Second rare white kiwi hatches in New Zealand

2011-12-23T04:30:19Z

A second rare white kiwi has hatched at New Zealand's national wildlife centre, conservation officials announced Friday, months after the world's first hatched in captivity.

The chick is believed to have the same parents as Manukura, which arrived in May, and it has given its carers an extra treat in the festive period.

"We were gob-smacked really," said Kathy Houkamau, the manager at the Pukaha sanctuary nort...

HIV trial is 'breakthough' of 2011

2011-12-22T16:30:20Z

A landmark clinical trial that showed HIV drugs can be as effective as condoms in preventing transmission of the virus that causes AIDS was declared Science magazine's breakthrough of the year on Thursday.

Other top achievements of 2011 included a Japanese spacecraft's return to Earth with dust from an asteroid, progress toward a malaria vaccine and discoveries about modern humans' gene links to cavemen.

The annual top 10 list by the CHICAGO (Reuters) - A substance that forms in patients with all-metal artificial hips turns out to contain the common lubricant graphite, a discovery that could help in designing longer lasting implants, researchers said.

Such "metal-on-metal" hips were developed to be more durable than traditional implants that combined metal and polyethylene fo...

Embattled chronic fatigue syndrome paper retracted

2011-12-22T08:00:29Z

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The editors of the journal Science have retracted a controversial 2009 paper claiming to prove a link between a virus and chronic fatigue syndrome.

"Science has lost confidence in the Report and the validity of its conclusions," Editor-in-Chief Bruce Alberts writes in the journal. "We regret th...

Pat Robertson: Gay Folks Can Un-Acquire Their Sexuality

2011-12-22T06:30:12Z

Televangelist Pat Robertson on Wednesday told a dad to love his gay son by helping him convert his sexuality

Televangelist Pat Robertson on Wednesday told a dad to love his gay son by helping him convert his sexuality, media watchdog RightWingWatch.org reported.

When a viewer asked...

Single gene links rare cancers

2011-12-21T19:31:00Z

Canadian researchers have discovered that a common gene links a number of rare reproductive cancers, a finding that could lead to new approaches for treatment, said a study published on Wednesday.

Ovarian, uterine and testicular cancer were all found to have the same mutation in a gene called DICER, said the research in the ...

Toasted planets give hint of solar system's future

2011-12-21T18:30:38Z

The remains of two planets closely orbiting a dying star some 3,900 light years away have given astronomers a glimpse of what may happen at the demise of our own solar system about five billion years from now.

Named KOI 55.01 and KOI 55.02, the planets orbit a sun that has passed the "red giant" stage -- a star that has burned up most of its fuel and becomes larger and larger, according to the study, published in the Beethoven's compositions, prompting him to choose lower-frequency notes as his condition worsened, scientists said on Tuesday.

Beethoven first mentioned his hearing loss in 1801 at the age of 30, complaining that he was having problems hearing the high notes of instruments and voices.

By 1812, people had to shout to make themselves understood and in 1818, he star...

Earth-sized worlds spotted in new advance for exoplanets

2011-12-20T19:31:55Z

Astronomers on Tuesday said that for the first time they had spotted two Earth-sized worlds orbiting a Sun-like star, in another big advance in the search for so-called exoplanets.

One of the planets is just three percent bigger than Earth and the other is 13 percent smaller, which would make it a bit tinier than Venus, they reported online in the British

Water cranks up the heat in chillies

2011-12-20T16:30:29Z

Scientists on Wednesday said they had solved a puzzle over why some wild chilli plants yield red-hot fruit but others have fruit which is mild.

The answer lies in exposure to water, they reported in the British journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.

The fiery ingredient in chillies is ...

Frankincense production "doomed," scientists warn

2011-12-20T16:30:12Z

LONDON (Reuters) - Trees that produce frankincense, a fragrant resin used in incense and perfumes and a central part of the Christmas story, are declining so fast that production could be halved over the next 15 years, scientists said on Wednesday.

In a study published in the British Ecological Society's Journal of Applied Ecology, ecologists from

First Earth-sized planets found beyond solar system

2011-12-20T15:00:11Z

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - Astronomers have found a pair of Earth-sized planets orbiting a star similar to the sun, though neither are believed to be suitable for life, scientists on NASA's Kepler telescope team said on Tuesday.

The discovery follows confirma...

NASA finds Earth-size planets outside solar system

2011-12-20T14:00:16Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - NASA's Kepler mission has discovered the first Earth-size planets orbiting a sun-like star outside our solar system, a milestone in the search for planets like the earth, the space agency said on Tuesday.

The planets, called Kepler-20e and Kepler-20f, are the smallest planets outside the solar system confirmed around a star like ...

Strict diet could save brain from aging: study

2011-12-19T18:30:39Z

Eating less may keep the mind young, according to Italian scientists who reported Monday they have discovered the molecular process by which a strict diet may save the brain from the ravages of age.

The research, published in the US journal the Proceedings of the National Acad...

Africa bids to host world's largest telescope

2011-12-19T09:30:29Z

Africa, the birthplace of the human species, has long been a magnet for archaeologists.

Now South Africa wants to draw leading astrophysicists to the continent as well with the world's most powerful radio telescope, the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), an instrument that would be able to look back to the infancy of the universe.

South Africa and CHICAGO (Reuters) - The U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) will sharply curtail medical research studies using chimpanzees, humans' closest relative in the animal kingdom, after an expert panel said such studies are rarely warranted.

New telescope captures 'starburst' galaxy

2011-12-15T09:30:19Z

Europe's state-of-the-art Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Paranal, Chile has captured some of the most detailed images ever taken of a spiral galaxy, scientists said Friday.

The Silver Coin Galaxy, known to scientists as NGC 253, gleams about 11.5 million light years away in the southern constellation of Sculptor.

One light year is the distance that light travels in 365 Earth days, about 9.46 ...

Chimp research rarely warranted: U.S. expert panel

2011-12-15T08:30:10Z

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Use of chimpanzees in government-funded medical research should be strictly limited, reserved only for studies where no suitable alternative is available or where testing in people would be unethical, a U.S. expert panel said on Thursday.

The BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union will virtually ban phosphates in dishwasher and laundry soap to curb the pollution of rivers, lakes and seas by algae from 2013, EU lawmakers decided on Wednesday.

Phosphates help soften calcium-rich hard water but they can lead to blooms of alga...

South Pole conquest hailed 100 years on

2011-12-14T09:30:55Z

Norway's prime minister and several hundred scientists and adventurers gathered at the South Pole Wednesday to celebrate its conquest 100 years ago, also highlighting the threat of climate change.

On December 14, 1911, not long before the outbreak of World War I as nationalism was on the rise in Europe, Norwegian explorer

South Africa desert town battles for radio telescope

2011-12-14T06:30:27Z

CARNARVON, South Africa (Reuters) - The occasional sheep seeks respite from a sun that has scorched rocks black in this semi-desert region that South Africa hopes will host the world's most powerful radio telescope.

Chosen because of its remoteness, with hills providing an extra shield against radio interference, the Carnarvon area could emerge as t...

Caucus schedule taking backseat to TV

2011-12-14T02:30:34Z

For all the hand-wringing over whether Nevada Republicans should have protected the state's vaunted early caucus, it's beginning to look as if early states are losing their outsize influence over who becomes the presidential nominee.It's still early, but it hasn't been the darlings of Iowa or South Africa is well-placed to host the world's largest telescope because the costs would be lower, according to the deputy science minister.

South Africa is competing with Australia to win the contract for the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), a multi-billion dollar" class="inform">...

Life possible on 'large parts' of Mars: study

2011-12-12T04:32:27Z

Australian scientists who modelled conditions on Mars to examine how much of the red planet was habitable said that "large regions" could sustain life.

Charley Lineweaver's team, from the Australian National University, compared models of temperature and pressure conditions on Earth with those on Mars...

Indonesia says Sumatra, Kalimantan at risk of floods

2011-12-11T21:00:07Z

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia's commodity-rich Sumatra and Kalimantan regions are among areas at high risk of flooding in December, the state weather agency said on Monday.

The agency said the country...

Total lunar eclipse to dazzle western states Saturday

2011-12-09T15:00:15Z

(Reuters) - Residents in the western United States will be able to see the last total lunar eclipse for nearly three years early on Saturday morning.

"A total lunar eclipse is where the full moon is immersed in the earth's shadow," said Larry Ciupik, an astronomer with the JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Almost 80,000 years before humans began using chemical sprays to control insect pests, Africans were using mattresses made from bug-repelling plants to ensure a good night's sleep.

The finding, published in the journal Science on Friday, derives from 77,000-year-old plant bedding found in a cave in

Scientists say ancient human bedding used for pest control

2011-12-09T08:00:23Z

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Almost 80,000 years before humans began using chemical sprays to control insect pests, Africans were using mattresses made from bug-repelling plants to ensure a good night's sleep.

The finding, published in the journal Science Friday, derives from 77,000-year-old plant bedding found in a cave in NASA's moon rocks and meteorites, and hundreds of samples have gone missing after being loaned out by the US space agency, an audit said Thursday.

NASA Inspector General Paul Martin issued a report detailing foibles such as the US space agency making loans to researchers who never used the samples, or simply losing track of...

U.S. climate agency NOAA loosens media restraints

2011-12-07T19:30:17Z

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The lead U.S. government agency for climate and weather research unveiled a new policy that will allow its scientists to speak freely to the media and the public about their research without prior permission, the agency's administrator said on Wednesday.

"This policy is really about fostering an environment w...

Biological weapons threat is growing, U.S. warns

2011-12-07T08:30:21Z

GENEVA (Reuters) - The United States called on Wednesday for closer international cooperation to prevent terrorist groups from developing or using biological weapons, a threat it said was growing.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said countries m...

Planet found orbiting habitable zone of sun-like star

2011-12-06T07:00:13Z

MOFFET FIELD, California (Reuters) - The most Earth-like planet ever discovered is circling a star 600 light years away, a key finding in an ongoing quest to learn if life exists beyond Earth, scientists said on Monday.

The planet, called Kepler-22b, joins a list of more than 500 planets found to orbit stars beyond our solar system. It is t...

NASA confirms 'super-Earth' that could hold life

2011-12-06T04:30:21Z

In another step toward finding Earth-like planets that may hold life, NASA said the Kepler space telescope has confirmed its first-ever planet in a habitable zone outside our solar system.

French astronomers earlier this year confirmed the first rocky exoplanet to meet key requirements for sustaining life. But Kepler-22b, initially glimpsed in 2009, is the first the US space agency has been able to confirm.

Confirmation mea...

Astronomers discover biggest black holes ever

2011-12-05T21:30:06Z

Scientists have discovered the two biggest black holes ever observed, each with a mass billions of times greater than the Sun's, according to a study published Monday.

The two giants are located in the heart of a pair of galaxies several hundred million light years from Earth, said the study in scientific journal Nature.

Each black hole is estimated to have a mass about 10 billion times...

Food And Farm No Till

2011-01-05T07:31:43Z

FILE - In this Dec. 4, 2009 file photo, a farmer cultivates his recently harvested cornfield near Farmingdale, Ill., turning what remains of the plants back into the soil. A new study that suggests no-till farming, in which fields are left alone between harvest and planting, releases far smaller amounts of a potent greenhouse gas than conventional farming, in which fields are plowed while fertilizers are still breaking down in the soil. The ...

Mideast Israel Palestinians Solar Eclipse

2011-01-04T07:31:44Z

A view of a partial solar eclipse as seen from Gaza city, Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2011. A partial solar eclipse began Tuesday in the skies over the Mideast and will extend across much of Europe. (AP Photo/Hatem Moussa)

...

Germany Partial Solar Eclipse

2011-01-05T08:02:05Z

A partial solar eclipse is pictured through clouds in Albershausen, southwestern Germany, on Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2011. (AP Photo/dapd, Daniel Kopatsch)

...

Italy Partial Solar Eclipse

2011-01-04T02:31:19Z

A partial solar eclipse is partially seen at top right through the clouds past the ancient Colosseum, in Rome, Italy, Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2011.(AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

...

Mideast Israel Palestinians Solar Eclipse

2011-01-04T02:31:18Z

A view of a partial solar eclipse as seen from the town of Givatayim near Tel Aviv, Israel, Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2011. A partial solar eclipse began Tuesday in the skies over the Mideast and will extend across much of Europe. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Inform Science

Second rare white kiwi hatches in New Zealand

HIV trial is 'breakthough' of 2011

Embattled chronic fatigue syndrome paper retracted

Pat Robertson: Gay Folks Can Un-Acquire Their Sexuality

Single gene links rare cancers

Toasted planets give hint of solar system's future

Earth-sized worlds spotted in new advance for exoplanets

Water cranks up the heat in chillies

Frankincense production "doomed," scientists warn

First Earth-sized planets found beyond solar system

NASA finds Earth-size planets outside solar system

Strict diet could save brain from aging: study

Africa bids to host world's largest telescope

New telescope captures 'starburst' galaxy

Chimp research rarely warranted: U.S. expert panel

South Pole conquest hailed 100 years on

South Africa desert town battles for radio telescope

Caucus schedule taking backseat to TV

Life possible on 'large parts' of Mars: study

Indonesia says Sumatra, Kalimantan at risk of floods

Total lunar eclipse to dazzle western states Saturday

Scientists say ancient human bedding used for pest control

U.S. climate agency NOAA loosens media restraints

Biological weapons threat is growing, U.S. warns

Planet found orbiting habitable zone of sun-like star

NASA confirms 'super-Earth' that could hold life

Astronomers discover biggest black holes ever

Food And Farm No Till

Mideast Israel Palestinians Solar Eclipse

Germany Partial Solar Eclipse

Italy Partial Solar Eclipse

Mideast Israel Palestinians Solar Eclipse