Optical Transistor Advance: Physicists Rotate Beams of Light With Semiconductor

Physicists have managed to control the rotation of light by means of a ultra thin semiconductor. The advance could potentially be used to create a transistor that works with light instead of electrical current. Light waves can oscillate in different directions -- much like a string that can vibrate up and down or left and right -- depending on the direction in which it is picked. This is called the polarization of light. Physicists at the Vienna University of Technology have now, together with researchers at Würzburg University, developed a method to control and manipulate the polarization of light using ultra thin layers of semiconductor material. For...

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Algae That Live Inside the Cells of Salamanders Are the First Known Vertebrate Endosymbionts

A species of algae long known to associate with spotted salamanders has been discovered to live inside the cells of developing embryos, say scientists from the U.S. and Canada, who report their findings in this week's Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. This is the first known example of a eukaryotic algae living stably inside the cells of any vertebrate. "It raises the possibility that more animal/algae symbioses exist that we are not aware of," said Indiana University Bloomington biologist Roger Hangarter, the PNAS report's sole American coauthor. "Since other salamanders and some frog species have similar algae/egg symbioses,...

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Improving our understanding of the craniofacial features

Research from North Carolina State University shows that they really don't make women like they used to, at least in Spain. The study, which examined hundreds of Spanish and Portuguese skulls spanning four centuries, shows that differences in the craniofacial features of men and women have become less pronounced. "Improving our understanding of the craniofacial features of regional groups can help us learn more from skeletal remains, or even help us identify an individual based on his or her remains," says Dr. Ann Ross, an associate professor of anthropology at NC State and principal investigator of the study. The researchers looked at more...

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Problems in Vijay’s Makkal Iyakkam

The founder of Vijay’s Makkal Iyakkam, SA Chandrasekar, in a statement, has said that the Iyakkam’s State President Jayaseelan and Thiruvellore District Secretary Lenin Prabhu have been dismissed. Clarifying on their dismissal, SAC said that both of them were acting against the wishes of the high command. It may be mentioned here that Vijay’s Makkal Iyakkam pledged their support for the forthcoming elections to AIADMK but Jayaseelan and Lenin Prabhu were working against this order. SAC has asked all the members of the Iyakkam to refrain from associating with the t...

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Karthi takes up Madhavan’s role?

The recent Hindi blockbuster, Tanu weds Manu, in which Madhavan and Kangna Ranaut played the lead role, is all set to be remade in Tamil. Sources in Kollywood say that Karthi has been approached to play the role essayed by Maddy in this romantic-comedy. Talks are on with several leading ladies and one of them will be finalized shortly to take up Kangna’s role, it is expected. Sources in Kollywood say that either Suraj or Rajesh may be roped in to direct this film. Suraj is awaiting the release of the Dhanush starrer Mappillai and Rajesh is currently busy with Oru Kal Oru Kannadi which has Udayanidhi Stalin...

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Taapsee gets a call

Taapsee is on a roll with enviable projects in Tamil and Telugu. But the icing on the cake is the role she has bagged in a Hindi film to be made by David Dhawan. The director is famous for his comedies and he will be remaking one of the greatest comedies from a bygone era, Chashmee Baddoor. David Dhawan has given the female lead to Taapsee as he feels she is something special and different from the typical assembly-line heroines. Her sex appeal lies in her freshness and innocence and that makes her perfect for the role, the director said. The ecstatic actress is thrilled with the opportunity but has clarified that she will not be shifting base...

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Fasting for 24 hours 'may cut your risk of heart disease and diabetes'

Regularly going a day without food may reduce your risk of heart disease and diabetes, research has suggested. Doctors studied the health and habits of more than 200 residents in the state of Utah, where fasting for at least one day a month is a way of life for many Mormons. X-ray scans revealed narrowing of the arteries in around 75 per cent of those who didn’t fast. In contrast, clogged arteries affected 63 per cent of those who said they often skipped meals. Fasting also appeared to more than halve the odds of diabetes, the American College of Cardiology’s conference heard. To ensure the results were not only due to those who fast having...

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Scientists to Make Heart Transplant Easier

At the University of Minnesota’s Heart Lab, experiments are going on which will make heart transplant easier and the patients won’t be required to tale anti-immunity drugs. The experiment is a major step towards the first ‘grow- your-own’ heart, and could be helpful in creating artificial liver, kidney and lungs. It has come to light that British Doctors in 2007 grew a human heart valve by using stem cells taken from a patient’s bone marrow. And a year later, scientists grew a beating animal heart for the first time. Dr Taylor’s team who is working at Minnesota’s Heart Lab., has already created beating hearts of rat and pig. At the American...

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HTC Desire HD unleashed in India

With the incorporation of technologies like HD and 3D in consumer electronic products, their popularity has increased invariably. Further strengthening the stance of high definition visuals, HTC expanded its Desire series with a HD option sometime last year. After alluring enthusiasts around the globe with its enriching graphical verve, the HTC Desire HD has now arrived on the Indian shore. Flaunting its stylish aluminum sculpture, the handset sports a 4.3-inch LCD display and SRS virtual sound. The smartphone has been embedded with an 8MP dual-flash camera which is capable of freezing high quality images and 720p HD videos. Embedded with the...

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Follow-up to Storm 2 will be announced by BlackBerry in May

BlackBerry gets touchy A new range of BlackBerry handsets to be unveiled by RIM next month will include a powerful full touchscreen phone. The handset, provisionally titled the BlackBerry Touch, will be the successor to the partly touchscreen based Storm 2 and will run OS 6.1. An intriguing development could be that users will need a BlackBerry ID to log into the system, as opposed to the classic BBM PIN, which may make it easier to back-up, restore and share data as well as contacts in the BlackBerry Messenger. Boy Genius Report, which has leaked pictures, claims the device is: "Thinner, faster and sexier than the Storm." Getting down to...

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Sensex up 75 points in early trade on strong FII buying

The BSE benchmark Sensex firmed up by 75 points in early trade on Monday on persistent buying in select counters, mainly IT and tech, on the back of sustained capital inflows by foreign funds, coupled with higher Asian cues. The BSE benchmark Sensex resumed higher at 19,473.93 and shot up further to 19,566.29 before quoting at 19,495.75 at 1015 hours, showing a net gain of 75.36 points, or 0.39 per cent, from last weekend’s level. The NSE 50-share Nifty also firmed up by 14.60 points, or 0.25 per cent, to quote at 5,840.65 at 1015 hours. Index heavyweight Reliance Industries (RIL) was trading firm. Wipro surged by 1.50 per cent after the company...

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2G scam: Telenor distances from its JV partner Unitech

Norwegian mobile operator Telenor has distanced itself from its joint venture partner –Unitech, reports CNBC-TV18. Telenor today clarified that the CBI in its chargesheet has named Unitech Wireless and its MD Sanjay Chandra and not Telenor. The company claimed that charges were made for a period prior to Telenor's entry and that the Norwegian made its investments after Unitech had obtained a genuine licence. It also emphasised that it has zero tolerance for corruption and will continue to fight for its righ...

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Telecom investments pegged at Rs 5 lakh crore in 2012-2017

With mobile subscribers growing at the pace of over 15 million every month, the telecom sector is likely to witness huge investments to the tune of Rs 5 lakh crore in the next five years plans (2012-2017). Of this, the two telecom PSUs -- BSNL and MTNL are expected to make investments to the tune of Rs one lakh crore during the five years to ramp up their telecom infrastructure. Private players, on the other hand, are expected to invest Rs 4 lakh crore during the same period (2012-2017) in expanding their infrastructure. This is contained in an internal note of the Department of Telecom which says the total investment in telecom infrastructure...

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Libya's bright new dawn

Sitting at a cafe overlooking the second-century Roman arch of Marcus Aurelius, I am basking in the sun. In the nearby bazaar, pedlars shout their wares and customers bargain with the shopkeepers. Young Libyans sip their mint tea and the call to midday prayer beams out from several minarets. First impressions of Tripoli can be deceiving and things aren't quite as serene as they seem. People talk of corruption, lack of opportunities, frustration and a chokehold on expression but they are wary of who may be sat on the adjacent table. Opinions about the government or its projects are whispered in hushed voices. Officials are not mentioned by name...

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Japanese Nuclear Plant Starts Pumping Millions of Gallons of Radioactive Water Into Pacific

TOKYO -- Workers were pumping more than 3 million gallons of contaminated water from Japan's tsunami-ravaged nuclear power complex into the Pacific Ocean on Tuesday, freeing storage space for even more highly radioactive water that has hampered efforts to stabilize the plant's reactors. The government has also asked Russia for a ship that is used to dispose of liquid nuclear waste as it tries to decontaminate the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear complex, whose cooling systems were knocked out by the magnitude-9.0 earthquake and tsunami on March 11. The plant also plans to bring in a floating storage facility. But these other storage options have...

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Yemenis hold largest protest yet against leader

SANAA, Yemen –  Hundreds of thousands of Yemenis packed a square in the capital and marched in villages and cities across the nation on Friday in what appeared to be the largest demonstrations in more than a month of demands the country's longtime ruler Ali Abdullah Saleh step down. Youth leaders said they planned a march in the direction of the heavily guarded presidential palace. Many mosques in the capital shut down — a move unprecedented for Friday, the Muslim day of prayer — as worshippers and clerics streamed to the square outside Sanaa University. Protesters filled the plaza and spilled out along three adjoining streets. Previous...

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Another pilot arrested for using forged marksheets

New Delhi:  One more pilot has been arrested in the capital for allegedly using forged marksheets to procure a licence from the country's airline regulator. A senior Delhi police official said Abhinav Kaushik from private airline Indigo, has been arrested for using forged marksheets to procure a licence from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). Delhi Police had last month arrested two pilots for the same offence while two others were apprehended in Jaipur. The city police had arrested Parwinder Kaur Gulati of Indigo and J K Verma of Air India while their Jaipur counterparts had apprehended Anoop Choudhury and Amit Moondra...

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Moderate quake rocks India-Nepal border region

NEW DELHI - A MODERATE 5.7-magnitude earthquake shook the Nepal-India border region on Monday with tremors felt as far away as the Indian capital of New Delhi. The epicentre of the quake was in the border region between Nepal and India, a seismologist at the Indian Meteorological Department told AFP. The quake struck at a depth of 10km, he said. 'It was a moderate quake... with a shallow to moderate focal depth,' said the official, who asked not to be identified. No damage or casualties were immediately reported. The tremor was also felt in two towns in far western Nepal, Dhangadi and Mahendranagar, Nepal's private Avenues Television reported....

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Working Mother - Easing the guilt

It's not easy being working mother. Not only do you have to deal with the anxiety of being separated from your child, you also have to put up with judgement from wider society about what makes a good mum. Then there are the (ungrounded) fears that childcare is damaging to children or that a child will love their nanny more than you. But while mother guilt may be part and parcel of parenthood, there are ways to lessen the burden you might be feeling. Remember why you work Go back to the thought process you went through while making the decision to return to work. Was it to help pay the mortgage? To send the children to a good school? To keep...

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Land, job, car? India cashes in

TO THE 11 men who won India the Cricket World Cup comes the thanks of a grateful nation. In the euphoria of India's win, it seems all 1.21 billion people in this massive country have a tribute in the form of a house, car, stadium, honorary degree or tens of millions of rupees. These were already well-paid, well-cared-for men, each with lucrative endorsements and revered as semi-deities the length and breadth of the country. But the largesse of this ecstatic nation knows no bounds. None of India's cricketers catch trains. And they have less need now every team member has been given a car by Hyundai (and man of the tournament Yuvraj Singh a...

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