NASA’s Survey of Cool Universe
Posted: November 30, 2009 Filed under: Space Leave a comment »The survey of the comparatively chilly universe will be conducted by NASA’s WISE mission (Wide Infrared Survey Explorer). The mission’s small cryogenic space telescope in a Thermos bottle is scheduled to launch on Dec. 9 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. It will complete making an all-sky infrared map by the middle of next year. The catalog is expected to reveal the coolest stars, 100,000 asteroids, and some of the brightest star forming galaxies that are shrouded in dust, among many other targets.
Da Vinci’s ‘Last Supper’ Gets Digital Makeover
Posted: November 29, 2009 Filed under: Uncategorized 3 Comments »
Bright, vivid colors adorned Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper, according to a digital reconstruction of the masterpiece at the exhibition “Leonardo da Vinci’s Workshop” at Discovery Times Square Exposition in New York.Painted to provide monks at the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan with something to contemplate during meals, the mural is considered one of da Vinci’s greatest works.
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Bioengineers Succeed in Producing Plastics Without the Use of Fossil Fuels
Posted: November 27, 2009 Filed under: BIODIVERSITY, inventions Leave a comment »
Computer rendering of E. coli bacteria. A newly developed E. coli strain is capable of efficiently producing unnatural polymers, through a one-step fermentation process. (Credit: iStockphoto/Sebastian Kaulitzki)
A team of pioneering South Korean scientists have succeeded in producing the polymers used for everyday plastics through bioengineering, rather than through the use of fossil fuel based chemicals. This groundbreaking research, which may now allow for the production of environmentally conscious plastics, is published in two papers in the journal Biotechnology and Bioengineering.
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First Proton Collisions in the LHC
Posted: November 25, 2009 Filed under: earth Leave a comment »The world’s largest particle accelerator has performed its first collisions, and its first beam acceleration.Progress on the giant experiment has been rapid in the four days since the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) was restarted.According to several sources, these low-energy collisions weren’t expected for another two weeks, but LHC scientists and engineers were obviously very confident that they could put the delay to an end and start smashing protons today.
Can the Sun Help Turn Carbon Dioxide Into Fuel?
Posted: November 25, 2009 Filed under: Alternative Energy Leave a comment »U.S. researchers have demonstrated a technology that uses the sun’s heat to convert carbon dioxide and water into the building blocks of traditional fuels, a reverse combustion process that may emerge as a practical alternative to sequestration of CO2 emissions from power plants.
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Bad News :Oceans Absorb Less Carbon Dioxide as Marine Systems Change
Posted: November 24, 2009 Filed under: oceans, pollution Leave a comment »The oceans are largest carbon sink on the planet. Some 93 percent of carbon dioxide is stored in algae, vegetation, and coral 
under the sea. But oceans are not able to absorb all of the carbon dioxide released from the burning of fossil fuels. A recent study suggests that the oceans have absorbed a smaller proportion of fossil-fuel emissions, nearly 10 percent less, since 2000.
The study, published in the current issue of Nature, is the first to quantify the perceived trend that oceans are becoming less efficient carbon sinks. The study team, led by Columbia University oceanographer Samar Khatiwala, measured the amount of human-caused carbon dioxide emissions pumped into the oceans since 1765.
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25 Everyday Technologies That Came from NASA
Posted: November 24, 2009 Filed under: Guest Post Leave a comment »Though associated mainly with aerospace innovations, NASA holds a significant influence over daily life as well. Many people do not realize that everything from toys to sunglasses and even horseshoes have benefitted from technologies originally intended for astronauts, shuttle flights, and other elements of space exploration. While some inventions stem directly from NASA and its collaborations, others simply involve vast improvements to existing designs. ….
Dear Readers.This came as an email. I found it interesting and informative so i am passing it on to you all.You can read rest of the article here.
Mumbai to have satellite mapping to avoid Encroachments
Posted: November 23, 2009 Filed under: Uncategorized 2 Comments »
The city would soon have satellite mapping and land audit to avoid encroachments on open spaces, as per Maharashtra government’s mission to make the financial capital slum-free. Satellite mapping and third party land audit would be conducted, an official of the Housing department said. The city would also have Slum Free Directorate to deal with increasing slums and encroachment on open spaces. Considering the industrialisation in cities like Pune, Nagpur, Aurangabad, Chavan mooted extending the rental housing scheme for the cities.
Indian students design satelite set for launch
Posted: November 22, 2009 Filed under: India, inventions, Satellites 1 Comment »
A team of engineering students from southern India have been designing a small light-weight satellite that is set to be sent into space soon. The Indian Space Research Organisation is supporting the project in the hope that it will encourage more students to be more interested in space technology.About 40 students, mostly engineering under-graduates from seven top colleges in Bangalore and Hyderabad are working together at Nitte Meenakshi Institute of Technology in Bangalore.Under the guidance of the research organisation, the students hope to build one of the smallest satellites ever designed. It will be used for remote-sensing applications. It will orbit the earth at an altitude of 700 kilometers and will send 30 minutes of data everyday.The students have already built a master-control ground station to track the location of the satellite in space. The satellite is expected to be launched before the end of the year through the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle.Once the satellite is launched and placed in its final orbit, all its systems will be monitored by the students themselves.
SOURCES
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Treatment for Type 2 diabetes available at PGI Chandigarh from next week only for Rs. 20000
Posted: November 15, 2009 Filed under: India, inventions 46 Comments »After successful tests by a team of doctors of the Department of Endocrinology, PGIMER, a rare technique of curing Type 2 diabetes through bone marrow derived stem cell transplantation will now be available.
It is expected to be a breakthrough in treatment of patients suffering from this more common type of diabetes at a cost of Rs 20,000.
Acknowledging the technology, a research paper ‘Efficacy of Autologous Bone Marrow Derived Stem Cell Transplantation in Patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus’ by a team of doctors, led by Dr A Bhansali will be published this month in an international journal published in the US—Stem Cells and Development.
Of the ten patients on whom this test was conducted in December 2006, two were able to discontinue insulin completely after six months. The insulin requirement came down by 75 per cent for five others while the remaining three did not respond to the treatment.
