Jabulani, South Africa’s own psychic octopus

JOHANNESBURG - Jabulani, an octopus at an aquarium in Cape Town, is South Africa’s own version of the psychic German octopus Paul, which has been successfully predicting winners in all of Germany’s games in the World Cup.

Coal ministry included in environment appraisal of power projects

NEW DELHI - After the environment ministry was criticised for delaying coal projects, a senior official from the latter will now be part of an environment appraisal committee for power and coal projects.

Lack of fuel supply led to GSLV-D3 failure: Expert Committee

CHENNAI - Seizure of rotor or rupture of the turbine casing could be the probable cause for the failure of the indigenous cryogenic engine that led the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-D3) crash into the sea this April, says an expert committee.

Two tigers to be relocated to Sariska reserve

JAIPUR - Two tigers will be relocated from the Ranthambore National Park in Rajasthan’s Sawai Madhopur district to Sariska Tiger Reserve in Alwar, an official said.

Now Jedi master Yoda is set to guide you on ‘Star Wars’ Sat-nav

SYDNEY - A portable sat-nav specialist firm has introduced a new range of official ‘Star Wars’ voices on their satellite navigation systems and Jedi master Yoda is the latest addition.

Two new fish species found in oil spill area

WASHINGTON - It is amazing but true. Even as tonnes of oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, experts have discovered two new fish species in the now polluted waters.

New research explains how galaxy centres light up

WASHINGTON - Scientists have found that galactic nuclei (AGN), the extremely bright centres of some galaxies, which have sustained recent cloud impacts have enough fuel to light up by giving birth to hundreds of stars and feeding the black hole at their centre.

Brand new planet-finding technique boosts chances of finding new Earths

WASHINGTON - Using a completely new technique, astronomers from Germany, Bulgaria and Poland have discovered an exotic extrasolar planet-an approach that could find planets as small as the Earth in orbit around other stars.

New surgery shows promise in patients of severe flat foot deformity

WASHINGTON - New surgery, developed at Hospital for Special Surgery, could improve patient outcomes in individuals with severe adult flat foot deformity, a problem that is increasingly being seen in hospitals across the country.

Diamond-encrusted iPhone comes at staggering price of 12,995 pounds

LONDON - An iPhone encrusted with 6.5 carats of top-quality diamonds, all individually set, has been introduced at a staggering price of 12,995 pounds.

Stephen Hawking’s take on how aliens might really look

MELBOURNE - British theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking has revealed his idea on how aliens might really look in a new documentary series, ‘Into The Universe’.

Wild cats mimic monkey calls to entice prey

WASHINGTON - Believe it or not, a wild cat species in South America imitates the call of its intended victim, a squirrel-sized monkey known as a pied tamarin, to trap it.

Why some termites become queens and others don’t

WASHINGTON - A new research explains which specific chemicals are used by some termite queens to prevent other termites in the colony from becoming mommies like themselves.

Wildcats mimic their prey’s calls to hunt them

WASHINGTON - For the first time, researchers found a wildcat species imitating the call of its intended victim in order to hunt it.

2500-year-old woman’s face recreated

WELLINGTON - Scientists have reconstructed the face of a 2500-year-old Turkish peasant.

University of Otago researchers refined procedures they had previously used on an Egyptian mummy to reconstruct the skull of the woman whose full skeleton was found during an archaeological dig in Keltepe, near the site of the ruins of the ancient merchant city of Kanesh.

Who is likely to become a bully, victim or both?

WASHINGTON - A new research has found that kids and teenagers who lack social problem-solving skills are more at risk of becoming bullies, victims or both than those who don’t have these difficulties, says new research.

Hormonal contraceptives have mixed success among obese women

WASHINGTON - A new study has revealed that hormonal contraceptives have mixed success among overweight women.

Obama talks energy, economy and elections as he campaigns for Senate Democrats

more images

Total eclipse of the sun occurs this weekend, but few can see it

Weekend total solar eclipse visible to lucky few

A sneak-peek into marriage, chores, careers and divorce in ancient Egypt

CAIRO - Husbands and wives had several joint and separate marital activities in ancient Egyptian society.

NASA chooses Sunita Williams for new space expeditions

WASHINGTON - Indian-American astronaut Sunita Williams has been selected to be on the crew for one of the four new International Space Station crews.

Tyrannosaurs were scavengers, not predators

LONDON - Tooth marks found on the humerus of a plant-eating dinosaur found in Mongolia have revealed that Tyrannosaurs were actually scavengers and not predators, as is widely believed.

Antibody that may help treat, prevent influenza outbreaks identified

WASHINGTON - Scientists have identified a monoclonal antibody that is effective against “Avian” H5N1, seasonal H1N1 and the 2009 “Swine” H1N1 influenza.

Scientists discover new way diseases develop

LONDON - Scientists have discovered a previously unknown mechanism by which cells direct gene expression, the process by which information from a gene is used to direct the physical and behavioral development of individuals.

New way to slow growth of deadly skin cancer

WASHINGTON - Scientists at Queen’s University have demonstrated that the growth of melanoma, one of the most deadly forms of skin cancer, can be slowed when a little known gene called MicroRNA 193b is added.

‘The Cove’ star says video of dolphin leaping from aquarium tank proves captivity is cruel

‘The Cove’ star says dolphin video shows cruelty

Who is likely to become bully, victim or both?

WASHINGTON - Research shows that children and adolescents who lack skills to solve social problems tend to become bullies, victims or both.

Knocking out a gene makes female mice masculine

WASHINGTON - Knocking out a gene called fucose mutarotase (FucM) from female mice, actually makes them masculine-they refuse to males mount them, and will attempt copulation with other female mice.

Prevention of mental decline in aging rats offers hope to patients with Alzheimer’s

WASHINGTON - A compound, called P7C3, could restore the capacity to form new memories in aging rats, likely by improving the survival of newborn neurons in the brain’s memory hub, revealed scientists at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas.

Male fireflies ‘flash’ in unison to attract mates

WASHINGTON - Scientists claim that male fireflies exhibit synchronous flashing to preserve female fireflies’ recognition of suitable mates.

DNA discovery paves way for new therapies for hereditary cancers

WASHINGTON - Researchers have revealed new avenues to develop assessment tools and alternative treatments for people living with hereditary colorectal cancers.

‘Heat waves could be commonplace in US by 2039′

WASHINGTON - A new study has claimed that heat waves in the United States could become very frequent in the next 30 years.

Green peppers, chamomile tea may protect against inflammation

WASHINGTON - Natural compounds, known as phytochemicals, in green peppers, chamomile tea may offer protection against inflammation, found a new study.

‘Magical thinking’ about islands ‘just an illusion’

WASHINGTON - The perception that islands have different and ‘magical’ evolutionary processes is nothing but an illusion, say scientists.

Power supply snag hits Indian communication satellite

CHENNAI - Scientists of the Indian space agency are working to fix a power snag that switched off 12 transponders of the INSAT-4B comunication satellite Wednesday night, affecting services of some television channels and telecom operators.

Page 1 of 212»