Science

Indian firm designs "armoured golf buggy" to fight off terrorists

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 14:31:00 +0000

A mini armoured car, resembling a bullet-proof golf buggy with firing ports, has gone on display at an Indian arms fair. The car is designed for use in confined spaces such as airports and hotels targeted in terror attacks.

Study: Elephants Do Not Run; They just walk faster

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 07:40:00 +0000

Scientists propose that large elephants may not be running, regardless of how fast they appear to be moving. A series of investigations has made experts consider the possibility that the mammals may actually be walking very fast, rather than running in the strictest sense of the word.

UN taps prime ministers to seek new climate money

Sat, 13 Feb 2010 18:29:00 +0000

UNITED NATIONS — The U.N. chief tapped the prime ministers of Britain and Ethiopia on Friday to lead the hunt for hundreds of billions of dollars that nations pledged to contribute this decade for dealing with climate change.

Solar satellite launched to study space weather

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 23:03:00 +0000

An Atlas 5 rocket boosted NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory into orbit Thursday, kicking off an $850 million mission to study the physics of the sun and the titanic magnetic storms, flares, and explosions that drive space weather across the solar system.

Astronauts Install Space Station's Last Hub

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 22:46:00 +0000

The shuttle Endeavour crew bolted the last connecting module onto the International Space Station on Friday, completing more than a decade of major construction on the outpost.

NASA to launch solar observatory

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 23:50:00 +0000

The US space agency (Nasa) will attempt to launch its latest Sun probe on Wednesday from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Iran sends up its first rocket with animals on board

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 10:13:00 +0000

Iran announced Wednesday that it had fired a rocket carrying several live animals into space and unveiled a handful of other space technologies ahead of a nationalist holiday and amid heightened international concerns about its nuclear research and missile programs.

U.S., China, others join Copenhagen Accord on climate

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 10:37:00 +0000

Washington - The United States, China and dozens of other countries accounting for nearly 80% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions have signed onto a voluntary agreement to curb climate change.

Al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden blasts U.S. in audiotape spewing hate for... global warming

Sat, 30 Jan 2010 15:35:00 +0000

Osama bin Laden is joining the global warming debate. In a new taped rant, the fugitive Al Qaeda leader blames the U.S. for global warming and calls for the world to boycott American goods to "liberate humanity from slavery and dependence."

Obama to End NASA Constellation Program

Sat, 30 Jan 2010 15:35:00 +0000

On the eve of the fullest moon of the year, NASA scientists were told they won't be able to visit any longer. In his new budget, President Obama plans to eliminate the space program's manned moon missions.

U.S. pledges 17 percent emissions reduction by 2020

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 15:05:00 +0000

The United States pledged Thursday to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 17 percent by 2020 from 2005 levels under an international climate agreement, though it made its commitment contingent on passing legislation at home.

Asian pollution worsens US air levels: study

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 21:07:00 +0000

PARIS — Pollution from Asia is boosting levels of ozone in the skies above the western United States, a trend that could hamper US efforts to meet tougher smog standards, experts said on Wednesday.

UN climate chief admits mistake on Himalayan glaciers warning

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 20:47:00 +0000

The vice-chairman of the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has admitted that the group made a mistake in asserting that Himalayan glaciers could disappear by 2035.

Doomsday clock: countdown to nuclear destruction shifted back one minute

Fri, 15 Jan 2010 21:30:00 +0000

The Doomsday Clock, a timepiece measuring how close humanity is to nuclear destruction, has shifted back one minute.

NASA finds cocaine in shuttle hangar at Kennedy Space Center

Fri, 15 Jan 2010 21:30:00 +0000

NASA says it has launched an investigation after finding cocaine in a processing hangar for a space shuttle at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

2 Russian cosmonauts on International Space Station conduct spacewalk

Fri, 15 Jan 2010 21:30:00 +0000

MOSCOW — Two Russian cosmonauts conducted a spacewalk on Thursday intended to activate a new segment on the International Space Station so it can dock Russian spacecraft.

'Blazing ring' eclipse races across Africa, Asia

Fri, 15 Jan 2010 21:30:00 +0000

A solar eclipse that reduced the sun to a blazing ring surrounding a sombre disk plunged millions of people in Africa and Asia into an eerie semi-darkness on Friday.

Men more different from chimps than women, say boffins

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 19:20:00 +0000

In genetic terms, as everyone but religious extremists acknowledges, human beings are in general very similar indeed to chimpanzees. However, scientists have now discovered that the Y chromosomes - found only in the males - of the two species are extremely dissimilar.

Nasa photographs 'trees' on Mars

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 19:20:00 +0000

A Nasa probe has sent back photographs of what appears to be trees on the planet's surface.

Haiti: Thousands feared dead in strongest earthquake in 200 years

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 18:01:00 +0000

Frantic rescue efforts are underway to free people trapped in the rubble after a massive 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit the Caribbean nation of Haiti.