Science News For The Year 2015 And Month Oct

Skull-shaped asteroid to zip past Earth today

A large space rock that will zip past the Earth this Halloween is most likely a dead comet that bears resemblance to a skull. Discovered three weeks ago, the asteroid, 2015 TB145, will fly by at just 1.3 lunar distances, or about 490,000km, at 1pm on Saturday.
2015-10-31 09:41:22

Single gene variation linked to obesity

The study suggests that a less common version of the BDNF gene may predispose people to obesity by producing lower levels of BDNF protein.Named Pliobates cataloniae, the new species has important implications for reconstructing the last common ancestor of the two groups (the living hominoids).Named Pliobates cataloniae, the new species has important implications for reconstructing the last common ancestor of the two groups (the living hominoids).
2015-10-30 06:22:18

Soon, you could control PCs with a smile, blink or frown

Scientists are developing new technologies that will allow computers to recognise non-verbal commands like gestures, body language and facial expressions.In a major breakthrough, European Space Agency's (ESA) Rosetta spacecraft has made the first in-situ detection of oxygen (O2) molecules outgassing from a comet, a surprising observation that suggests they were incorporated into the comet during its formation, according to an announcement by the space agency on Thursday .
2015-10-30 01:10:04

6,000-yr-old `eco-home' discovered

British archaeologists have discovered a 6,000year-old `eco-home' close to the iconic prehistoric Stonehenge monument.The centre of the Milky Way galaxy, a region previously thought to consist of vast numbers of old stars, actually has young stars, the study showed.A team of astronomers has discovered a previously unknown component of our home galaxy, the Milky Way â?? a thin disc of young stars in the central region of the galaxy buried behind thick clouds of dust.
2015-10-29 10:02:08

Study highlights key hindrances to organic farming

Despite the government's constant efforts to promote organic farming, only 16.3 per cent farmers of Rajasthan use organic inputs, while fear of less production and unavailability of organic inputs form the major hindrances to the chemical-ridden farming.
2015-10-29 09:10:07

New component of Milky Way discovered

The astronomers have found 655 candidate variable stars of a type called Cepheids. These stars expand and contract periodically, taking anything from a few days to months to complete a cycle and changing significantly in brightness as they do so
2015-10-29 07:34:16

New component of Milky Way discovered

Astronomers have discovered a previously unknown component of the Milky Way: a disc of young stars buried behind thick dust clouds in the central bulge.A plastic derived from corn starch combined with a volcanic ash compound could help heal the bones of hundreds of thousands of patients with orthopaedic injuries who need bone replacement, scientists, including one of Indian-origin, have found.A plastic derived from corn starch combined with a volcanic ash compound could help heal the bones of hundreds of thousands of patients with orthopaedic injuries who need bone replacement, scientists, including one of Indian-origin, have found.Car companies will have to decide who their self-driving vehicles are going to kill in the even of a crash, philosophers have warned.From digestion to heart healthComputers will be advanced enough in around 50 years that they can create "synthetic digital life" based upon people's past movements, preferences and history on social media, Simon McKeown, a reader in Animation and Post Production at Teesside University in Middlesborough, has said.
2015-10-28 14:21:37

Common heartburn drugs may damage your kidney

Increased use of certain medications commonly used to treat heartburn and acid reflux may have damaging effects on the kidneys. The researchers looked at the effects of the drugs called proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) on chronic kidney disease (CKD).
2015-10-28 14:21:37

World's first sonic tractor beam lifts objects with sound

Researchers, including one of Indian-origin, have built the world's first sonic tractor beam that can lift and move objects using sound waves.
2015-10-28 02:46:17

Lions vanishing in West Africa, finds new study

Lions, that symbol of Africaâ??s wild beauty, power and freedom, no longer roam in Mali. Or in Ivory Coast or Ghana or war-shattered eastern Congo.
2015-10-28 02:24:01

MERS, Ebola, bird flu: Science's big missed opportunities

Anyone who goes down with flu in Europe this winter could be asked to enroll in a randomized clinical trial in which they will either be given a drug, which may or may not work, or standard advice to take bed rest and paracetamol.Researchers have found a candidate target for a transmission-blocking vaccine that interferes with virus in section of the mosquito after it feeds on the blood of infected hosts.The material is so dark that it can absorb almost all light that hits it.Scientists hope that Cassini craft can come to understand the makeup of the mysterious watery world, which some scientists think could have life beneath its surface.Doctors warn that if one sees a patch of hair, discoloured skin or a swelling on the lower back of a newborn, it should not be ignored.Researchers have identified a protein that is essential for the spread of dengue infection in mosquitoes. Blocking this protein could be the strategy for developing dengue vaccines.
2015-10-26 11:18:24

Processed meat can cause cancer, red meat probably can: WHO

Eating processed meat can cause bowel cancer in humans while red meat is a likely cause of the disease, World Health Organization (WHO) experts said on Monday in findings that could sharpen debate over the merits of a meat-based diet.
2015-10-26 11:18:24

Processed meat can cause cancer, red meat probably can: WHO

PGI protocol to give stroke patients a shot at recovery

From November 1, if a patient admitted in PGI suffers a stroke, a dedicated team will be ready to save his or her life.An initial analysis during a study found thousands of chemicals in the clothes and around a hundred chemicals were preliminary identified.Researchers have used a new inexpensive 3D printing method to develop models of heart and arteries out of biological materials.
2015-10-26 00:41:52

Comet Lovejoy releasing 500 bottles of alcohol per second

Comet Lovejoy is living up to its name by releasing large amounts of alcohol -as much as 500 bottles of wine every second -into space, scientists have found.
We have receptors in our brains that respond to natural pain killing opiates such as endorphins, but the researchers at the University of Manchester have now shown that these receptors increase in number to help cope with long-term, severe pain.It is thought cells from a miscarried sibling were absorbed by the man while he was in the womb.It is thought cells from a miscarried sibling were absorbed by the man while he was in the womb.Study reveals why it is so hard to stop eating cheese it triggers the same part of brain as crack cocaine.Study reveals why it is so hard to stop eating cheese it triggers the same part of brain as crack cocaine.A study of DNA from Bronze Age people in Europe and Asia showed the bacterium, Yersinia pestis, afflicted humans as long ago as about 2800 BC, more than 3,000 years earlier than the oldest previous evidence of plague.To the envy of workers who graft from 9 to 5, Sweden has adopted a 6-hour working day, to increase productivity and happiness. But a new study has revealed that UK workers could settle for a slightly longer 7-hour working day as the ideal.To the envy of workers who graft from 9 to 5, Sweden has adopted a 6-hour working day, to increase productivity and happiness. But a new study has revealed that UK workers could settle for a slightly longer 7-hour working day as the ideal.The large size and shape of nasal passages in dinosaurs would have allowed incoming air to cool the blood making its way to the brain, maintaining the brain at an optimum temperature, a new study has found.
2015-10-24 05:45:07

'Great Pumpkin' to fly past Earth on Halloween

Asteroid dubbed 'Great Pumkpin' will make its closest approach to the Earth - roughly 490,000 kilometres away, about 1.3 times the distance to the moon - on October 31 at 1.05pm EDT and will be visible through small telescopes.
2015-10-24 05:33:54

'Great Pumpkin' to fly past Earth on Halloween

In unexpected discovery, comet contains alcohol, sugar

Ethyl alcohol and a simple sugar known as glycolaldehyde were detected in Comet Lovejoy, said the study in the journal Science Advances.
2015-10-24 04:16:46

Briton who can 'smell' Parkinson's sparks study

The widow of a man who suffered with Parkinson's has triggered new research this week into the condition after she discovered she could â??smellâ?? the disease.A type of bacteria found at the bottom of the ocean could be used to neutralize large amounts of industrial carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere, researchers, including one of Indian-origin, have found.
2015-10-23 18:03:38

Competitor offers $1 pill after Turing Pharma raised price of drug to $750

As a workaround to a recent eye-popping increase in the price of the medicine Daraprim to $750 a pill by Turing Pharmaceuticals, a San Diego-based pharma company has said it would start selling the pills at $1 each.
2015-10-23 14:57:45

Drug compounder offers cheap version of costly Turing drug

Stepping into the furor over eye-popping price spikes for old generic medicines, a maker of compounded drugs will begin selling $1 doses of Daraprim, whose price recently was jacked up to $750 per pill by Turing Pharmaceuticals.
2015-10-23 14:57:45

New technique to detect magnetic fields inside stars

Researchers used asteroseismology - a discipline similar to seismology - to track waves travelling through stars in order to determine their inner properties.Children who regularly use antibiotics gain weight faster than those who have never taken the drugs, according to new research that suggests childhood antibiotics may have a asting effect on body weight well into adulthood.
2015-10-23 01:09:11

Major aspirin anti-cancer trial launches in UK

The world's largest ever clinical trial into whether taking a daily dose of aspirin can stop five common cancers from recurring was launched in Britain on Thursday.
2015-10-22 01:16:42

'Post-sex blues may not be a medical condition'

In a recent survey, almost half of young women said that at some point in their lives, they'd experienced feelings of melancholy after sex.
2015-10-22 01:16:42

Hot stars found locked in final death dance

Scientists have discovered two extremely hot and big stars locked in a death dance with a dramatic and violent end the only way out. They found the strange pair in the Tarantula Nebula, some 160,000 light years away.
2015-10-21 12:06:07

Sedentary lifestyle may up risk of kidney disease

The researchers found that each 80 minutes/day (assuming 16 awake hours/day) increase in sedentary duration was associated with a 20 per cent increased likelihood of chronic kidney disease.A high-fat diet may cause changes in brain that lead to anxiety and depression, a new study has warned.
2015-10-20 23:46:07

Life may have appeared 4.1 billion years ago

An ancient zircon crystal unearthed in western Australia may hold evidence that life appeared on the planet 4.1 billion years ago, or about 300 million years earlier than previously thought, according to a team of US researchers.
2015-10-20 23:46:07

Donâ??t ignore your bone health: Experts

Osteoporosis or brittle bone is a condition that can be managed and treated if diagnosed early and accurately. Unfortunately, it often remains undiagnosed until a fracture occurs, say experts.Osteoporosis or brittle bone is a condition that can be managed and treated if diagnosed early and accurately. Unfortunately, it often remains undiagnosed until a fracture occurs, say experts.Einstein, a celebrated German-born theoretical physicist who spent the final years of his life at Princeton University in the northeastern United States, presented his theory on November 25, 1915 before the Prussian Academy of Science.British researchers said they have identified a new gene linked to nerve function, that could hold the key to treating neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease.
2015-10-19 14:57:45

Most of worldâ??s population have no access to pain-relieving drugs: Report

Around three-fourths of the worldâ??s population have no access to any pain-relieving drugs according to a report.A potentially hazardous giant asteroid with an 'extremely eccentric' orbit is set to fly past the Earth on October 31 at over 125,529 kilometres per hour, according to Nasa.Counting the number of moles on a person's right arm could indicate vulnerability to skin cancer, with 11 or more moles being a "strong predictor" of melanoma, research published on Monday suggested.<br
2015-10-19 12:36:22

New eye lens may spell end of reading glasses

An Indian-origin researcher in the UK is developing an adjustable artificial lens, made from the same material found in smartphone and TV screens, which could improve vision in older people with presbyopia and cataracts.
2015-10-19 12:27:20

Premature birth may weaken brain connections

These brain circuit abnormalities likely contribute to problems that materialize as the children get older, Rogers said.

Source:The Times of India News

Monthly Science Current Affairs December 2015
Monthly Science Current Affairs November 2015