to drug use, suicide attempts and other unsafe behaviour, a new research has suggested. ANI

Climate change causing wild sheep to shrink
A new study has provided evidence for climate change as the cause of the mysterious decrease in the size of wild sheep on the Scottish island of Hirta. ANI

Swine flu can travel to the lungs and gut
The deadly swine flu virus has the potential to reach deep into the respiratory system, and even as far as the intestines, according to two new studies on ferrets. ANI

Mars quite similar to planet Earth
A new research has determined that many characteristics of Mars are quite similar to planet Earth, including its landscape, history of water, soil and even its weather. ANI

NASA spacecraft sends first lunar images to Earth
NASAs Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, has transmitted its first images from the Moon, since reaching lunar orbit on June 23. ANI

Genetic region linked with rare ability to recognize, name musical notes identified
Scientists at the University of California-San Francisco (UNSF) say that they have identified a particular region of genes on human chromosome eight that is linked to perfect pitch, the rare ability to recognize and name musical notes without any reference pitch for comparison, at least in people of European ancestry. ANI