The Hindu S&T 2011 - U-Z

The Hindu S& T 2011 Page 1 of 36
U-Z :Contents
U-Z :Contents............................................................................................................. 1 U.S. wind energy not to be hit by rising heat..............................................................3 Ultra-low power computing now possible...................................................................3 Unbridled real estate business threatens farmers' livelihood.....................................3 Underground river' is fed all along its course: Hamza............................................5 Unique formula links rain, clouds, aerosols................................................................5 Unique night-flowering orchid found...........................................................................5 Unprecedented spread of lionfish documented .........................................................6 UPA policies driving inflation: CITU ............................................................................6 Use of microalgae helps in controlling pollution ........................................................7 Use pesticides wisely to save bees ............................................................................8 Useful memories stored by brain while sleeping .......................................................8 Using agriculture to address poverty .........................................................................8 Using duck eggs to track climate change ..................................................................9 Using trees to detect aquifer contaminants ...............................................................9 Validating volcano no-fly zones .................................................................................9 Vanilla: preserving a world favourite flavour .............................................................9 Vanishing elephants, rise of modern humans ............................................................9 Vegans, vegetarians, and invitrotarians' ..................................................................9 Video clippings educate on methods practised elseware ........................................11 Vigorous daily exercise urged for a longer life ........................................................12 Virtual laboratories in mainstream education ..........................................................13 Volcanic ash studied for aircraft safety ...................................................................13 Volcano spews ash, gas in a plume 10 km high ......................................................13 Warming temperatures affect British mammals ......................................................13 Was Darwin wrong about emotions? .......................................................................13 Waste glass could clean up polluted waterways ......................................................13 Water cannon to be used ......................................................................................... 13 Water on Moon originated from comets ..................................................................14 Water vapour cools Earth's surface .........................................................................14 Ways to create useful aluminium alloys ..................................................................14 For More Visit www.mrunal-exam.blogspot.in or www.mrunalpatel.co.nr
The Hindu S& T 2011 Page 2 of 36 Web users may have found new planets .................................................................14 Weight loss improves memory ................................................................................15 Wet wood ................................................................................................................. 15 Whales as bycatch ................................................................................................... 16 What are emotion expressions for? .........................................................................16 What caused the May 2004 Arabian Sea cyclone ....................................................17 What causes specificity of olfactory sensors? ..........................................................19 What the fossils of horse teeth indicate ..................................................................19 What the radiation dose levels mean ......................................................................19 Wheat grown on soil with fly ash is safe ..................................................................19 When 60 nanoseconds threaten modern physics ....................................................20 When blood sucking kills mosquitoes ......................................................................21 When people hear colours and taste words .............................................................21 White-coat effect' on greyhounds' BP .....................................................................23 Why agriculture policies are outdated and contradictory ........................................23 Why alcohol makes some aggressive ......................................................................25 Why Arctic ice retreat was underestimated .............................................................25 Why hair turns gray ................................................................................................. 25 Why modern horses lack genetic diversity ..............................................................25 Why we should learn to love anomalies ..................................................................25 Wildlife in trouble from oil palm plantations ............................................................27 Wise investment in hydrographic services capacity building needed ......................27 Women also trained in coconut plucking .................................................................28 Wood-based fibre reinforced plastics ......................................................................29 World's biggest virus found ..................................................................................... 29 World's most powerful optical microscope ..............................................................30 World's smallest car from nanotechnology ..............................................................30 'Wrinkles' of the moon are clues to its past .............................................................30 X-rays reveal hidden Goya masterpiece ..................................................................30 Yawning may no longer be a wide open question ....................................................32 Young children should avoid using cell phones .......................................................32 Youngest Nodosaur to be ever discovered ..............................................................34 Youth should be encouraged to solve crises-ridden agriculture ..............................34
For More Visit www.mrunal-exam.blogspot.in or www.mrunalpatel.co.nr
The Hindu S& T 2011 Page 3 of 36 Zinc reduces the severity and duration of the common cold ...................................35
U.S. wind energy not to be hit by rising heat

The production of wind energy in the U.S. over the next 30-50 years will be unaffected by rising global temperature, analyzed output from several climate models to assess future wind patterns in the U.S.' lower 48 states indicates.
Ultra-low power computing now possible

It is now possible to reduce the minimum voltage necessary to store charge in a capacitor, reducing the power draw and heat generation of today's electronics.
Unbridled real estate business threatens farmers' livelihood

While there seems to be raging debate going on among a section of activists whether farmers should go in for Bt crops or not, a few hundred farmers in Vadakipalayam village, Pollachi, are in the final stages of harvesting Bt cotton and maize. We are not bothered about varieties as long as we are able to get a good yield, a sure market, and better income, says N. Murugesan an aged farmer growing Bt cotton in his four acres. The Tamil Nadu Agricultural University provides all the technical support and guidance for these farmers and a private seed company is providing the cotton seeds. It is funny when some politician or bureaucrat talks about food security or a farmer-friendly government. Just look at the open grounds before my fields. All those areas, once fertile fields are being sold off as housing plots, he says, adding: Scary reality I am a farmer and so were my ancestors. But in the last few years the speed with which our fields are being sold off really scares me. If this continues, probably in another 10 years, almost all the fields will become plots and our Union Agriculture Ministers dream of importing will become a reality, he says with a chocked voice. Today real estate is a money minting business. From film stars, politicians and even the lowest paid staff in a company are all into land brokering. But the tragic truth is that this business while helping a few to flourish monetarily is destroying the livelihoods of hundreds of food producers in our country. Good air, plenty of water, and access to main roads are some of the basic features probable buyers take into account when buying a plot. Everybody is involved
The Hindu S& T 2011 Page 4 of 36 And the real estate brokers cash in on this. They convince farmers to sell their land at a low price, and later fill the field with rubbish and sand and convert it into commercial plots, quoting a very high price. Right from the local MLA to the village development officer, all are hand in glove in this at a number of places, says the farmer. For a farmer, getting Rs. 1 lakh or more for one acre seems a dream price, as he is already facing a lot of problems from an indifferent government. Delta regions Take the case of delta regions today. Some three decades back most of the paddy came from that area. But today you can see vast tracts of land lying barren, uncultivated, or weeds growing. Even if water is available, farmers are not willing to cultivate because they are not able to source labour today nor even get a good price, he says. Mr. Murugesan wants the state government to introduce a law similar to the one in Kerala that prevents sale of agricultural fields into housing plots. Kerala example Look at Kerala. The government implemented a law for protecting paddy fields and wetlands. In short, the law prevents sale of agriculture fields to realtors. One important point in the law is that agricultural lands cannot be converted into housing plots. But a farmer owning a mere five cents of land and does not own a home can build a house on the land, provided his wife, daughter, or someone does not own any in the taluk, he explains. The local RTO official and a committee of farmers confirm first that the person who applied for permission to build a house does not own one. The most surprising aspect about this committee is that till date they have not given permission for anybody to build houses in the fields, says Mr. Murugesan.. Coconut trees In Kerala coconut trees are commonplace. Many of these trees are planted years ago in the areas, bunds surrounding the fields. Even in these areas one cannot build anything as the original field documents mention these places as fields.. But what is happening in our state? he asks. Though the Government is giving free goats and cattle, they do not bother to prevent the sale of fields into plots? In short, there is no governance, only politicking. Our elected representatives are only interested in ribbon cutting and posing for photos rather than addressing our problems. What can we poor farmers do? Will our voice be heard in the portals of power? asks Mr. Murugesan. Readers can contact Mr. N. Murugesan at no 4/56 Vadakipalayam, Koil Palayam via Pollachi, Tamil Nadu, mobile: 9942833929.
Underground river' is fed all along its course: Hamza Unique formula links rain, clouds, aerosols
A mathematical formula that describes the population dynamics of such prey animals as gazelles and their predators has been used to model the relationship between cloud systems, rain and aerosols.
Unique night-flowering orchid found

An orchid that unfurls its petals at night and loses its flowers by day has been found on an island off the coast of Papua New Guinea. The plant is the only known night-flowering orchid and was collected by botanists on a field trip to New Britain, an island in the Bismarck archipelago. The flowers of the species, Bulbophyllum nocturnum , are thought to be pollinated by midges and last for only one night, according to a description of the plant published in the Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society . Orchid specialist Ed de Vogel, from the Netherlands, discovered the unusual flowering after he gathered some of the plants from trees in a logging area on the island and returned home to cultivate the orchids at the Hortus Botanicus in Leiden. Most orchids are epiphytes, which means they take root on trees. The botanist was particularly eager to see the orchid's flowers because it was a member of the Epicrianthes group of orchids. This group contains several species that have bizarre flowers with strange appendages, which often resemble leggy insects, small hairy spiders or intricate sea-creatures. The appendages are usually attached by thin filaments, which allow them to move erratically in the slightest breeze. As De Vogel cultivated the orchids, he noticed flower buds appear, but instead of opening to reveal their petals, they simply shrivelled up and died. He finally realised what was happening when he took one of the plants home and saw its flowers open around 10pm one night and close again soon after sunrise. Flowers that open only at night are seen in a small number of plant species, such as the queen of the night cactus, the midnight horror tree and night blooming jasmine. Bulbophyllum nocturnum is the only orchid among 25,000 species that is known to do so. Many orchids are pollinated by moths and other nocturnal insects, but have flowers that remain open during the day. In 1862, Charles Darwin correctly predicted that the Christmas star orchid, which is endemic to Madagascar, was pollinated by a moth with a 30cm-long proboscis. The moth in question was not discovered until 20 years after his death. The small nightflowering orchid has yellow-green sepals that unfurl to reveal tiny petals adorned with dangling, greyish, thick and thin appendages. The flower, which is 2cm wide, has no noticeable smell, though some nocturnal species can time the release of their scents to attract night-time pollinating insects. Writing in the journal, the authors point out the resemblance between the flowers' appendages and the fruiting bodies of certain slime moulds found in the same part of the world. The
The Hindu S& T 2011 Page 6 of 36 similarity led the botanists to speculate that the orchids might be pollinated by midges that normally feed on slime moulds or small fungi. Andre Schuiteman, an orchid specialist at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew said: This is another reminder that surprising discoveries can still be made. But it is a race against time to find species like this that only occur in primeval tropical forests. which are disappearing fast. Guardian Newspapers Limited, 2011
Unprecedented spread of lionfish documented

The rapid spread of lionfishes along the U.S. eastern seaboard, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean is the first documented case of a non-native marine fish establishing a self-sustaining population in the region.
UPA policies driving inflation: CITU

The UPA government's anti-people policies are driving the present inflationary trends, CITU national president A.K. Padmanabhan has said. He was speaking at the inauguration of the 24 {+t} {+h} State conference of the Kerala Co-operative Employees Union (KCEU) here recently. The Prime Ministerial advisory panel for strengthening the public distribution system could not take a decision on the three-way PDS. As a result, people had to turn to the open market. Seeing the demand, traders had jacked up the prices, he said. The trade unions had informed the Prime Minister about the inflationary trend in futures trading. No interventions were made in this regard, he added. Mr. Padmanabhan said the INTUC would also join the all-India trade unions' Parliament march on February 23. Over 10 lakh people are expected to participate. KCEU State president V. Kunhikrishnan presided. Gopi Kottamurikkal, reception committee chairman, welcomed the gathering. Souvenir released Poet Ezhachery Ramachandran released a souvenir. K.M. Sudhakaran, CITU State treasurer; P.G. Sasindran, Confederation of Central Government Employees State organising secretary; P.H.M. Ismail, State president, NGO Union; and A.V. Kuriakose, State president, BSNL Employees Union; were among those who spoke. Court verdict Inaugurating the Trade Union conference held in the evening, M.M. Lawrence, State general secretary, CITU; said court verdicts in recent times had been against workers. K. Chandran Pillai, CITU secretary; Kanam Rajendran, AITUC State general secretary; and G. Chandran Nair, KCEU State vice-president; spoke on the occasion.
Use of microalgae helps in controlling pollution

To its votaries, tiny organisms known as microalgae could hold answers to some intractable problems. That includes curbing carbon dioxide emissions that are contributing to global warming and reducing the burden of industrial effluents. We can change trash into gold and safeguard human existence on the planet, exclaimed JiWon Yang of the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology in South Korea. Microalgae, like plants, are capable of photosynthesis, using the energy from sunlight to turn carbon dioxide and water into sugar. In a talk at the International Conference on New Horizons in Biotechnology held in Thiruvananthapuram recently, Prof. Yang spoke of his team's efforts at treating municipal wastewater using the single-celled green alga, Chlorella vulgaris. Such wastewater contained plenty of organic compounds and nutrients to sustain the organism. The oils that then accumulated in the cells could be harvested and turned into biodiesel. It was found that untreated wastewater gave the best algal growth. Nitrogen-fixing bacteria found in the wastewater could be acting as growth enhancers, he noted. In Taiwan, a group is seeking reduce emissions from a steel plant by turning the carbon dioxide it belches out into a resource for growing C. vulgaris . The alga could then be turned animal and aquaculture feed. A mutant strain of the alga had been isolated that could tolerate the elevated temperatures that resulted from bubbling the steel plant's flue gas through the medium in which the organism was growing, according to Jo-Shu Chang, deputy-director of the Centre for Bioscience and Biotechnology at the National Cheng Kung University. Using the alga in this manner could halve the carbon dioxide in the flue gas. Simultaneously, the levels of nitrogen oxides could also be drastically cut and that of sulphur oxides considerably reduced. A pilot plant based on the alga had been established at a plant of the China Steel Corporation, he said. Both Prof. Yang and Prof. Chang, however, pointed out that technological breakthroughs were needed to bring down the cost of harvesting and processing microalgae. Algae can be a very effective and economical way of dealing with industrial effluents, according to V. Sivasubramanian, Director of the Vivekananda Institute of Algal Technology in Chennai. He gave the example of a company based in Ranipet in Tamil Nadu that was producing alginate, a compound with a variety of applications from food to textiles. The effluent from the production process was highly acidic. To meet pollution control norms, the effluent was earlier being neutralised with sodium hydroxide. The large quantities of sludge that resulted had then to be disposed in a secured landfill. It had been possible to engineer a treatment process to efficiently carry out the neutralisation by providing suitable conditions for a blue green alga, Chroococcus turgidus, to grow in the effluent. As the alga grew, it reduced the acidity of the effluent. This algal strain had been isolated from the effluent itself. The remediation plant had been working well for over five years, producing negligible quantities of sludge and saving money that had earlier been spent on sodium hydroxide. An added bonus An added bonus was that the company was able harvest and sell some of the alga as a
biofertiliser and aquaculture feed. In the case of another company in Ranipet, this time producing chemicals used in leather processing, the microalga Chlorella vulgaris had been successfully employed to reduce the load of heavy metals, such as copper, zinc, chromium, nickel, cadmium and lead, in the effluent. Once again, the strain of C. vulgaris used for this purpose had been isolated from the effluent itself, he said.
Use pesticides wisely to save bees Useful memories stored by brain while sleeping
After a good night's sleep, people remember information better when they know it will be useful, says a new study, suggesting that the brain evaluates memories during sleep and preferentially retains the most relevant ones.
Using agriculture to address poverty

A 42 month-long research programme conceived by the M.S.Swaminathan Research Foundation, Chennai and the University of Alberta, Canada was signed recently to use agriculture along with other interventions to address poverty and malnutrition in three regions known for rich agro-biodiversity. Support The Canadian International Food Security Research Fund (CIFSRF) of the International Development Research Centre, Canada offered assistance to support this research project. The aim of the project is to study the enigmatic contradiction between prosperity of nature and poverty of people and to improve the agricultural and nutritional status of 4,000 small farm families in Kundura block in Koraput district, Orissa, Kolli Hills in Namakkal district, Tamil Nadu and Menangadi panchayat in Wayanad district, Kerala, says Dr. John J Kennelly, Dean, Faculty of Agriculture, Life and Environmental sciences, University of Alberta. Tribal communities Most of these families belong to the marginalised tribal communities. The project will assist them to increase farm productivity and off-farm income through appropriate participatory technological interventions, application of ecotechnologies and ICTenabled knowledge system, value chain and market linkage, and to build their capacity, he adds. These interventions may encompass strengthening crop-animal-fishery integration, improving the natural resource base supporting agriculture, addressing genderspecific drudgery, promoting home gardens and local crops to improve nutritional security at individual, household and community levels. Process The process may involve local institutions (panchayats, banks, co-operatives) and assist in making appropriate choices and decisions on sustainable management and
The Hindu S& T 2011 Page 9 of 36 adding value to social and natural capital. For details contact: Dr. S. Bala Ravi, Project Director, MSSRF at sbala@mssrf.res.in and Dr. John Kennelly at john.kennelly@ualberta.ca
Using duck eggs to track climate change

A study of a metrics database on 60,000 duck eggs representing at least 40 species and subspecies of ducks in North America could add knowledge about how waterfowl respond to climate cycles and long-term climate change.
Using trees to detect aquifer contaminants

Phytoforensics involves tapping into several trees in an area suspected of contamination, which can help better and more rapidly delineate contaminants, obviating invasive, arduous tests for groundwater contamination.
Validating volcano no-fly zones

A team of researchers has developed a protocol for deciding whether or not to ground planes next time ash threatens airspace safety.
Vanilla: preserving a world favourite flavour

Scientists are working to create new and robust methods to clone some economic species and some rare species of vanilla by tissue culture. The study concentrates on the most common cultivated vanilla orchid, Vanilla planifolia.
Vanishing elephants, rise of modern humans

With the disappearance of elephants in the Middle East, new hominids who had to be more agile and skillfull to hunt smaller and faster prey took over the Middle Eastern landscape and eventually replaced Homo erectus.
Vegans, vegetarians, and invitrotarians'

During the Second World War, when Hitler claimed that in three weeks England will have her neck wrung like a chicken, Winston Churchill dismissively retorted: some chicken, some neck! England and the allied forces went on later to win the war. The other, more relevant to today, Churchill's chicken-based comment, was in the 1930s: 50 years hence, we shall escape the absurdity of growing a whole chicken in order to eat the breast or wing, by growing these parts separately under a suitable medium. Well, Churchill's prediction might come true in a few years hence. Researchers are applying the technique of cell and tissue engineering to grow edible meat in the laboratory, or in vitro. We may thus have not just vegans (those who would not even drink milk or other dairy products), vegetarians and non-veg, but another class, in-vitrotarians.
Why would anyone want to grow meat in the lab? Because we need to grow crops to feed livestock, which alone takes up 26 per cent of the available area and equally substantial water. And livestock contributes 18 per cent to global warming. Plus, to paraphrase what Churchill said, animals are not efficient protein factories; much of what we eat as meat is proteins (muscle). Why then not grow meat in the lab and save space, water and reduce global warming? Enter stem cells. As Nicole Jones writes in the 9 December 2010 issue of Nature, embryonic stem cells would provide an immortal (and therefore cheap) stock from which to grow endless supplies of meat. But attempts to produce embryonic stem cells from farm animals have not been successful. Therefore scientists have turned to the adult stem cells called myosatellite cells, which are responsible for muscle growth and repair. Three groups are already engaged in the use of these cells to make meat in the lab (also termed in vitro meat or IVM) and have taken patents, one in Holland and two in the U.S., including one Dr. Kedarnath Challakere, whose company Mokshagundam Biotechnologies is in California. (Mokshagundam was first made famous by Sir M. Visvesvariah, who hailed from this place). How does it work? One first takes a small biopsy from, say, a pig and extracts myosatellite cells and multiplies them by culturing in the lab using an appropriate medium; then grows them on a scaffold to form fibres, which bind together to form muscle. Next, the muscle is exercised to increase the protein production. These muscle strips are then ground up, and flavour, vitamins and iron added to produce sausage meat, which can be cooked and eaten! There are major scientific issues to be perfected. First is the source of the cells. Since embryonic stem cells are the ideal starting point, work will have to go on for producing them from chicken, turkey, lamb and cattle (and even many edible fish). Secondly, adult stem cells (which are used now) do not divide beyond 30 divisions or so. The protective ends in their chromosomal DNA (called telomeres) shorten at every division and disappear after some more. Adding the enzyme telomerase to the culture medium might help. And ideally one would like to use animal-free medium. Some have tried using ground up maitake mushrooms for this, while some others have tried blue green algae as the source. Note that both these are vegan. But these involve huge issues of money and material, to be tackled. Cell culture medium is very expensive, and amounts to 90 per cent of the costs. Second is the process of putting the myofibres into muscle strips, which needs energy and scale-up. Thirdly, as muscle strips get bigger, cells in their interior start to die, due to want of nutrition. In real life this is provided by blood flow. So, one needs to build blood vessels' in vitro. Accounting for all this, a rough estimate is that first generation lab meat could cost 3,500 euros per ton (cf. 1,800 per ton farmed chicken meat). However, recall that it cost millions to make the first cell phone but one can buy the basic model today for 30 euros. Once the science is made to work well, the cost should come down, as technology scales up production and drops the price. But then, will lab-made meat be accepted? I suspect yes. Firstly, groups such as PETA accept it and promote it. Next, it is not GM food, and does not involve any genetic engineering. Third, while today it is tasteless, food and nutrition scientists will be able to fine-tune the taste. Fourth, is in vitro meat unethical or unnatural? Not really; as Dr. Jason Matheny of the In Vitro Consortium (a body that promotes the idea of IVM) asks: is it ethical or natural putting 10,000 chickens in a shed and filling them full of drugs while living in their own waste? Apparently Matheny himself turned vegan (not even vegetarian, even choosier) from high school days and, when asked if he would eat IVM, said Yeah, I would. It would answer all of my concerns about meat. Churchill would have.
I think Mahatma Gandhi (whom Churchill derided as a half naked fakir) would have approved, but perhaps not eaten himself. Coming back to the future, I wonder if the animal rights proponents Ms. Maneka Gandhi or Ms. Amala Akkineni would. D. BALASUBRAMANIAN dbala@lvpei.org
Video clippings educate on methods practised elseware

Visual media leaves a profound impact on viewers. Especially for farmers, on seeing it on the screen, they can learn more about different methods, about concepts practised in other regions to improve yield. More so, if the video clippings are shot by farmers themselves, it becomes all the more interesting and farmers are able to instantly connect with it, says 29-year-old Rikin Gandhi, CEO, Digital Green, an NGO in Delhi. Mr. Rikin holds degrees from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Masters in Aeronautical and Astronomical Engineering) and Carnegie Mellon (Bachelors in Computer Science) and chose to work in rural India than in some space programme in the U.S. Why poverty exists? Though immediately after my graduation I thought of joining some space programme, I happened to read about people travelling to space and seeing the earth from high up and wondering why poverty and war exist on this beautiful planet. Many of them after coming back took up work as teachers or farmers in a bid to connect with people. This inspired me to reconsider my desire to do something in this sector, he says. A chance visit to India during that time gave him his first exposure to rural India. The exposure as well as the realisation that 60 percent of his native country's population relied on agriculture for livelihood made Mr. Rikin rethink on his goals. He feels that technology can be used to improve the economic well being of farmers in India, and if used properly, can help put an end to poverty. Mr. Rikin's name recently figured in the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Technology Review list of 35 global innovators called TR 35. Explaining about Digital Green he says: The organisation produces and distributes community-centric, locally relevant videos about good agricultural practices. Different channels The videos are then shown to small groups of villagers on laptops, DVDs, village cable networks, and screens. These are simple videos starring local farmers that strike a chord with other villagers. We are receiving good feedback about this project that shows nearly 70-80 per cent farmers are adopting new ideas as opposed to 10-15 per cent earlier by
The Hindu S& T 2011 Page 12 of 36 traditional extension approach. Till date hundreds of such videos are uploaded on the (website: www.digitalgreen.org). All videos produced are available to the public. The videos are by farmers, of farmers, and for farmers. Resource persons A number of NGOs' help the organisation in identifying resource persons from the community for producing them and to provide subject-matter expertise for ensuring good quality of the videos. All the videos are produced by the community. They identify interesting topics and make short video clips of local farmers and distribute them. Some members after going back to their farms use pico projectors which are the size of mobile phones to show the clippings to their people, adds Mr. Rikin. The community members come together on a regular basis for discussing matters such as sowing, nursery raising or weeding based on the season. Initially we started working with one NGO outside Bangalore and presently we are now working in four States. We received a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and we are planning to reach out to a number of villages over a period of three years. We want to expand in India and reach out to as many farmers as possible. A technology platform is also being created for farmers to interact with others and ask questions to the experts and we want to scale up this platform. You can access the current platform by calling 1800 103 9111, he adds. Technology review 35 Selected as an Ashoka fellow and included in the 2010 list of world's young innovators in Technology Review 35, Mr Rikin made Digital Green an independent organisation in 2009, now supported by the Bill Gates Foundation. Does he still consider going to work in a space programme as a more remunerative option? He says, working in a space programme is like getting fifteen minutes of fame, while working for small and marginal farmers and helping transform their lives can always be more meaningful. For more details readers can contact Mr. Rikin Gandhi at Digital Green Trust, K-2, Second Floor, Green Park Main, New Delhi 110016, India, email: rikin@digitalgreen.org, Phone: 011-41881037 and 41881038.
Vigorous daily exercise urged for a longer life

It is the relative intensity and not the duration of exercise which is of most importance in relation to all-cause mortality and even more pronounced for coronary heart disease mortality, says a study.
Virtual laboratories in mainstream education Volcanic ash studied for aircraft safety
Thermal analysis and X-ray Computed Tomography to analyse the temperature at which volcanic ash solidifies and melts will enable better advice to the aircraft industry as to whether it is safe to fly following a big eruption.
Volcano spews ash, gas in a plume 10 km high

A huge plume of sulphur dioxide spewed from Chile's Puyehue-Cordn Caulle Volcanic Complex, which lies in the Andes. On 4 June, a fissure opened, sending a towering plume of volcanic ash and gas over 10 km high.
Warming temperatures affect British mammals

British scientists who did a long-term study, say the fact that wild red deer on the Isle of Rum are rutting earlier in the year provides evidence that warming temperatures are affecting the behaviour of British mammals.
Was Darwin wrong about emotions?

Contrary to what many psychological scientists think, people do not all have the same set of biologically basic' emotions.
Waste glass could clean up polluted waterways

Waste glass that cannot be recycled could help clean up polluted waterways by acting as an ion-exchange filter to remove lead, cadmium and other toxic metals from effluents, waste water streams and groundwater.
Water cannon to be used

The National Police Agency has been asked to send a water cannon to the Fukushima nuclear plant to help pour water into a containment pool holding spent fuel rods, broadcaster NHK said Wednesday. Workers have struggled to top up water levels as the rods have heated up the water, threatening to evaporate it and expose the rods to air, which would send out radioactive material. The water cannon truck may start operations on Wednesday night, Kyodo News reported. A Japanese military helicopter was deployed earlier Wednesday on a mission to
The Hindu S& T 2011 Page 14 of 36 dump water from a huge bucket onto the fuel rods, but returned due to a high level of radiation above the reactors and containment pool before night fell. AFP
Water on Moon originated from comets

The same researcher who first discovered water on the moon, has now determined the water may have come from comets smashing into the moon.
Water vapour cools Earth's surface

According to scientists, evaporated water helps in cooling earth as a whole, not just the local area of evaporation, a study said. A new study by scientists at the Indian Institute of Science, the Carnegie Institution for Science at Stanford University and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have demonstrated that evaporation of water from trees and irrigated crop areas could cool the planet. These findings were published online recently in Environmental Research Letter . Whether these findings would have major implications for land-use decision making in the Indian backdrop of the proposed Land acquisition Bill remains to be seen. It is well known that clearing of forests for agriculture and infrastructure development can contribute to local warming by decreasing local evaporative cooling, but it was not understood whether this decreased evaporation would also contribute to global warming, Govindasamy Bala of the Centre for Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, IISc Bangalore told PTI. Globally, this cycle of evaporation and condensation moves energy around, but cannot create or destroy energy. How could then evapotranspiration change global climate if the net heating is zero? According to Bala Enhanced surface evaporation causes an increase in the amount of low level clouds in the atmosphere. These clouds scatter more solar radiation back to space and cool the planet, he said. PTI
Ways to create useful aluminium alloys

In recent years there has been a rapid increase in integrative microscopy' using a variety of techniques, resulting in the creation of lightweight, heat and corrosionresistant, superstrong alloys of aluminium.
Web users may have found new planets

40,000 Web users are analysing scientific data collected by NASA's Kepler mission, which has been searching for planets beyond our own solar system since March 2009. The first two such potential planets have now been found.
Weight loss improves memory

Researchers have discovered a link between weight loss and improved memory in bariatric surgery patients.
Wet wood
More smoke is produced when wet wood burns. Why? V.VENKATRAJ
Krishnagiri, Tamil Nadu Wood is basically made of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. However, they are in the form of polymeric materials, like cellulose. Of these, carbon and hydrogen are the fuels. The oxygen, along with the oxygen in the atmosphere, causes the fuels to burn . Broadly, there are four stages (sequences) of fire: incipient, smouldering, flame and heat. Initially, the wood is to be ignited (lit) by an external heat source, say, a match. When the wood reaches a temperature of about 150 degrees C, the cellulosic material starts decomposing ( thermal decomposition and degradation). There is no visible smoke, flame or significant development of heat. However, a large number of combustible particles are produced. This constitutes the incipient stage. As this stage continues, the combustible particles increase until they become visible a condition called smoke. Smoke is made up of compounds of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. But, no flame or significant heat develops at this stage also. This is the smouldering stage. As the fire condition develops further, ignition occurs and flame starts at about 500 degrees C. The level of visible smoke decreases and the heat level increases. This is the flame stage. Finally, large amounts of heat, flame, smoke and toxic gases are produced. This constitutes the heat stage. Wood is a hygroscopic material. That is, it tends to absorb moisture from the air. Normally, it contains about eight per cent of water. However, it varies slightly depending on the atmospheric conditions of humidity, etc. to which it is exposed over a period of time. Such a wood constitutes dry wood. But when wood is directly exposed to rain, etc., considerably, the water content becomes high. Such a wood constitutes wet wood. However, the water does not alter the chemical composition of the wood. Water boils at 100 degrees C at sea level. If the water is heated further, it becomes steam at the same temperature. Obviously, heat is required for the conversion. This heat is known as the latent heat of vaporization (evaporation) of steam (water). It is 540 calories per gram a highly significant value. During the incipient and smouldering stages, the water also starts getting heated up. In fact, it starts boiling at 100 degrees C, itself. Further on, it gets evaporated into steam. In the case of wet wood, a very high proportion of heat is taken away as the latent heat of evaporation. Therefore, there will be a hindrance for reaching even the third stage, let alone the fourth one. However, the second (smouldering) stage continues without any hindrance. Accordingly, more smoke is produced when wet wood burns. The specific heat of water is very high (one cal/g degrees C) as compared to that of wood (say, 0.55 cal/g degrees C). In absolute terms, this causes a significant heat dilution in the system.
However, when the issue is wet wood vis-a-vis dry wood, the effect can be ignored. K.N. KRISHNA PRASAD Guest faculty, Building Fire Research Centre National Institute of Engineering Mysore, Karnataka
Whales as bycatch
Whale researchers say landing as bycatch in fishnets is one of the leading causes of death for marine mammals. A study by French researchers showed that only 8 per cent of the animals killed as bycatch were actually detected, according to Harald Benke, the head of the German Marine Museum. Benke said bycatch is apparently a bigger problem than previously assumed. Benke alluded to a study in which the researchers marked 100 dolphins and porpoises caught in fishnets along the French coast and returned them to the Atlantic Ocean from the fishing vessels. Only 8 per cent of the cadavers were later found on the coast. Porpoises in the Baltic Sea are also threatened by the fishing industry. Researchers along the German coast have found an increasing number of dead animals in recent years. There were 23 porpoises found dead on the coastlines in 2004. In 2009 that number had increased to 52. A study last year of the preserved cadavers identified 30 to 60 per cent of them as bycatch. DPA
What are emotion expressions for?

That cartoon scary face wide eyes, ready to run may have helped our primate ancestors survive in a dangerous wild, according to the authors of an article published in Current Directions in Psychological Science. The authors present a way that fear and other facial expressions might have evolved and then come to signal a person's feelings to the people around him. The basic idea, according to Azim F. Shariff of the University of Oregon, is that the specific facial expressions associated with each particular emotion evolved for some reason. Shariff cowrote the paper with Jessica L. Tracy of the University of British Columbia. So fear helps respond to threat, and the squinched-up nose and mouth of disgust make it harder for you to inhale anything poisonous drifting on the breeze. The outthrust chest of pride increases both testosterone production and lung capacity so you're ready to take on anyone. Social role Then, as social living became more important to the evolutionary success of certain species, most notably humans, the expressions evolved to serve a social role as well; so a happy face, for example, communicates a lack of threat and an ashamed face communicates your desire to appease. The research is based in part on work from the last several decades showing that some emotional expressions are universal. Eeven in remote areas with no exposure to Western media, people know what a scared face and a sad face look like, Shariff says.
This type of evidence makes it unlikely that expressions were social constructs, invented in Western Europe, which then spread to the rest of the world. And it's not just across cultures, but across species. We seem to share a number of similar expressions, including pride, with chimpanzees and other apes, Shariff says. This suggests that the expressions appeared first in a common ancestor. The theory that emotional facial expressions evolved as a physiological part of the response to a particular situation has been somewhat controversial in psychology; another article in the same issue of Current Directions in Psychological Science argues that the evidence on how emotions evolved is not conclusive. Shariff and Tracy agree that more research is needed to support some of their claims, but that, A lot of what we're proposing here would not be all that controversial to other biologists, Shariff says. The specific concepts of exaptation' and ritualization' that we discuss are quite common when discussing the evolution of non-human animals. Avian example For example, some male birds bring a tiny morsel of food to a female bird as part of an elaborate courtship display. In that case, something that might once have been biologically relevant sharing food with another bird has evolved over time into a signal of his excellence as a potential mate. In the same way, Shariff says, facial expressions that started as part of the body's response to a situation may have evolved into a social signal. Our Bureau

Some emotional expressions are universal Evidence on how emotions evolved is not conclusive.
What caused the May 2004 Arabian Sea cyclone

As a first time for National Institute of Oceanography, Goa scientists, several sensors (satellite, land and air, buoys etc.) have been utilised to look at a cyclone by them. Each sensor has different resolution and capability as well as potential. By complementing several sensors, the scientists led by Dr. M. R. Ramesh Kumar, Senior Scientist, Physical Oceanography Division, had a holistic view of a cyclone. They looked at different parameters that affected the formation, track and intensification of the cyclone which formed in the Arabian Sea near the Kerala coast on May 5, 2004. The cyclone moved north-westward over the next few days before dissipating off the Sourashtra coast on May 9. The findings were published recently in the International Journal of Remote Sensing. The difference A marked difference between the western and eastern Arabian Sea in the case of mid-tropospheric (troposphere is the lowest layer of the atmosphere extending up to 15 km height) relative humidity was observed during the formation of the cyclone. If the mid-tropospheric relative humidity values are low, a cyclone which is quite huge or vast in dimensions cannot sustain. Under such conditions, vertically
The Hindu S& T 2011 Page 18 of 36 developing clouds such as cumulonimbus will not develop or grow, noted Dr. Ramesh Kumar in an email to this correspondent. Before the May 2004 cyclone formation, a very dry condition existed throughout the northwestern Arabian Sea. However, the southeastern part of the sea (off Kerala and Karnataka) showed a midtropospheric relative humidity value of 7080 per cent, where the cyclone formed. It was also seen that a similar amount of mid-level moisture existed in the Bay of Bengal. The cause The higher amount of moisture over the southeastern Arabian Sea may have been because of the westward flow of the moisture from Bay of Bengal or because there was a strong convection over the eastern Arabian Sea, the paper notes. An atmospheric disturbance with strong winds was created that was favourable for cyclone formation. During the cyclone period, the mid-level moisture increased from 90 per cent to 100 per cent. On the morning of May 5, the resultant shearing action of mutually opposing winds (vertical wind shear) one at 1.5 km above sea level and the other at 12 km above sea level was very less and helped the updraft of moisture and hence enhanced convection. Thus, low shear values trapped the energy necessary for the cyclone formation without much loss to the surrounding environment. This helped the tropospheric warming, enhancement of moisture ascent from the lower layer and resulted in addition of more energy to the atmosphere. All these increased the instability and led to the cyclonic vortex ormation. The study found that another factor which played an important role was the rotational flow of wind (relative vorticity) whose gradient was high in the northwest direction and caused the formation, intensification and subsequent movement in the northwest direction where the relative vorticity values were high. A measure of reflected radiation from cloud top outgoing longwave radiation had low values in this case for the study period (May 3 to 8). This corresponded to the regions of maximum convection. Outgoing longwave radiation is used as a proxy for convection. Low outgoing long wave radiation values mean greater convection and high value of outgoing long wave radiation means less convection. Thus, monitoring the centre of maximum convection helped in predicting the intensification and the movement of the cyclone. However, in order to be used as a predictor for the intensification and the movement of the convective system, the outgoing long wave radiation data must have a much better spatial and temporal resolution than the ones used in this study say the authors. Cyclones are considered natural phenomena, which leave death and destruction in their wake. However a silver lining was seen in the May 3-8 cyclone. A large-scale upwelling (transport of cold nutrient-rich water to the surface layer from the deep layers) in the wake of the cyclone due to wind and wave action was seen. This upwelling of nutrient-rich water led to the attraction of fish in large numbers
The Hindu S& T 2011 Page 19 of 36 and enabled a bountiful catch for fishermen. The authors of the study, in a concluding note state: These results are preliminary in nature and we propose to use a larger dataset for a longer period (30 years) to draw conclusions for more than one cyclone. We also feel that the recently launched OCEANSAT II and the forthcoming Megha Tropiques satellite mission will provide more information. Speaking over the telephone, Dr. Kumar said: Only multi-sensor data which includes remotely sensed data in conjunction with reanalysis data and other means can provide information about the various ocean atmospheric processes involved in formation of the cyclonic storm from a depression to storm intensity. This is the first multi-sensor study undertaken by us and we would like to use this technique for future cyclogenesis studies.

Several sensors like satellite, land and air, and buoys were used Nutrient-rich water attracted fish, leading to a bountiful catch
What causes specificity of olfactory sensors?

A pattern of hydrogen bonds between odorant and receptor, accounting for the specificity of the olfactory sensors has been found. Computer simulations helped predict if odorants activate a certain receptor or not.
What the fossils of horse teeth indicate

Strong natural selection for different types of teeth happened occasionally during brief intervals in horse history. 6,500 fossil horses belonging to 222 different populations of more than 70 extinct species were studied.
What the radiation dose levels mean Wheat grown on soil with fly ash is safe
Belying apprehensions that wheat and other crops grown on fly ash mixed soil may not be safe for human consumption, research has proved that on the contrary, it has beneficial effects. Research conducted by Hyderabad-based National Institute of Nutrition (NIN) recently cleared the concerns that fly ash disposal could contaminate soil and crops grown over it. Results have indicated that there is no difference between wheat samples grown in soils with fly ash and without fly ash, Bhaskaracharya Kandlakunta, a senior scientist at NIN associated with the experiment, told PTI. For More Visit www.mrunal-exam.blogspot.in or www.mrunalpatel.co.nr
The Hindu S& T 2011 Page 20 of 36 The purpose of the NIN study was to evaluate nutritional and toxicological aspects of wheat grown on soils treated with fly ash. The results of the study were published in theJournal of Science Food and Agriculture. Scientists carried out evaluation on rats fed with wheat grown in fly ash-applied soils. Results showed that the moisture, protein and ash content of wheat samples showed no difference between fly ash treated and control samples, the scientist said. The study clearly demonstrated that the shoot and root growth and yield of test crops at different locations after fly ash incorporation resulted in beneficial effects of fly ash addition in most cases. Fly ash disposal is a big environmental problem. PTI
When 60 nanoseconds threaten modern physics

If extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidences, as Carl Sagan's dictum goes, then scientists involved in an experiment called OPERA (Oscillation Project with Emulsion-tRacking Apparatus) have provided just that. By successfully replicating the results obtained on September 22 this year, particle physicists have once again proved that neutrinos travel faster than light. The latest confirmation brings them one step closer to shaking the very foundation of modern physics Albert Einstein's 1905 Special theory of Relativity that states nothing can travel faster than light. If the results announced two months ago shocked and stunned scientists all over the world, a sense of disbelief has set in after the team of scientists reconfirmed the results last Friday. The experiment involved generating proton pulses and measuring the time taken for the neutrinos to travel 730 km from CERN, Europe's particle physics lab near Geneva to Gran Sasso National laboratory near L'Aquila, Italy. The 730 km distance between the two points has been measured with an error margin of just 20 cm. A beam of light would take just 2.4 milliseconds to cover this distance. But in March 2011 scientists were shocked to discover that neutrinos travelled 60 nanoseconds (or 60 billionths of a second) faster than light. This means that neutrinos were travelling at a speed of 299,798,454 metres per second, while the speed of light in a vacuum is slower at 299,792,458 metres per second. It was not an isolated observation. In fact, scientists found more than 15,000 neutrinos arriving earlier than expected at the Gran Sasso Laboratory. They checked the accuracy of the data for six months before going public. Since the error margin was only 10 nanoseconds, neutrinos were indeed travelling faster than light. But there was one factor that the team had overlooked. The proton pulses used for generating the neutrinos were of 10.5 microseconds duration and hence relatively For More Visit www.mrunal-exam.blogspot.in or www.mrunalpatel.co.nr
The Hindu S& T 2011 Page 21 of 36 longer. There was a possible room for error as it was difficult to tell whether the speed of individual neutrinos was compared with protons arriving at the beginning or end of the 10.5 microsecond-long pulse. Hence the OPERA team repeated the experiment by reducing the duration of the pulse from 10.5 microseconds to just 3 nanoseconds a 3,000-times reduction in pulse duration. Results from 20 events produced from 3 nanosecond pulses showed that the neutrinos still arrived 60 nanoseconds earlier than light. This was the result that was announced a few days ago. Other possible errors There is one more possible error factor that has been raised synchronising to within nanosecond accuracy the two clocks at both locations (in Geneva and L'Aquila, Italy) to time the neutrino's speed. The OPERA team had synchronised the clocks using GPS signals from a single satellite. The use of GPS in high-energy particle physics to synchronise the clocks at either end of the beam path may be one controversial issue as it has never been tried before. According to an article in Nature , Carlo Contaldi of the Imperial College London has challenged the OPERA results as it has not taken into account one important aspect of the general theory of relativity the difference in the force of gravity at the two locations affecting the rate at which the clocks tick. Effect of gravity Compared with Gran Sasso, the CERN site is further away from the centre of the earth and hence would experience slightly stronger gravitational pull. This would result in the clock at CERN running slightly slower than the one at Gran Sasso. Dario Autiero of the Institute of Nuclear Physics in Lyons, France and physics coordinator for OPERA was quoted as saying in Nature that Contaldi's challenge is a result of misunderstanding of how clocks were synchronised. The team is expected to soon explain the way the clocks were synchronised. According to Nature , one more element that is generating more scrutiny is the profile of the proton beam that generates neutrinos as a by-product of collision with a target.
When blood sucking kills mosquitoes

Inhibiting a molecular process cells use to direct proteins to their proper destinations causes more than 90 per cent of affected mosquitoes to die within 48 hours.
When people hear colours and taste words

Charlene Soraia was 11 when she realised she didn't experience the world in quite the same way as most people did. She was about to start secondary school and, turning to one of her friends, said that she pictured their first year as a series of yellow lines, with green bits. My friend said: What are you talking about?' And I thought: OK, I won't ever say anything
The Hindu S& T 2011 Page 22 of 36 else like that then.' A year or so later, Soraia, who is now 22, told her father she saw colours when she heard music. He explained that he experienced music the same way and that it was a medical condition called synaesthesia, in which the brain conflates two or more senses, causing both to be experienced at the same time. A recent study by the University of Edinburgh concluded that around 4 per cent of the British population has synaesthesia. The condition takes many forms: some experience tastes when they read or hear words; some perceive numbers as shapes; others, such as Soraia, see colours when they hear music, or when they think of particular periods in their lives. Tuesdays are yellowish, says Soraia, a singer-songwriter who has just released her debut album, Moonchild. Mondays are white. Numbers have shapes I'm doing the times table, and it's 10 times five I think of these 10 blocks, with five sections in each. She is talking to me in a cafe; we plan to listen to a few songs together, so she can describe the way she experiences each one. She explains that she sees a range of colours according to the timbre of a musician's voice, or style of playing. My dad's got an amazing tone when he plays guitar, she says. It's really calming; like a burnt-orangey colour. My own voice, and album, is a sort of Oxford blue, with purple bits, like a dark cloud. A disco track is jangling from the cafe's radio: what colours does that evoke? Oh, that's a sort of deep red. And her favourite songs? An obscure track by the late-60s psychedelic group the Common People. This is bluey-mauve, with white bits, and the violin's purple. Next up is Memories by Soft Machine, a mustardy-yellow, like sepia. French Navy by Camera Obscura is pillar-box red at night-time. What causes a synaesthete such as Soraia to experience music in this way? While knowledge about the condition has improved greatly since the 80s, when most people who described such symptoms were dismissed as fantasists, its causes remain mysterious. It's easier to describe what synaesthesia is not than what it is, says Dr Mary Spiller, a synaesthesia researcher and psychology lecturer at the University of East London. It's not a mental-health problem, and it's not psychological. We know that it's about the brain causing senses to be joined together, and that there's often a genetic component: parents may pass synaesthesia to their children, though it may not always be the same type. MRI brain scans have helped show that synaesthetes really do see colours when they hear music or words. Scans have shown that the parts of the brain that are normally activated when we see colours actually become activated when synaesthetes hear words, says Spiller. Is it important for someone who thinks they may have synaesthesia to seek medical advice? Only if he or she feels it's having a negative impact, Spiller replies. And I've met very few synaesthetes who feel that way. Soraia certainly doesn't: her synaesthesia can be distracting, but she writes songs,
The Hindu S& T 2011 Page 23 of 36 she says, by sitting inside a colour (usually a shade of blue) and considers this an integral part of her songwriting process. There does seem to be a link between synaesthesia and creativity: David Hockney has a similar variety to Soraia; the artist Wassily Kandinsky, composer Olivier Messiaen and writer Vladimir Nabokov are all believed to have been synaesthetes. James Wannerton, president of the UK Synaesthesia Association who has the taste form of synaesthesia says: Synaesthesia can be difficult to live with. I can't really read books, as each word sets off a new taste; and I have to really concentrate when I'm driving, as road signs do the same. There is no cure for synaesthesia. Guardian Newspapers Limited, 2011
White-coat effect' on greyhounds' BP

In a new study, researchers have determined that anxiety associated with being in a veterinary hospital elevates the blood pressure in retired racing greyhounds a breed known for having higher-than-average blood pressure in the first place. The white-coat effect is thus not reserved for only the human patients who see their blood pressure rise in response to the stress of a doctor visit. The average systolic arterial pressure the top number in a blood pressure reading in the dogs was about 30 points higher in a veterinary clinic when compared to blood pressure recorded at home, according to an Ohio State University press release. The environment seemed to make all the difference. Blood pressure readings in a home were similar when taken by either a veterinary student or the dog's owner. In general, normal blood pressure in dogs, as in humans, is 120 over 80. Some animals' blood pressure readings normalize after they've had time to acclimate to the hospital setting, but in these greyhounds, that trend is less common. Said Guillermo Couto, professor of veterinary clinical sciences at Ohio State University and senior author of the study: Some greyhounds come in here with blood pressure above what an instrument can read that is 300 systolic. We know this could not really be their blood pressure because these dogs would be dead. But we also almost never get blood pressure under 150 or 160 for systolic. Our Bureau
Why agriculture policies are outdated and contradictory

India's daily turnover from vegetables and fruits could be easily about Rs. 275 crores (US$ 59 million). The estimated cost of wastage' per day, is around Rs. 130 crores (US$ 27 million). In summary, it's a lot bigger than some of the Indian IT sector's daily turnover, says Mr. Venkat Subramanian, Founder and Managing Director, Matchbox Solutions, a company that uses technology to solve critical issues in agriculture. Efarm, one such solution, uses technology to provide supply chain efficiency for
The Hindu S& T 2011 Page 24 of 36 procuring and delivering fruits and vegetables grown on rural farms. And what makes it worse is that agriculture is being always run by uneducated, rural people lacking advanced technologies. Whereas the Indian IT industry employs the cream of the world, he adds. Short supply Food, shelter, and clothing, are considered the basic things any growing economy cannot do without. Of these, the only sector perennially going to be in short supply is food for the simple reason, people are quitting agriculture and moving to cities. Most important, the youth do not fancy an agri-career, he emphasises. Absence of valid data to provide a forecast for this industry correctly makes things more difficult. Many term agriculture as a risky business, but can you name any one industry devoid of risk? Typically high risk implies high return. But how come people perceive agriculture to be a high-risk, low-return' venture? he wonders. According to Ms. Srivalli, CEO, risks and unpredictability are part of any industry. Compared to such man-made' disasters, the agri-economy endures mostly the natural' ones that are far more predictable. All the odds Inspite of all the odds stacked against a farmer, it is surprising that we are actually able to get food on our plates every day. Today, the farm price for tomatoes hovers around Rs 5/kg. In the city, whole sale is being priced at Rs.9/kg and in retail it may be between Rs 17-20/kg. On an average, the markup in vegetables is 5 to 6 times, she explains. In every industry, the prices are always being driven by customer demand and tastes. But in India, it is the suppliers - middlemen - who control the the agriculture sector and customers face the brunt. Need assistance Ironically a rather Utopian concept prevails in our country's agriculture system a farmer can do all these tasks himself, from farm to fork. Farmers need assistance in planning cultivation, marketing produce, managing finances, but there is no one to help. Agriculture institutions and many NGOs only assist cultivation, and aren't competent to handle management-related tasks, says Ms. Valli.
Confusing Farm policies are confusing and contradictory, according to Mr. Venkat. There are Central departments involved, but States control their local implementation. There are innumerable ministries and schemes that are often redundant and over-lapping. The prime vote bank being villagers it is a major turf war for several vested interests, he adds. Overlapping Instead of letting such contradictions and overlapping continue to dog agriculture, the Centre and States can sit together to make it a complete, comprehensive package for farmers with a seamless implementation mechanism in place.
So how can this be changed? Most government statistics on agricultural sector are at least five years old, and often projected from the last census. Absence of a proper system to track the exact cultivation patterns, makes things difficult. And in the name of improving cultivation the Government pumps in several thousand crores, not bothering to know what crops are being sown in different regions asserts Ms. Valli. Be a conscious consumer. Ask questions. Watch the price bill carefully for signs of price rise. Find where the products came from (in Chennai, they may say the carrot comes from Nilgiris, real Nilgiris vegetables often hardly reach Chennai market). Questions Ask your agricultural minister or at least the department official through email if possible whether they visit villages or talk to a farmer? says Mr. Venkat. For more details contact Mr. Venkat at email: venky@matchboxsolutions.in and efarm.venky@gmail.com, mobile: 98847 61354, phone:044- 43577236(off) and 24450613 (res).
Why alcohol makes some aggressive

If people who focus on the here and now, without thinking about the impact on the future, tend to be aggressive even when sober, the aggressive effect generally gets greatly magnified when they are drunk.
Why Arctic ice retreat was underestimated

Researchers argue that climate models underestimate the rate of Arctic ice thinning, which is actually about four times faster than calculations. This is due to the poor representation of the sea ice southward drift.
Why hair turns gray

A new study has shown that, Wnt signaling, which controls many processes between hair follicles and melanocyte stem cells can dictate hair pigmentation.
Why modern horses lack genetic diversity

An international team of researchers has used ancient DNA to produce compelling evidence that the lack of genetic diversity in modern stallions is the result of the human's domestication process.
Why we should learn to love anomalies

Anomalies can be annoying, they can niggle and cause discomfort. Some experimental measurement comes along that seems to be ignorant of the established order and breaks the rules. Perplexed by what is happening, people come up with conflicting accounts of what might be happening. Ideas get knocked off pedestals, confidence is knocked. Frustrating, for sure, but necessary, too:
anomalies and impossibilities are the crucial engines in bettering our understanding of the universe. Take the recent question of whether neutrinos, a type of near-mass-less subatomic particle, can travel faster than light. Scientists at the Cern lab in Geneva fired a beam of these particles through 720km of rock towards detectors in the Gran Sasso lab in Italy. The neutrinos seemed to arrive a little earlier than expected. There was massive scientific scrutiny of the experiment, the results and the many new theories that might account for the anomaly. The reason scientists are so exercised is that the Gran Sasso result seems to break Albert Einstein's special theory of relativity, a so-far unassailed set of rules that assumes nothing in the universe can travel faster than a value, c, equivalent to the speed of light in a vacuum. The world would look very different to physicists if Einstein's ideas turn out to be flawed. Time travel would turn out to be possible, and causality would be challenged effects could come before causes. Will the Gran Sasso result embarrass the know-it-all physicists, knock them off their pedestals by showing how wrong they have been all along? Well, no. As weird as it all sounds, anomalies are par for the course in physics. Special relativity itself came from trying to fix a big anomaly more than 100 years ago. At the start of the 20th century, Einstein noticed a conflict between the recent work of Scottish physicist James Clerk Maxwell and the more established ideas of Isaac Newton. Maxwell showed that light was a vibration in the electromagnetic field, and that it travelled at a constant speed, c, in a vacuum. Much earlier, Newton had come up with his laws of motion, which sensibly showed that the velocity of an object differed depending on who was measuring it and from where. Try applying that to electromagnetic waves, though, and you run into a problem: nothing in Maxwell's work allowed electromagnetic waves, such as light, to change their speed depending on relative motion. Whatever you did, however you moved the source of the waves, however you moved relative to them, the waves themselves would move at the same speed. Einstein started with this hanging thread, the invariance in the speed to light, and tugged at it to unravel Newton's description of the universe. Crucially, he found a hitherto unnoticed flexibility in the measurement of space and time. To make the equations of physics carry on working, Einstein showed that the length of any moving object must shrink in the direction of its travel. If the object reaches the speed of light, its length would disappear to zero. Anyone moving with the object would not notice any change in size; only those observers in a different frame of reference would see the contraction in the object's length. The anomaly noticed by Einstein kicked off one of the greatest revolutions in our understanding of the fabric of the universe. There is much checking, re-checking and repetition to do before the Gran Sasso anomaly is proved or disproved. If the results do turn out to be correct physicists will have to correct Einstein, in the way he corrected Newton. That's not embarrassing, worrying or pedestal-knocking, it's just progress. Guardian Newspapers Limited, 2011
Wildlife in trouble from oil palm plantations

In a study, which focused on bats as an indicator of environmental change, it was found that forest fragmentation driven by demand for palm oil is having a catastrophic effect on multiple levels of biodiversity.
Wise investment in hydrographic services capacity building needed

World Hydrographic Day (WHD) is celebrated on the 21{+s}{+t}June each year to commemorate the establishment of the International Hydrographic Organisation (IHO) at Monaco in 1921 by Prince Albert, an ardent Oceanographer. IHO is an inter governmental consultative and technical organization and recognized as a competent international authority on hydrography and nautical charting services. Every activity at sea These are executed through more than 25 strict IHO Standards by the 80 member states, which has ensured uniformity in the sea sapping and related subjects. Hydrography impinges on every activity at the sea, the most important being provision of nautical charts and publications for worldwide navigational safety with 24 X 7 updating service under the IMO /IHO/UN Conventions. Major impact of hydrography is on navigational safety, offshore maritime development (Oil/Gas/Energy/Fisheries/Minerals/Tourism/Environment) and coastal zone management, to name a few. IHO has estimated that the cost benefit ratio for investment in hydrography as a national service is 1:10. Hydrography is the branch of applied sciences which deals with the measurement and description of the physical features of oceans, seas, coastal areas, lakes and rivers. It also seeks to provide prediction of their change over time, for the primary purpose of safety of navigation and in support of all other marine activities. These include economic development, security and defence, scientific research, and environmental protection. Hydrographic surveying is a top notch profession for development of any maritime nation. This along with the National Spatial Data Infrastucture organization has provided mountains to deep seas seamless data base. Now, there is an imperative need to dovetail the established hydrographic training facilities at the National Institute of Hydrography at Goa. Also this need is felt in the private sector to cover offshore human resources needs of the hydrographic industry as well and evolve credible dissemination methodology to the end users. Vast improvements It is significant that the hydrographic technology is seeing vast improvements, both in hardware and software terms, especially in the management of voluminous 3D digital data. Keeping hydrographic experts current in their profession is a necessity to meet many user needs. Marine Cartography to international Standards will enable the Nation to translate the voluminous processed 3D field survey data into many user-friendly nautical products and services. The modern equipment fit in the new catamaran design six survey vessels, coupled with well trained manpower, will enable the Indian National Hydrographic Office (INHO), to achieve 100 per cent insonification with 3D surveys within the Indian Exclusive Economic Zone. This is
possible even if requested for foreign waters, with products and services to meet end users' needs with better revenue earnings. INHO has a great responsibility on their shoulders and duty to perform on hydrography and related fields, on which some key resources shall come from the Indian juridical waters, since the 21{+s}{+t}century will be the Century of the Seas. Wise investment on hydrographic capacity building (assets and human resources ) by the Indian Government is needed. Autonomous status This should be coupled with a restructured autonomous status for the INHO for more effective functioning in predominantly civil applications oriented domain. These measures shall facilitate higher professionalism and profound strategic and economic returns in the years to come. K.R. SRINIVASAN Formerly Rear Admiral, Indian Navy
Women also trained in coconut plucking

Coconut plucking is no longer a male bastion as the first batch of all women Friends of coconut' in the state completed their six day training at the Peruvannamuzhi Krishi Vigyan Kendra of the Indian Institute of Spices Research (IISR) Kozhikode, Kerala. A group of 20 women aged between 20 and 35 years from Perambra in Kozhikode district has proved that gender is not a barrier for them before the heights of coconut trees. Training programme The training was organised as part of the Friends of coconut tree programme being implemented by the Coconut Development Board, Kerala to train unemployed youth in the art of climbing coconut trees and caring for them. This is the first all women' training programme on coconut climbing conducted in the entire state, said Dr. M Anandaraj, Director, IISR. The programme covered introduction to coconut palm, climate, soil requirements and varieties, sessions on climbing machine-main parts, working and trial, nutrient management, recycling of palm waste, intercropping and mixed cropping, etc. Besides practical lessons, sessions were also held on harvesting, tender and mature nut identification, identification of pests and disease and their management, crown cleaning aspects, seed nut procurement, safe handling of seed and tender nuts, coconut nursery and its management etc. Physical exercise towards the beginning of each day's training was another highlight of the programme. According the trainees, coconut climbing is an easy task and they felt no physical exhaustion while using the machine. During the last session of the training, a Coconut Olympics was also conducted in which the trainees were able to climb the trees within 48- 50 seconds. Climbers' bank
The Hindu S& T 2011 Page 29 of 36 KVK is now in the process of establishing a Coconut Climbers' Bank in which people trained from KVK can register their names. Anyone who needs the services of a coconut climber can contact the bank and avail the services of registered coconut climbers in their own at a reasonable rate. Thus this scheme will be beneficial to both the customer and climber, says Dr. T Arumuganathan, Programme coordinator, KVK Peruvannamuzhi. For details contact Mr. Riyas on email: riyaskpa@gmail.com and mobile: 9048321644.
Wood-based fibre reinforced plastics

A New Zealand state-run research institute has licensed a technology for a woodplastic combination that it says could revolutionize the composition of plastic worldwide. Research institute Scion will manufacture and sell the woodplastic pellet technology. The new wood-plastic pellets increased the strength of traditional plastic polymers and could be used in decking, fencing, pallets, furniture, automotive parts, appliance housings, computer peripherals and many common applications for plastics and fibreglass products, said a statement from Scion. We recognised the growth in commercial application of natural fibre reinforced plastics and saw an opportunity for wood fibers, which have been very difficult to process with plastics, said Scion science leader Jeremy Warnes. Agricultural fibres are used as reinforcing fibres, but have disadvantages such as seasonality in supply, variable quality, and specialist processing equipment is needed to convert the fibres into a form that can be processed by plastics manufacturers. The technology enabled production of wood plastic composites with long wood fibre reinforcement, which could be easily fed into conventional extruders and injection moulders and processed as biobased fibre reinforced plastics. The technology can easily fit into existing manufacturing and processing chains. said Scion chief executive Warren Parker. Xinhua
World's biggest virus found

A virus found in the sea off Chile is the biggest in the world, harbouring more than 1,000 genes, surprised scientists reported on Monday. The genome of Megavirus chilensis is 6.5 percent bigger than the DNA code of the previous virus record-holder, Mimivirus, isolated in 2003. Viruses differ from bacteria in that they are usually far smaller and cannot reproduce on their own, needing to penetrate a host cell in which to replicate. But M. chilensis is such a giant that it surpasses many bacteria in size and is genetically the most complex DNA virus ever described. It was taken from sea water sample closed to the shore of Las Cruces, Chile. Its host
The Hindu S& T 2011 Page 30 of 36 organism is unknown. DNA viruses include pox viruses and herpes viruses, but M. chilensis doesn't seem to be harmful for humans, said Jean-Michel Claverie, of France's National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS). The study appeared in a U.S. journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) . AFP
World's most powerful optical microscope

A scientific team has created a microscope which shatters the record for the smallest object the eye can see, beating the diffraction limit of light.
World's smallest car from nanotechnology

Ben Feringa of Groningen University in the Netherlands reports on his research in the British scientific journal Nature , describing how the tiny vehicle is electrically powered. His electric nano car even has four-wheel drive. The nano car is not the first externally powered molecule, but it is the first that uses its own power to move in a directed way across a surface. They regard their design as a step towards developing nano machines capable in the future of carrying out work at the molecular level. To make the car, Feringa and his co-researchers mounted four previously developed molecular motors onto a central beam. Each of the molecular motors then becomes a drive wheel. The team has yet to find a way of reliably producing cars in which all the drive wheels travel in the same direction. Currently they have to select by trial and error those nano cars that do actually move forwards. Electricity is provided by means of a scanning tunnelling microscope which transmits current through its extremely fine point to get the molecular car moving. A brief pulse of half a volt changes the configuration of the molecular motors, and provided they all move in the same direction, the nano car moves forward around 0.7 of a nanometre. The team got its molecular four-wheel drive to move around six nanometres across a copper surface with the aid of 10 pulses. DPA
'Wrinkles' of the moon are clues to its past

The first comprehensive set of maps revealing the slopes and roughness of the moon's surface has been put together. These are based on data from the Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter on NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.
X-rays reveal hidden Goya masterpiece

Beneath a Goya masterpiece, a second, hidden painting by the Spanish painter has been discovered, the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam has announced. New technology has brought the image to light for the first time since Goya painted over it, apparently for political reasons.
The Hindu S& T 2011 Page 31 of 36 Curators were aware of something beneath the surface of Goya's powerful 1823 portrait of Don Ramon Satue, a judge in the supreme court in Madrid, but it was so faint they could not decipher details, let alone the composition. Seen in great detail High-intensity X-ray technology developed by Joris Dik of Delft University and Koen Janssens of Antwerp University means the painting can be seen for the first time in great detail. Napoleon's brother It is thought to be of a French general or even Joseph Bonaparte, who was briefly king of Spain and brother of Napoleon. Everything from the brushwork to the precise medals worn on the sitter's uniform can be seen. Dik told the Guardian the technology allowed his team to visualise a Goya painting that had not been seen before: It is exciting. Scanning macro X-ray fluorescence spectrometry technology in which fluorescent X-rays map the picture's pigments to create a colour image of it was first tried out two years ago on a Van Gogh painting. It revealed his previously unknown portrait of a peasant woman, which the artist painted over with the 1887 work Patch of Grass. This time, however, the technology has been developed further in a mobile version that can be used in museums on paintings that are too delicate to be moved. The potential for uncovering unknown works of art is enormous as so many artists reused canvases, usually to save money or to conceal an earlier work with which they were dissatisfied. Bonaparte's order Dik said the medals worn by the sitter can be identified as linked to an order created by Joseph Bonaparte, Napoleon's brother, during his short reign as king of Spain, from 1808 to 1813. The portrait probably dates from between 1809 and 1813. However, having a painting associated with Bonaparte after the Napoleonic forces had withdrawn from Spain would not have gone down well. Goya, the survivor Dik said: Goya, we know, managed to survive both political situations the transfer of Spain to the French and back to Spain. After 1820, [such a portrait] could have been dangerous. That's when we believe the portrait was overpainted with the figure we can see now, as that painting dates from 1823. It was during the Napoleonic wars that Francisco de Goya (17461828) created masterpieces such as his Disasters of War etchings. In these paintings were his responses to the occupying French army's atrocities. Guardian Newspapers Limited, 2011
Yawning may no longer be a wide open question

Yawning occurs not because you are tired, bored, or even need oxygen. Instead, scientists have found that yawning helps to regulate the brain's temperature. The brain is exquisitely sensitive to temperature changes.
Young children should avoid using cell phones

If the World Health Organisation has classified mobile phones as possibly carcinogenic on May 31, the Council of Europe's parliamentary assembly took a proactive step by adopting a resolution on May 27. The Council has recommended restrictions on the use of mobile phones and wireless Internet access in all schools thus making them healthier places for children. The Council's recommendation states: give preference to wired internet connections, and strictly regulate the use of mobile phones by schoolchildren on school premises. No evidence found yet While mobile phones use non-ionising radiofrequency electromagnetic fields, the Council's recommendations have covered the entire gamut of electromagnetic fields. By virtue of being non-ionising, they tend to be less harmful to humans, and till date no definite connection has been found between mobile phone use and cancer. Most of the large-scale studies conducted so far have relied completely on individuals' ability to recall the duration and extent of use. Hence they tend to become subjective. Also, there are several other factors that play a role in the amount of non-ionising radiation that a mobile phone would emit when in use. For instance, when the signal is weak, the radiation emitted is more. Why this label No firm and definite scientific evidence has been found to confirm non-ionising radition as harmful. This is the reason why the WHO has labelled mobile phone use as possibly carcinogenic. Yet, it is customary in science to apply precautionary principle whenever risk is suspected but clear evidence is not available. Unlike adults, children have cells that are rapidly dividing and the tissues are growing. Hence the cells are more sensitive to radiation. Also, the thickness of the skull is less compared with adults. The area of the brain exposed to non-ionising radiation from cell phones is large vis--vis adults. Hence more caution is required in the case of children, particulalry young children.. The Council has rightfully highlighted this basic approach in its recommendation by stating that: Precautionary principle should be applicable when scientific evaluation does not allow the risk to be determined with sufficient certainty. It goes on to add that it is all the more essential to apply the precautionary approach when dealing with a vulnerable population, which in this case is children. For More Visit www.mrunal-exam.blogspot.in or www.mrunalpatel.co.nr
The Hindu S& T 2011 Page 33 of 36 For reasons well known, people were in the dark for many years about the risk of lung cancer from smoking. The same is the case with lead in petrol and asbestos. Waiting for high levels of scientific and clinical proof before taking action to prevent well-known risks can lead to very high health and economic costs, it notes. It also calls for measures for building awareness among teachers, parents and children. However, the Council's recommendation has no legal force. Yet, its stand sends a strong signal to the 47 member governments. The Council of Europe is not the only body that has come out with such a recommendation much before the WHO's classification. The Russian National Committee on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (RNCNIRP) published a similar resolution in April this year. Russia's stance As in the case of the Council of Europe, the Russian Committee's (RNCNIRP) recommendation is based on the application of the precautionary principle. The resolution entitled Electromagnetic fields from mobile phones: health effect on children and teenagers has identified a number of priority areas. The most striking among them is the requirement that the information that a mobile phone is a source of RF EMF is clearly shown on the phone's body (or any other telecommunication device). It also mandates that the user's manual clearly mentions that mobile phones are a source of harmful RF EMF exposure. Usage of a mobile phone by children and adolescents under 18 years of age is not recommended. The U.S and a few countries in Europe stipulated that manufacturers of carbonated drinks refrain from advertising in children's TV channels and also stop featuring advertisements targeting children. The Russian Committee has emulated these restrictions in the case of mobile phones. It has called for banning of all types of advertisement of mobile telecommunications for children (teenagers). The reason for this becomes clear when one looks at the statistics. There were about 15 million children and teenagers aged 5 to 19 living in Russia at the end of last year. And with mobile phone penetration in Russia standing at 150 per cent according to the report, the compulsion to target them becomes big. They [the children] all are presumed to be a target group for marketing for telecommunication service providers, mobile phone vendors and others the report states. According to RNCNIRP, results of clinical studies on children show that chronic exposure to RF EMF may lead to borderline psychosomatic disorders. Apparently, the Russian population already seems seized of the unknown risks of non-ionising radiation from mobile phones. According to a survey conducted last year, about 73 per cent of the respondents appear to be aware of the possibility of health risks.
Youngest Nodosaur to be ever discovered

Researchers and an amateur fossil hunter have described the fossil of an armoured dinosaur hatchling, the youngest Nodosaur ever discovered.
Youth should be encouraged to solve crises-ridden agriculture

India is fortunate that over half of its total population of 1.2 billion are under the age group of 30. A high percentage of youth in the age group of 26 to 35 years are presently in the country who can undertake work on agriculture production increase, processing in value added products and marketing of various products if their potential is tapped properly, says Dr. V. Rajagopal, Founder, Hunger Elimination and You (HEY) movement, Tirupati, formerly Director, Central Plantations and Crops Research Institute (CPCRI), Kasaragod, Kerala. Dr. Rajagopal recently presented a paper at the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF), Chennai on 'Role of youth in agriculture and combating hunger. Having a sizable population of youth - over 45 per cent of the total in the age group of 15 to 34 years - is a national asset. This needs to be exploited for various productive nation building activities, he argues. Rural population The rural youth population, both male and female, is higher than the urban population, he says. For instance, the total rural youth population is 296.2 million (153.2 million male and 143.9 million female) as against 130.9 million urban youth population (69.5 million male and 61.4 million female. (Source: Indian population fund- 2008). The potential areas to utilize youngsters are: agriculture production, processing and marketing, a comprehensive survey on poverty levels in rural and urban areas, data base on the extent of hunger among the poor and enumeration of malnourished child population, he explains. Common belief Against a common belief that agriculture is not remunerative for youngsters opportunities for educated, unemployed and also uneducated youth, men and women, exist in the sector and today agri-business is gaining momentum, according to him. The farm sector remained non-remunerative, risky and not so attractive as long as farmers followed old practices and mono crop system, but after the advent of good agriculture practices involving a range of measures like multi crop system, diversification, value addition to harvested produce, enabled by income generating technologies the scenario today presents a better face of reformation and development, he explains. The synergy between traditional technologies and information pathways provides a wider scope to revitalize agriculture sector.
The Hindu S& T 2011 Page 35 of 36 Agri business, is an emerging field for the youth to avail the excellent opportunities to take up farm related ventures. Many progressive farmers who adopted latest technologies experience less risk than before and reap the benefits of training imparted to them, he explains. Need to be trained About 60 per cent of youth need to be trained to undertake work on poverty and hunger among poor villagers. The educated and unemployed youth can then undertake survey in rural areas, villages in detail to identify the target group of people --- economically poor back ground and struggling for food and drinking water. Volunteers must form groups to visit the villages The youth seva sanghs or clubs already in existance in some Universities need to be strengthened. Some youth in Puducherry are doing such activities successfully. Presence The presence of so many private companies in agriculture shows that this is a good money generating field. If youth can properly utilise this area, then they can become self reliant and sustainable, he says. On my part I am willing to guide any youth, movement, or groups if they approach me as to how it should be done, he says. Those interested can contact Dr.V.Rajagopal, Founder, Hunger Elimination and You movement, Tirupati, email: rajvel44@gmail.com, mobile:09441200217.
Zinc reduces the severity and duration of the common cold
According to a systematic review published in The Cochrane Library, zinc supplements reduce the severity and duration of illness caused by the common cold. The findings could help reduce the amount of time lost from work and school due to colds. The common cold places a heavy burden on society, accounting for approximately 40 per cent of time taken off work and millions of days of school missed by children each year. The idea that zinc might be effective against the common cold came from a study carried out in 1984, which showed that zinc lozenges could reduce how long symptoms lasted. Since then, trials have produced conflicting results and although several biological explanations for the effect have been proposed, none have been confirmed. The review updates a previous Cochrane Systematic Review, carried out in 1999, with data from several new trials. In total, data from 15 trials, involving 1,360 people, were included. According to the results, zinc syrup, lozenges or tablets taken within a day of the onset of cold symptoms reduce the severity and length of illness. At seven days, more of the patients who took zinc had cleared their symptoms compared with those who took placebos. Children who took zinc syrup or lozenges for five months or longer caught fewer colds and took less time off school. Zinc also reduced antibiotic use in children, which is important because overuse has implications for antibiotic resistance. This review strengthens the evidence for zinc as a treatment for the common cold, said lead
researcher Meenu Singh of the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research in Chandigarh, India. However, at the moment, it is still difficult to make a general recommendation, because we do not know very much about the optimum dose, formulation or length of treatment. Further research should focus on the benefits of zinc in defined populations, the review suggests. Our review only looked at zinc supplementation in healthy people, said Singh. But it would be interesting to find out whether zinc supplementation could help asthmatics, whose asthma symptoms tend to get worse when they catch a cold. Our Bureau

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The Hindu S& T 2011 Page 1 of 36

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U.S. wind energy not to be hit by rising heat

Ultra-low power computing now possible

Unbridled real estate business threatens farmers' livelihood

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The Hindu S& T 2011 Page 5 of 36

Unique night-flowering orchid found

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Unprecedented spread of lionfish documented

UPA policies driving inflation: CITU

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The Hindu S& T 2011 Page 7 of 36

Use of microalgae helps in controlling pollution

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The Hindu S& T 2011 Page 8 of 36

Using agriculture to address poverty

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Using duck eggs to track climate change

Using trees to detect aquifer contaminants

Validating volcano no-fly zones

Vanilla: preserving a world favourite flavour

Vanishing elephants, rise of modern humans

Vegans, vegetarians, and invitrotarians'

The Hindu S& T 2011 Page 10 of 36

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The Hindu S& T 2011 Page 11 of 36

Video clippings educate on methods practised elseware

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Vigorous daily exercise urged for a longer life

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The Hindu S& T 2011 Page 13 of 36

Volcano spews ash, gas in a plume 10 km high

Warming temperatures affect British mammals

Was Darwin wrong about emotions?

Waste glass could clean up polluted waterways

Water cannon to be used

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Water on Moon originated from comets

Water vapour cools Earth's surface

Ways to create useful aluminium alloys

Web users may have found new planets

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The Hindu S& T 2011 Page 15 of 36

Weight loss improves memory

The Hindu S& T 2011 Page 16 of 36

What are emotion expressions for?

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The Hindu S& T 2011 Page 17 of 36

What caused the May 2004 Arabian Sea cyclone

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What causes specificity of olfactory sensors?

What the fossils of horse teeth indicate

When 60 nanoseconds threaten modern physics

When blood sucking kills mosquitoes

When people hear colours and taste words

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White-coat effect' on greyhounds' BP

Why agriculture policies are outdated and contradictory

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