Gene transfer from a completely different plant species can significantly boost the built-in immunity of rice plants, suggests a new study.
Tag: technology
Rocket blasts off with NASA magnetic field probes
An Atlas 5 rocket has blasted off from Florida with a quartet of NASA science satellites designed to map bursts of energy and charged particles triggered by criss-crossing magnetic fields around Earth.
Anthropocene: New dates proposed for the ‘Age of Man’
The Anthropocene – a new geological time period that marks the “Age of man” – began in 1610, a study suggests.
Bangladeshi drone maps Sunderbans oil spill
Dhaka – A drone devised by a group of young Bangladeshi scientists has successfully mapped environmental damage caused by a tanker spilling furnace oil into the Shela River in the ecologically sensitive Sunderbans region. On 9 December 2014, the tanker…
DNA screening kit given the go-ahead by US regulator
A Californian start-up will be allowed to advertise a mail order DNA test that screens for a rare genetic condition, after a U-turn by the US regulator.
Alien star system buzzed the Sun
An alien star passed through our Solar System just 70,000 years ago, astronomers have announced.
Synthetic vaccine sought to finally eradicate polio
An international team of scientists is to try to develop a wholly artificial vaccine to combat polio.
MPs say yes to three-person babies
MPs have voted in favour of the creation of babies with DNA from two women and one man, in a historic move.
‘Cold plasma’ kills off norovirus
Norovirus, the most common cause of gastroenteritis in the world, can be killed with “cold plasma,” researchers in Germany have reported.
Cosmic inflation: New study says BICEP detection was wrong
Scientists who claimed last year to have found a pattern in the sky left by the super-rapid expansion of space just fractions of a second after the Big Bang were mistaken.
’50 critical tech breakthroughs needed for sustainable global dev’
Through the history of international development, a small number of breakthrough technologies have had transformative impact: the polio vaccine; the new seed varieties which launched the Asian Green Revolution; anti-retroviral drugs which appear to have rendered HIV/AIDS a chronic and…
New Horizons probe eyes Pluto for historic encounter
The American space agency’s (Nasa) mission to Pluto is about to get under way in earnest.
Fingerprints ‘breakthrough’ for wildlife crime investigators
Scientists say they have made a forensic breakthrough in the fight against wildlife crime.
SpaceX capsule docks with ISS
The privately built Dragon capsule has docked with the International Space Station (ISS) carrying a much needed cargo of supplies.
SpaceX launches cargo ship but rocket recovery test ends in crash
The American SpaceX firm says its experiment to bring part of its Falcon rocket down to a soft landing on a floating sea platform did not work.
Nasa to hack Mars rover Opportunity to fix memory problems
Mars rover Opportunity, which has been exploring the Red Planet for more than 10 years, is suffering from memory problems, Nasa has said. The six-wheeled vehicle – not to be confused with Curiosity, which launched in 2011 – keeps resetting…
Digitised web portal launched at Pirganj Land Office
The digitised web portal has been launched at Pirganj Upazila Land Office here for providing quicker land management related government services easily in a hassle-free manner to the common people.
Xbox and PlayStation tackle cyber attacks
Microsoft and Sony have been working to restore internet platforms for their Xbox and PlayStation gamers’ consoles.
‘Digital Innovation Fair’ begins tomorrow
The three-day-long ‘Digital Innovation Fair-2015’ will begin here at Zila Parishad Auditorium in the district town tomorrow (Friday).
Apple ‘deeply offended’ by BBC investigation
Richard Bilton reports from Shanghai: ”An exhausted workforce” Apple has said it is “deeply offended” by a BBC investigation into conditions for workers involved in manufacturing its devices.
Apple ‘deeply offended’ by BBC investigation
Apple has said it is “deeply offended” by a BBC investigation into conditions for workers involved in manufacturing its devices.
Microsoft takes on tech support scammers
US software giant Microsoft is suing alleged scammers who phone people pretending to represent the firm and offer bogus technology support.
Blackberry Classic goes ‘back to company’s roots’
Blackberry has launched what it calls a “no-nonsense” smartphone, the Blackberry Classic.
Rouble turmoil leads to Apple halting online sales in Russia
Technology giant Apple says it cannot sell products online in Russia because the rouble’s value is too volatile for it to set prices.
Dutch data watchdog threatens Google with £12m fine
Google has been threatened with a fine of up to 15m euros (£12m) if it does not do a better job of protecting the privacy of Dutch citizens.
Tech rivals join Microsoft in fight over US data demand
Apple and eBay are among those supporting Microsoft’s stand against handing over data stored in Ireland to the US government.
Retail robots: The droid at till number 7
A hardware store in San Jose has a new star employee. It can speak English and Spanish, recognise any part at sight, and knows what the shop has in stock on a second by second basis.
London airspace closed after computer failure
London airspace has been closed until 19:00 GMT after a computer failure, air traffic controllers have said.
Historic Apple 1 computer sold at auction
A fully operational Apple 1 computer has been sold at auction for $365,000 (£230,000).
Net is ‘less free and more unequal’, says web founder
The web is becoming less free and more unequal, according to a report from the World Wide Web Foundation.