Straits Times Interactive - TECH AND SCIENCE

Astronomers seize last chance in lifetime for Venus Transit

Sat, 26 May 2012 03:11:00 GMT

PARIS (AFP) - Astronomers are gearing for one the rarest events in the Solar System: an alignment of Earth, Venus and the Sun that will not be seen for another 105 years.

Yahoo kills Livestand just 6 months after debut

Sat, 26 May 2012 01:15:00 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Yahoo is killing a tablet magazine called Livestand just six months its debut on the iPad.

New telescope to be in South Africa, Australia

Fri, 25 May 2012 23:33:00 GMT

PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) - Australia and South Africa will share hosting of a giant radio telescope made up of thousands of separate dishes and intended to help scientists figure out the make-up of the universe, the international consortium overseeing the project announced on Friday.

Faceless but connected: Welcome to Airport 2025

Fri, 25 May 2012 22:00:00 GMT

(REUTERS) - The airport environment will be unrecognisable by 2025, but only if the industry shifts paradigm to create a 'streamlined, stress free and holistic service', a new report says.

SpaceX makes historic rendezvous with space station

Fri, 25 May 2012 22:00:00 GMT

WASHINGTON (AFP) - SpaceX's Dragon capsule on Friday became the first private company to rendezvous with the International Space Station when it was successfully grabbed by the orbiting research lab's robotic arm.

Marine reserves boost overall ocean stocks: Australian study

Fri, 25 May 2012 03:57:00 GMT

SYDNEY (AFP) - Australian researchers tracking life on the Great Barrier Reef said on Friday they have proven a long-debated theory that fish born in marine reserves boost overall ocean stocks by dispersing widely.

Thinking of death makes some compassionate

Fri, 25 May 2012 03:47:00 GMT

(THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK)- Some people try to avoid all thoughts of death but United States researchers advise thinking about death can bring out the good in people.

Thinking of death makes some compassionate

Fri, 25 May 2012 03:47:00 GMT

(THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK)- Some people try to avoid all thoughts of death but United States researchers advise thinking about death can bring out the good in people.

Dinosaur with tiny arms unearthed in Argentina

Fri, 25 May 2012 02:03:00 GMT

BUENOS AIRES (AFP) - Argentine experts have discovered the near-complete remains of a new species of Jurassic-era dinosaur that stood on its rear legs and had tiny arms, a leading paleontologist said on Thursday.

New therapy helps tinnitus sufferers

Fri, 25 May 2012 00:40:00 GMT

PARIS (AFP) - Tinnitus, an incurable ringing in the ears that can wreck the lives of those that suffer from it, can be significantly eased by a new combination of therapies, The Lancet reported on Friday.

Global warming winner: Once rare butterfly thrives

Fri, 25 May 2012 00:26:00 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) - Global warming is rescuing the once-rare brown Argus butterfly, scientists say.

Google reveals copyrighted material claims

Thu, 24 May 2012 22:35:00 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - Google on Thursday began revealing details about requests for links to be removed from Internet search results on the grounds they lead to copyrighted material posted without permission.

SpaceX readies space station rendezvous

Thu, 24 May 2012 22:23:00 GMT

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States (US) company SpaceX on Thursday prepared for the climax of its Dragon capsule's landmark mission to the International Space Station (ISS) with a high-stakes bid to latch on to the orbiting research lab.

Facebook makes mobile move with new camera app after IPO flop

Thu, 24 May 2012 22:04:00 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - Facebook released a 'camera' application on Thursday that lets people take Instagram-style pictures that can be shared with iPhones.

Experimental solar plane begins 1st transcontinental flight

Thu, 24 May 2012 22:00:00 GMT

GENEVA (AP) - An experimental solar-powered airplane took off from Switzerland on its first transcontinental flight on Thursday, aiming to reach North Africa next week.

Warming could exceed 3.5 deg C, say climate scientists

Thu, 24 May 2012 14:07:00 GMT

BONN (AFP) - Climate researchers said on Thursday the planet could warm by more than 3.5 deg C, boosting the risk of drought, flood and rising seas.

SpaceX completes 'fly-under' of space station

Thu, 24 May 2012 13:33:00 GMT

WASHINGTON (AFP) - A first of its kind demonstration flight by SpaceX's Dragon capsule on Thursday successfully completed a key milestone in its mission - a fly-under of the International Space Station, Nasa said.

'Monkey' to go West again as cinema power shifts East

Thu, 24 May 2012 04:32:00 GMT

HONG KONG (AFP) - Generations of Chinese grew up under the spell cast by Wu Cheng 'en's Journey To The West, the 16th Century adventure epic which is the subject of two major upcoming film adaptations.

Long-term contraception, as intrauterine device, more effective: Study

Thu, 24 May 2012 02:24:00 GMT

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Women who choose birth control pills, the patch or vaginal ring are 20 times more likely to have an unplanned pregnancy than those using long-term methods such as intrauterine devices (IUD) and implants, a study released on Wednesday found.

US e-book lawsuit 'fundamentally flawed': Apple

Thu, 24 May 2012 02:07:00 GMT

(Reuters) - Apple is rejecting charges that it conspired to fix prices of electronic books, calling the United States (US) government's antitrust lawsuit a 'fundamentally flawed' endeavour that could discourage competition and harm consumers.

Wanted: Bigfoot hair samples for European study

Thu, 24 May 2012 01:24:00 GMT

LONDON (AP) - European researchers are planning to use new techniques to analyse DNA that could help crack the mystery of whether Bigfoot exists.

Yahoo! moves to reclaim Internet search crown

Thu, 24 May 2012 00:54:00 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - Yahoo! on Wednesday set out to reclaim the Internet search crown from Google with the release of software that transforms the way users explore the web using Apple's coveted gadgets.

Google posts synthesiser tribute to Moog

Wed, 23 May 2012 23:58:00 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) - Bob Moog's synthesiser helped change the sound of modern music. On what would have been his 78th birthday, Google is paying tribute to the man with a virtual version of his famous Moog on their homepage - and it's completely playable.

Scientists find new sensory organ in whales

Wed, 23 May 2012 23:30:00 GMT

PARIS (AFP) - Biologists on Wednesday reported they had discovered a new sensory organ on blue, humpback, minke and fin whales that helps explain why these mammals are so huge.

SpaceX capsule completes 1st tests before ISS docking

Wed, 23 May 2012 23:27:00 GMT

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The Dragon space capsule, which has launched a new era of commercial spaceflight, completed its first tests before its scheduled docking at the International Space Station (ISS), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) said on Wednesday.