Monthly Science News May 2016

Science News For The Month Jun

Isro launches India's first reusable launch vehicle from Sriharikota

After several years of development work, the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) launched the re-usable launch vehicle technology demonstrator (RLV-TD) 70-km from earth and hope to bring it back. A successful test launch, which has been postponed multiple times in the last two-and-a-half years, will go a long way in giving Isro a technology that will reduce the launch cost to one tenth of the present expenditure.
2016-05-23

India to get new indigenously-built supercomputer next year

The Centre for Development of Advanced Computing that built India's first supercomputer, Param, is handling the project. The government had, in March 2015, approved the plan of the National Supercomputing Mission, under which 80 supercomputers will be built in the next seven years.
2016-05-23

'Sunscreen gene' may help protect against skin cancer

Scientists have identified a 'sunscreen gene' that may help protect against melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. Melanoma patients with deficient or mutant copies of the 'UV radiation Resistance Associated Gene' are less protected from harmful ultraviolet rays.
2016-05-21

High blood pressure raises risk of developing vascular dementia

High blood pressure can significantly raise the risk of developing vascular dementia, a disease which affects around 7 lakh people in India, a new study found. High blood pressure was found to be associated with 62 per cent higher risk of vascular dementia between the ages of 30-50.
2016-05-19

Mars is within reach, says German tapped for space command

Humans could set foot on Mars within decades if they wanted to, according to the German astronaut who has been tapped to become his country's first commander of the International Space Station. Alexander Gerst said the space station offers a unique opportunity to test the technology needed to explore other planets, especially if its lifetime is extended beyond 2020.
2016-05-18

US scientists say major earthquake likely in Jammu & Kashmir

New geologic mapping in the Himalayan mountains of Kashmir suggests that the region is ripe for a major earthquake that could endanger the lives of as many as a million people, according to an Oregon State University statement.
2016-05-18

Ocean on Jupiter’s moon may harbour life: Nasa

New Nasa study suggests that the Europa ocean on Jupiter's moon may harbour life. Scientists compared Europa's potential for producing hydrogen and oxygen with that of Earth and found that, on both worlds, oxygen production is about 10 times higher than hydrogen production.
2016-05-18

Artificial intelligence boosts key Bose-Einstein experiment

A team of scientists is using artificial intelligence (AI) to run a complex experiment to create an extremely cold gas trapped in a laser beam known as a Bose-Einstein condensate, replicating the experiment that won the 2001 Nobel Prize. This technology can be used in areas like minerals extraction.
2016-05-18

Inspired by spider webs, scientists create fibre that expand like solid and compress like liquid,

Scientists in London have developed a novel fibre inspired by the watery thread technology of spider webs. The novel properties rely on a subtle balance between fibre elasticity and droplet surface tension. The team was able to recreate this technique using oil droplets on a plastic filament.
2016-05-18

InIndia successfully test-fired indigenously developed nuclear capable Prithvi-II

India successfully test-fired indigenously developed nuclear capable Prithvi-II missile today from test range at Chandipur in Odisha. Last user trial of Prithvi-II was successfully conducted on February 16, 2016 from same test range. Prithvi is India's first indigenously-built ballistic missiile.
2016-05-18

Magic mushrooms may ease severe depression: Study

Of 12 patients given the drug, all showed some decrease in symptoms of depression for at least three weeks. A small-scale pilot study of psilocybin's use in cases of treatment-resistant depression showed it was safe and effective.
2016-05-17

Scientists genetically engineer Zika virus clone

In a pioneering effort, a team of researchers has genetically engineered a clone of the Zika virus strain. This can help in the development of counter-measures to the disease.
2016-05-17

NASA deploys CubeSat to study Sun's soft x-rays

NASA has deployed a bread loaf-sized Miniature X-Ray Solar Spectrometer CubeSat from an airlock on the International Space Station to study the Sun's soft x-rays that can affect our communications systems. It will operate for up to 12 months.
2016-05-17

"Moon and Mars veggies" grow in Dutch greenhouse

Agricultural researchers at a Dutch university are taking steps towards the kind of vegetables that can grow in Martian and lunar soil. Wamelink is working on a type of container, buried underground and kitted out with solar panels and LED lighting.
2016-05-17

Life was more complex billion years ago than thought

A study published in Nature Communications Journal suggests that multi-cell eukaryotes had emerged a billion years ago, much before they are actually believed to have appeared. This would also mean that oxygen levels were 'sufficiently high' for such large organisms to subsist on earth back then.
2016-05-17

Cancer survivor receives first penis transplant in US

A man whose penis was removed because of cancer has received the first penis transplant in the United States, at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Thomas Manning, 64, a bank courier, underwent the 15-hour transplant operation on May 8 and 9. The organ came from a deceased donor.
2016-05-17

IISc study unearths secrets of Gangotri

Scientists have found it difficult to conduct proper field studies of Gangotri glacier, source of the Ganges, all these years, mainly because of its sheer size and inaccessibility.But not any more now because IISc did it.
2016-05-16

Scientists claim key puzzle in brain tumor research deciphered

In its phase II of NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) programme, NASA is supporting the development of studies that help in creating 'magnetoshells' so that interplanetary habitats can be made to take humans to Mars. Each concept can be awarded $500,000 and a ten year concept maturation time.
2016-05-16

Cosmic dust unveils Earth's ancient atmosphere

A new study published in the reputed journal Nature suggests that ancient Earth's atmosphere contained almost the same amount of oxygen as today. This is revolutionary as it was believed that the oxygen levels some 2.7 billion years ago were much less than current levels.
2016-05-16

Genes linked with stress disorder identified

Scientists have identified two statistically significant genetic variants that may lead to an increased risk of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The study, published online in JAMA Psychiatry, was conducted in a massive analysis of DNA samples from more than 13,000 US soldiers.
2016-05-16

Isro's big leap, embarks on launching Indian space shuttle

For the very first time in its history, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is all set to undertake the maiden launch of its very own indigenous version of a 'space shuttle', a fully made-in-India effort.
2016-05-15

Isro's big leap, embarks on launching Indian space shuttle

In its second martian year, NASA's Mars mission, curiosity has clocked the season cycle of the red planet. The local atmosphere in Mars is clear in winter, dustier in spring and summer, and windy in autumn, NASA scientists, including one of Indian-origin, have found.
2016-05-15

Isro's big leap, embarks on launching Indian space shuttle

In its second martian year, NASA's Mars mission, curiosity has clocked the season cycle of the red planet. The local atmosphere in Mars is clear in winter, dustier in spring and summer, and windy in autumn, NASA scientists, including one of Indian-origin, have found.
2016-05-15

Isro's big leap, embarks on launching Indian space shuttle

In its second martian year, NASA's Mars mission, curiosity has clocked the season cycle of the red planet. The local atmosphere in Mars is clear in winter, dustier in spring and summer, and windy in autumn, NASA scientists, including one of Indian-origin, have found.
2016-05-15

Isro's big leap, embarks on launching Indian space shuttle

For the very first time in its history, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is all set to undertake the maiden launch of its very own indigenous version of a 'space shuttle', a fully made-in-India effort.
2016-05-15

NASA measures seasonal patterns in Mars atmosphere

In its second martian year, NASA's Mars mission, curiosity has clocked the season cycle of the red planet. The local atmosphere in Mars is clear in winter, dustier in spring and summer, and windy in autumn, NASA scientists, including one of Indian-origin, have found.
2016-05-14

Humans could have shaped the genetic history of camels: study

Scientists have linked the evolution of single-humped camels to their use by humans, as transportation in deserts. Long-distance, back-forth movements on caravan routes have shaped a camel's genetic diversity. With climate change and desertification, new interest is developing in its reproduction.
2016-05-14

Scientists identify protein to treat miscarriages

The pioneering study shows that a protein called Syncytin-1, which was the result of a viral infection of our primate ancestors 25 million years ago, is first secreted on the surface of a developing embryo even before it implants in the womb.
2016-05-13

Rare blue galaxy may shed new light on Big Bang

An observational study in Washington has found out that allowing teenagers to develop their own coping mechanisms for online risk situations is a better strategy rather than banning their internet usage altogether. The study observed 68 kids over a period of 2 months.
2016-05-13

Einstein's relativity theory still valid: study

An international team led by Japanese researchers has analyzed a 3D map of 3,000 galaxies that are 13 billion light years from Earth. It found that theoretical physicist Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity is still valid. Scientists have been testting this theory since the late 1990s.
2016-05-12

Solar Impulse 2 leaves Arizona on record-breaking flight

Solar Impulse 2 took off from Arizona to Oklahoma , resuming its record-breaking quest to circle the globe without consuming a drop of fuel. It is set to make more stops in the US before finally landing in New York, in the latest leg of their journey that kicked off in March 2015.
2016-05-12

Government proposes eight per cent hike in budget for space research

Jitendra Singh said that the proposed budget stands at Rs 7,509.14 crore to queries pertaining to amount of money spent on space research and whether government mulls increasing the allocations. This amount is about 8% increase compared to the revised estimate allocations made during 2015-16.
2016-05-11

New malaria vaccine offers durable protection in human trials

An experimental malaria vaccine has been found to protect a small number of healthy people from infection for more than one year after immunization, says a study. The vaccine, known as the PfSPZ Vaccine, was developed and produced by US-based pharmaceutical company Sanaria.
2016-05-10

Air on young Earth weighed less than half of today's: Researchers

New research has found evidence that the commonly accepted idea that the early Earth had a thicker atmosphere to compensate for weaker sunlight does not hold true. This has implications for studies on how biology and climate worked on the early planet.
2016-05-10

A rare celestial crossing: Mercury transit Sun on May 9

The transit of Mercury is a phenomenon in which the planet will be seen as a small black dot travelling from one end of the solar disc to the other, according to Sanjib Sen, Director, Positional Astronomy Centre. You will have the opportunity to witness one of the rare astronomical events - a transit of Mercury across the face of the Sun - on May 9. And if you miss it this time, you would be able to see it from India only after 16 years on November 13, 2032.
2016-05-09

Scientists peel back the carrot's genetic secrets

In a rare astronomical phenomenon that occurs only 13 times in a century, Mercury will be seen as dot on the solar disc today. This occurs only when Sun, Mercury and Earth are lined up in one plane. It appears as a dot on the disc because its angular size is very small compared to that of Sun.
2016-05-09

Stain on your shirt? Technology launched to make it clean itself

Nano Particles Allow Cloth To Remove Stains On Its Own
2016-05-08

ICAR looks at GM sugarcane option to ease water woes

Efforts are on to develop drought tolerant genetically modified (GM) sugarcane that will need less water for cultivation. The water guzzling sugarcane crop is blamed for worsening the acute water shortage in parched areas of Maharastra.
2016-05-08

World's first plant-eating marine reptile found

A bizarre crocodile-sized "hammerhead" creature, that lived 242 million years ago, may have been the earliest known example of a plant-eating marine reptile, researchers have said.
2016-05-07

World's largest particle smasher set to push physics into unknown

The world's most powerful proton smasher is preparing for its biggest run yet which scientists hope will uncover new particles that could dramatically change our understanding of the Universe.
2016-05-06

'Boaty McBoatface' sinks as UK names research ship

Britain will name a new marine research submarine "Boaty McBoatface" rather than giving it the joke name picked by the public for a much bigger ship, a minister announced .
2016-05-06

SpaceX successfully lands rockets first stage after space launch

SpaceX successfully landed the first stage of its Falcon 9 rocket on a floating platform in the Atlantic Ocean early after launching a Japanese communications satellite into orbit.
2016-05-06

Using ALMA, scientists get measure of monster black hole

Scientists have successfully measured a monster black hole sitting at the center of a galaxy 73 million light years away from earth. And, the metrics they found are mind-boggling: the black hole is about 660 million times as massive as our sun, and a cloud of gas is speeding around it at about 1.8 million kmph.
2016-05-06

Pluto's unique interaction with solar wind revealed

A new study has revealed that Pluto behaves less like a comet than expected and more like a planet in the way it interacts with the solar wind. Earlier, most researchers thought that Pluto was characterised more like a comet which has a large region of gentle slowing of the solar wind, as opposed to the abrupt diversion of solar wind like in other planets.
2016-05-06

ExxonMobil launches venture for low-cost carbon capture

Oil giant ExxonMobil said Thursday it was starting a new venture that could make carbon-dioxide capture a more economically attractive way to fight global warming.
2016-05-05

For first time, scientists grow two-week-old human embryos in lab

By using a culture method previously tested to grow mouse embryos outside of a mother, the teams were able to conduct almost hour by hour observations of human embryo development to see how they develop and organize themselves up to day 13.
2016-05-05

Phase II of ExoMars mission delayed to 2020

The second stage of a joint European-Russian mission to search for signs of life on Mars has been delayed from 2018 to 2020, the European Space Agency and Russia's Roscosmos said . The new planned launch date for the second ExoMars mission was July 2020.
2016-05-02

Phase two of ExoMars mission delayed to 2020

The second part of a joint European-Russian mission to probe Mars for traces of life has been delayed two years, with a new launch date set for July 2020, officials said .
2016-05-02

Qatar's prized racing camels bred for success

Deep in the Qatari desert, Musharif spends his afternoons "swimming" in a large pool that doubles as a jacuzzi, just one of the perks of being a racing camel.
2016-05-01

Aerial pesticide spraying may up autism risk in kids: Study

Using airplanes to spray anti-mosquito pesticides may increase the risk of autism spectrum disorder and developmental delays among children, scientists, including one of Indian-origin have found.
2016-04-30

Kolkata witnesses rare ring around Sun

The phenomenon known as the 22 degree circular halo of the sun, occurs when the sun's or moon's rays get deflected/ refracted through the hexagonal ice crystals present in cirrus clouds. The halo was last observed in April 2013 in the suburbs of the city.
2016-04-30

Nasa knows about every eclipse in next 1,000 years

US space agency Nasa knows exact time, down to the fraction of a second, when eclipses will occur in next 1,000 years. It has kept a five millennium catalogue of all the eclipses (both solar and lunar) that have occurred or will occur from 1999 BC to the year AD 3000.
2016-04-30

Weasel temporarily shuts Large Hadron Collider

The world's largest atom smasher, the Large Hadron Collider at CERN outside of Geneva, has suspended operations because a weasel invaded a transformer that helps power the machine and set off an electrical outage night, a CERN spokesman said.
2016-04-30

El Nino dries up Asia as its stormy sister La Nina looms

Withering drought and sizzling temperatures from El Nino have caused food and water shortages and ravaged farming across Asia, and experts warn of a double-whammy of possible flooding from its sibling, La Nina.2016-04-29

Inhalation therapy is the best for treating asthma in children, doctors say

Inhalation therapy is the best in the battle against asthma in children as the medicine reaches the lungs immediately and it is safe, paediatric pulmonologist at Child Trust Hospital Dr S Balasubramanian has said.
2016-04-28

The turf battle for Qatar's 2022 World Cup

Watching grass grow is not usually considered exciting but there's currently a buzz of anticipation among Qatar's World Cup organisers about 12 different types of turf gently sprouting on former Doha farmland.2016-04-28

Japan gives up on failed black hole research satellite:Japan abandons $250mn black hole satellite

Japan's space agency said Thursday that a quarter-of-a-billion-dollar satellite sent to study mysterious black holes has failed, concluding a month-long effort to salvage the ambitious project closely watched across the globe.2016-04-28

First rocket launch from Russia's Vostochny after delay

Russia's new Vostochny cosmodrome hosted its first rocket launch Thursday, the Roscosmos space agency said, after a last-minute delay a day earlier led to President Vladimir Putin criticising the programme's officials. The Soyuz 2.2016-04-28
Source: The Times of India News