World's smallest four-wheel-drive is a billionth of a metre:
Scientists in the Netherlands said on Wednesday(09/11/2011) they had made a four-wheeled molecule that measures just a billionth of a metre - 60,000 times smaller than the thickness of a human hair - and moves in response to a burst of electrons.
The nanometre-sized molecule comprises a central body to which four rotary units, each comprising a few atoms, are attached.
The nanocar is propelled and steered thanks to energy input from a tunnelling electron microscope.
By firing electrons, the microscope induces a change in the interaction between the rotors and a copper surface. As a result, the rotors move around like paddle wheels and drive the wee molecule forward.
The research, reported in the journal Nature, is headed by Ben Feringa, a professor at the University of Groningen.
It marks a new step in a field that developed about half a dozen years ago and sees practical outlets in medicine and nanoscale engineering.
Hubble telescope spots dwarf galaxies:
NASA’s powerful Hubble Space Telescope has spotted a number of young dwarf galaxies brimming with star formation.
The galaxies are many times smaller than the Milky Way, yet they churn out stars at such a fast pace that their stellar content would double in just 10 million years, said NASA.
The nanometre-sized molecule comprises a central body to which four rotary units, each comprising a few atoms, are attached.
The nanocar is propelled and steered thanks to energy input from a tunnelling electron microscope.
By firing electrons, the microscope induces a change in the interaction between the rotors and a copper surface. As a result, the rotors move around like paddle wheels and drive the wee molecule forward.
The research, reported in the journal Nature, is headed by Ben Feringa, a professor at the University of Groningen.
It marks a new step in a field that developed about half a dozen years ago and sees practical outlets in medicine and nanoscale engineering.
Hubble telescope spots dwarf galaxies:
NASA’s powerful Hubble Space Telescope has spotted a number of young dwarf galaxies brimming with star formation.
The galaxies are many times smaller than the Milky Way, yet they churn out stars at such a fast pace that their stellar content would double in just 10 million years, said NASA.
By comparison, the Milky Way would take a thousand times longer to double its star population, Xinhua reported quoting the U.S. space agency on Thursday(10/11/2011).
The universe is estimated to be 13.7 billion years old, and these newly-discovered galaxies are extreme even for the young universe — when most galaxies were forming stars at higher rates than they are today, NASA said.
Astronomers could spot the galaxies because the radiation from young, hot stars has caused the oxygen in the gas surrounding them to light up like a bright neon sign.
“The galaxies have been there all along, but until recently astronomers have been able only to survey tiny patches of sky at the sensitivities necessary to detect them,” said Arjen van der Wel of Germany’s Max Planck Institute for Astronomy.
"In addition to the images, Hubble has captured spectra that show us the oxygen in a handful of galaxies and confirmed their extreme star-forming nature," said co-author Amber Straughn at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Centre. "Spectra are like fingerprints. They tell us the galaxies' chemical composition."
Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi resign:
Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi has resigned after parliament's lower chamber passed European-demanded reforms, ending a 17-year political era.
President Giorgio Napolitano accepted his offer and is likely to appoint technocrat Mario Monti his successor. Mr Berlusconi lost his majority amid an acute debt crisis that threatens the eurozone. He promised to go once MPs had approved new austerity measures. Crowds celebrated outside the presidential palace, shouting "buffoon" as he entered. Reports say Mr Berlusconi's last journey as Prime Minister was an undignified one.
Police struggled to control a large, hostile crowd which booed and jeered as his convoy swept by, and after his resignation he left by a side exit to avoid the protesters.
Mr Berlusconi is Italy's longest-serving post-war Prime Minister. His premiership has recently been marred by many scandals.
President Giorgio Napolitano accepted his offer and is likely to appoint technocrat Mario Monti his successor. Mr Berlusconi lost his majority amid an acute debt crisis that threatens the eurozone. He promised to go once MPs had approved new austerity measures. Crowds celebrated outside the presidential palace, shouting "buffoon" as he entered. Reports say Mr Berlusconi's last journey as Prime Minister was an undignified one.
Police struggled to control a large, hostile crowd which booed and jeered as his convoy swept by, and after his resignation he left by a side exit to avoid the protesters.
Mr Berlusconi is Italy's longest-serving post-war Prime Minister. His premiership has recently been marred by many scandals.
PM to release first report of NIC on Tuesday(15/11/2011):
Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh will release the first report of the National Innovation Council - NIC on Tuesday. NIC has been set up to promote new ideas for inclusive development.
An official release said that NIC was established to recognise the potential of innovation to bridge unmet needs and access gaps in vital sectors like agriculture, education and energy.
It was established in the wake of the Government declaring 2010-2020 as the Decade of Innovation.
In a bid to spur innovation in key sectors of the economy, Dr. Singh had given his nod to set up the NIC headed by telecom czar Sam Pitroda, with special focus on micro, small and medium enterprises for 2010-20, last year in August.
An official release said that NIC was established to recognise the potential of innovation to bridge unmet needs and access gaps in vital sectors like agriculture, education and energy.
It was established in the wake of the Government declaring 2010-2020 as the Decade of Innovation.
In a bid to spur innovation in key sectors of the economy, Dr. Singh had given his nod to set up the NIC headed by telecom czar Sam Pitroda, with special focus on micro, small and medium enterprises for 2010-20, last year in August.
Gulf region's biggest aviation event gets underway in Dubai today (13/11/2011):
The Gulf region's biggest aviation event gets underway in Dubai today. Over 100 companies and 55000 visitors are expected to take part in the five day event. Indian delegation is being led by the Union Minster Of State for Defence Dr. M.M. Pallam Raju. The aviation industry is expecting major deal announcements during the event. Leading manufacturer's like Airbus and Boeing are vying for lucrative Mid east markets. Boeing's Dreamliner 787 will make a debut at the event while Airbus will present its modern and cost efficient aircraft family.
Dubai airspace would be closed for three hours on each day of the Airshow. Some airlines have cancelled flights during the event while others have rescheduled. All Emirate Airlines flights departing between 1300 hrs and 1700 hrs daily will have early check-in 90
Dubai airspace would be closed for three hours on each day of the Airshow. Some airlines have cancelled flights during the event while others have rescheduled. All Emirate Airlines flights departing between 1300 hrs and 1700 hrs daily will have early check-in 90
Kidnapped US baseball player rescued(12/11/2011):
In Venezuela, the US Major League baseball player, Wilson Ramos, who was kidnapped by armed men, has been rescued. Information Minister Andres Izarra said security forces located Ramos in the Montalban mountains near to where he was kidnapped three days ago.
The 24-year-old catcher for the Washington Nationals was abducted by armed men on Wednesday evening while he chatted with friends and relatives outside his mother's home in the Venezuelan city of Valencia.
President Hugo Chavez had authorized an air rescue with support from the national guard this morning. Ramos was found in the mountainous Montalban area of Carabobo state, about 20 miles west of Valencia, and was taken back to the city.
Three people were arrested during the operation, including a Colombian national linked to paramilitary and kidnapping groups.
The 24-year-old catcher for the Washington Nationals was abducted by armed men on Wednesday evening while he chatted with friends and relatives outside his mother's home in the Venezuelan city of Valencia.
President Hugo Chavez had authorized an air rescue with support from the national guard this morning. Ramos was found in the mountainous Montalban area of Carabobo state, about 20 miles west of Valencia, and was taken back to the city.
Three people were arrested during the operation, including a Colombian national linked to paramilitary and kidnapping groups.
‘Drupal' changed communication on web:
‘Over 2 per cent of all websites worldwide use Drupal as their back-end system'
What is however unknown, is the fascinating story of Drupal – the free, open source social publishing platform – that enabled the survival of Al Jazeera's website amid the escalating pressure; besides latching global governments onto its services.
“Over 2 per cent of all websites worldwide, from blogs to corporate, political and government sites use Drupal as their back-end system. This includes the United States government's official website, the www.whitehouse.gov,” says Dries Buytaert, creator of Drupal.
A software package that allows you to organise, manage and publish content, with endless customisation; Drupal is used by millions today. And, India is now as much a part of this online revolution. Various government organisations, including the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, have adopted Drupal as their communication platform over the past year.
“Drupal can be downloaded for free and innumerable new features can be added to it. While over 1.5 million users visit our official website, www.drupal.org, nearly one-third of the traffic is from India. The interest for Drupal and the quality of developers here is overwhelming. There is escalating demand for the software in the Indian market,” says Dries, who is in the country on a tour of educational institutions in Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad.
With a name that is Dutch for ‘village', the ‘Drupal' advantage lies in its community aspect. While over thousands of developers maintain the software, ‘tens of thousands' of community volunteers across the world continuously add new features, called modules, to the license-free software.
While there are over 11,000 modules today that can be used to customise Drupal's behaviour and appearance, there is a steep increase in the demand for trained Drupal developers in the country, who can create websites across industries using the appropriate modules.
With numerous such functions, it has specialised distribution across several sectors like governance, communication, media, education and publishing websites, among others.
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| Dries Buytaert, creater of Drupal and Ronald C. Pruett, junior chief marketing officer, at a press conference in Hyderabad on Friday(11/11/2011). |
“While hosting a small website using propriety software could cost nearly $400 a month, a similar website would cost merely $5 with Drupal as it free to download. As it is open-source it enables a huge commercial eco-system which allows you to do well, while giving something back to the community,” says Dries.
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