Researchers find a virus-free way of turning adult cells into unspecialized stem cells THE Obama government of the US recently lifted the 8-year ban imposed by the Bush administration on human embryonic stem cell research. The ban had come about because of an ongoing debate on the use of embryos for research. Funds were available only for research on embryonic stem cells that had already been

Aphids know how to fool their enemies, the wasps a battlefield strewn with corpses may be the safest place to avoid detection by the enemy. Neither would the enemy expect to find too many survivors amongst the dead ones nor would it want to waste time and energy looking. This behaviour is also exhibited by aphids, and wasps that parasitize them. Researchers from France found that

A chemical released by algae blamed hundreds of wintering seabirds were reportedly found dead on the shores of Monterey bay, usa, towards the end of 2007. Feathers of the birds were coated in a foamy yellow-green substance. A team of researchers traced the substance to an unusually large red tide in the bay caused by the algal species Akashiwo sanguinea. Monterey bay is home to a

Two new drugs hold promise for tuberculosis patients tuberculosis is a common and deadly disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It leads to 1.6 to 2 million deaths annually. Worse still, most of the bacterial strains are resistant to multiple drugs and their numbers are rising. The class of compounds called b-lactams, which also contains penicillin, is used to treat

Avian malaria also responsible for decline in vulture numbers diclofenac poisoning may not be the sole cause for the drastic decline of vulture populations in central and south India. A two-year long study says avian malaria had a part to play as well. The population of the Indian white-backed vulture (Gyps bengalensis) suffered a decline of over 95 per cent between 1988 and 1999,

Common cold may soon have a cure a couple of sneezes, cough, a running nose and a persistent headache for a few days

Imbalance of calcium causes strokes, heart disorders THE element that is a major constituent of blackboard chalk, teeth and bones is also the one that regulates almost every function a cell performs. Scientists recently traced diseases ranging from irregular heartbeats to strokes to mental disorders to this element

With iron oxide nanoparticles The millions of arsenic victims living in Bangladesh and India have another option for obtaining clean drinking water. Finely divided iron oxide nanoparticles (ionps) can remove arsenic from contaminated water. Iron-containing compounds have been used in purifying groundwater. By the property of adsorption, arsenic can bind to the solid surface of iron.

food The secret of cheese For the past 800 years, farmers in Gouda, Netherlands, were making a yellow creamy cheese, from cow

If you are concerned about the declining number of tigers and their prey, you can get trained to do a survey on your own. On Youtube. The Wildlife Conservation Society