Subhaditya News Channel Present Science, Political,Sports and Movie News of This Week (9)

3D Picture of Subhaditya Science News Channel

Science News This Week:


1) Tasting the rainbow: The ants whose Multi-coloured abdomens show exactly what they've been eating :

Indian scientist Dr. Mohamed Babu created technicolor ants by feeding colored sugar water to ants with translucent abdomens. Dr. Babu conducted the experiment in his backyard after his wife noticed the ants turning white as they drank spilled milk.Some of the ants even wandered from one colour to another, creating new combinations in their bodies.

Multicoloured Ant Abdomen Post

 
Scientist Dr Babu, mixed the sugar drops with edible colours red, green, blue and yellow and placed them in his garden to attract the insects.By placing them on a paraffin base the drops kept their shape when touched by the ants.

The 53-year-old discovered the ants preferred lighter colours such as yellow and green.He said: 'The idea for the photograph came to me after my wife showed me some ants that turned white sipping the spilled milk drops on our kitchen counter.

2) Bacterium Transforms Into Weapon Against Sleeping Sickness :

Scientists of the Antwerp Institute of Tropical Medicine (ITG) opened a new front against the cause of sleeping sickness. This parasite is transmitted between humans by tsetse flies. The researchers learned a bacterium living in those flies how to produce antibodies against the parasite. Application in the field is still a long way of, but the technique shows quite some promise.

Sleeping Sickness Post

 
Sleeping sickness is caused by trypanosomes, parasites being transmitted by the bite of a tsetse fly.

The World Health Organization estimates the yearly death toll at between 10,000 and 20,000 people. On top of that, the parasite also infects cattle, causing considerable economic loss. Many small African farmers depend on their cattle.

Without treatment, an infection is irrevocably fatal. Unfortunately, many poor people present at the hospital only in a late stadium. At that time the Trypanosoma parasites have lodged themselves in the brain, behind the notorious blood-brain barrier that keeps most drugs out. Arsenic compounds can pass the barrier and kill the parasite, but they also kill five per cent of the patients. New drugs are not in the pipeline.

Besides the parasite, one may also attack its vector, the tsetse fly. But insecticides may be detrimental to the environment, certainly in the long run. Therefore scientists look for alternative strategies. For instance genetically modified insects that are incapable of being infected by the parasite, or do not transmit it. But germline transformation of tsetse flies is unfeasible. To do so, one must be able to handle the eggs, but tsetse flies do not lay eggs, they directly bring forth a larva.

Therefore, the Antwerp researchers took another road. Tsetse flies harbour, as is the case with many insects, resident bacteria. One of them, Sodalis glossinidius (literally: companion of the tsetse fly) exclusively lives in tsetse flies. And it can be cultivated in the lab. De Vooght was the first to genetically modify the bacterium so it produces, and excretes, a very efficient type of antibody, called a nanobody. She identified two different secretory pathways that transported the nanobodies out of the bacterium. She also demonstrated that the bacterium was not hampered by its modification, so it can stand its ground amidst non-modified, 'wild type' congeners inside the fly.

Next, with antibiotics she cleared tsetse flies of their wild type bacteria and replaced those by the modified bacteria. These successfully colonized the flies and started producing nanobodies. The nanobodies also were present in the midgut, where the sleeping sickness parasite also is to be found.

De Vooght demonstrated the feasibility of the technique, but it still needs some development before it can be used to control sleeping sickness in the field. For instance, the antibodies now produced by the bacteria, are directed against a form of the parasite occurring in humans, not in flies. This is simply because this antibody was available, while the one against the fly form still has to be developed. De Vooght: "We wanted to demonstrate first that the technique works in principle. Now we have achieved that, we can tackle the technical details."

3) Japanese Spacecraft to Search for Clues of Earth's First Life :

In a Physics World special report on Japan, Dennis Normile reports on how the Japanese space agency JAXA plans to land a spacecraft onto an asteroid in 2018 to search for clues of how life began on Earth.

Hayabusa 2 will be JAXA's second attempt at collecting material from an asteroid, after its first mission returned to Earth in June 2010. Hayabusa 2 will be launched in 2014 with a view to settling on the targeted asteroid, named 1999 JU3, in mid-2018 before arriving back on Earth in 2020.

Japani Hayabusa Asteroid Post

As soon as Hayabusa 2 safely reaches its destination it will fire fingertip-sized bullets into the surface of the asteroid at speeds of 300 m s and collect the rebounded fragments. After moving to a safe distance away, it will then detonate an impactor module, which will fire a 2 kg projectile into the asteroid to create a 2 m crater.

Hayabusa 2 will then return to the crater to collect samples that, as Normile writes, will not have been exposed to space weather and solar radiation before and will therefore have been created in the very early days of the solar system.

It is thought that the asteroid's distance from the Sun will mean a better environment for preserving water and amino acids, which may add weight to the theory that asteroids and comets helped bring life to Earth.

JAXA's first mission, Hayabusa, overcame engine failures, fuel loss and communication blackouts to finally return to Earth after successfully landing on the asteroid Itokawa. Tens of thousands of people in Japan watched the spacecraft re-enter Earth's atmosphere via Internet streaming and more than 100,000 people queued at several venues around the country to catch a glimpse of the capsule when it went on display.

A malfunction during the original mission meant that bullets could not be fired to collect samples; however, specks of dust from the asteroid were caught in the collection canister, meaning some material was returned for analysis.

Shogo Tachibana, a cosmological chemist at Hokkaido University who is principal investigator for sampling for Hayabusa 2, hopes the material from the second mission will be free of contamination and therefore give a clearer insight into the early days of the solar system, unlike samples of meteorites that have crashed to Earth in the past.

4) First Implantation of Prototype Bionic Eye With 24 Electrodes: 'All of a Sudden I Could See a Little Flash of Light' :

In a major development, Bionic Vision Australia researchers have successfully performed the first implantation of an early prototype bionic eye with 24 electrodes.

Ms Dianne Ashworth has profound vision loss due to retinitis pigmentosa, an inherited condition. She has now received what she calls a 'pre-bionic eye' implant that enables her to experience some vision. A passionate technology fan, Ms Ashworth was motivated to make a contribution to the bionic eye research program.

Implantation of Bionic Eye Post

After years of hard work and planning, Ms Ashworth's implant was switched on last month at the Bionics Institute, while researchers held their breaths in the next room, observing via video link."I didn't know what to expect, but all of a sudden, I could see a little flash...it was amazing. Every time there was stimulation there was a different shape that appeared in front of my eye," Ms Ashworth said. Professor Emeritus David Penington AC, Chairman of Bionic Vision Australia said: "These results have fulfilled our best expectations, giving us confidence that with further development we can achieve useful vision. Much still needs to be done in using the current implant to 'build' images for Ms Ashworth. The next big step will be when we commence implants of the full devices."

Dr Penny Allen, a specialist surgeon at the Centre for Eye Research Australia, led a surgical team to implant the prototype at the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital.

How it works
This early prototype consists of a retinal implant with 24 electrodes. A small lead wire extends from the back of the eye to a connector behind the ear. An external system is connected to this unit in the laboratory, allowing researchers to stimulate the implant in a controlled manner in order to study the flashes of light. Feedback from Ms Ashworth will allow researchers to develop a vision processor so that images can be built using flashes of light. This early prototype does not incorporate an external camera -- yet. This is planned for the next stage of development and testing.

Researchers continue development and testing of the wide-view implant with 98 electrodes and the high- acuity implant with 1024 electrodes. Patient tests are planned for these devices in due course.

5) Hubble Spots a Supernova in NGC 5806:

A new image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope shows NGC 5806, a spiral galaxy in the constellation Virgo (the Virgin). It lies around 80 million light years from Earth. Also visible in this image is a supernova explosion called SN 2004dg.

The exposures that are combined into this image were carried out in early 2005 in order to help pinpoint the location of the supernova, which exploded in 2004. The afterglow from this outburst of light, caused by a giant star exploding at the end of its life, can be seen as a faint yellowish dot near the bottom of the galaxy.

Hubble Spots Supernova Post

 
NGC 5806 was chosen to be one of a number of galaxies in a study into supernovae because Hubble's archive already contained high resolution imagery of the galaxy, collected before the star had exploded. Since supernovae are both relatively rare, and impossible to predict with any accuracy, the existence of such before-and-after images is precious for astronomers who study these violent events.

Aside from the supernova, NGC 5806 is a relatively unremarkable galaxy: it is neither particularly large or small, nor especially close or distant.

The galaxy's bulge (the densest part in the center of the spiral arms) is a so-called disk-type bulge, in which the spiral structure extends right to the center of the galaxy, instead of there being a large elliptical bulge of stars present. It is also home to an active galaxy nucleus, a supermassive black hole which is pulling in large amounts of matter from its immediate surroundings. As the matter spirals around the black hole, it heats up and emits powerful radiation.

This image is produced from three exposures in visible and infrared light, observed by Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys. The field of view is approximately 3.3 by 1.7 arcminutes.

A version of this image was entered into the Hubble's Hidden Treasures Image Processing Competition by contestant Andre van der Hoeven (who won second prize in the competition for his image of Messier 77). Hidden Treasures is an initiative to invite astronomy enthusiasts to search the Hubble archive for stunning images that have never been seen by the general public. The competition has now closed.

3D Picture of Subhaditya Sports News Channel

Sport News This week:

1) Indians in Australia bask in U-19 Cricket World Cup win glory:

Indians in Australia are ecstatic over India being crowned the world champions in under-19 cricket, a win that reassured them that Indian cricket has "a great future".

India defeated defending champions Australia by six wickets to win their third Under-19

 
India defeated defending champions Australia by six wickets to win their third Under-19 Cricket World Cup title Sunday. Captain Unmukt Chand scored an unbeaten 111. Chasing Australia's 225, India got home in 47.4 overs.

2) India 283-5 v New Zealand 365 - close:

 India were 283 for five in their first innings, replying to New Zealand's 365, at the close of the second day of the second and final test in Bangalore on Saturday.

India 283-5 v New Zealand 365 - close

Scores: New Zealand 365 (Ross Taylor 113, Kruger van Wyk 71, Martin Guptill 53; Pragyan Ojha 5-99) v India 283-5 (Virat Kohli 93 not out, Suresh Raina 55; Tim Southee 3-35)

3) India to take on Cameroon in Nehru Cup final:

 

Nehru Gold Cup Football Post

India will take on Cameroon in the final of the Nehru Cup football tournament at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi tomorrow. All India Radio will broadcast live commentary alternately in Hindi and English on the final match from 6.55 P.M. onwards.

While two-time defending champions India are seeking to make it three in a row after triumphs in 2007 and 2009, Cameroon are chasing a maiden title in their first appearance at the invitational tournament which started way back in 1982.

In the last round-robin league encounter yesterday, Cameroon defeated the hosts One-Nil. The Africans are ranked 59th in the world, while India are ranked 168th.

4) Ronaldinho 'available' for Brazil recall :

 

Ronaldinho

Ronaldinho says he is ready to return to Brazil's national team should coach Mano Menezes recall the rejuvenated star.The former Barcelona and AC Milan playmaker has been in scintillating form since his move to Atletico Mineiro from Flamengo in June.Earlier this week, Brazil's Football Confederation (CBF) president Jose Maria Marin said the "door was open" for Ronaldinho to return to international football."Right now I'm only thinking about playing for Atletico but if the national team needs me I will be available," Ronaldinho said Friday.

Atletico is leading the Brazilian Serie A standings with Ronaldinho showing the form that made him a two-time winner of the FIFA player of the year award.The 32-year-old admitted he was revelling in his midfield role, the position he occupied during his zenith at Barcelona."I have never been as happy as I am at this club," Ronaldinho said."I feel like I am participating more by playing in the midfield. I am touching the ball a lot more than I did playing in attack.

Atletico's next match in Brazil's top flight will be Sunday against reigning champions Corinthians. 

3D Picture of Subhaditya Political News Channel

Political News This Week:

1) North Bengal to get its first circuit bench:

 

Chief minister Mamata Banerjee

Chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday laid the foundation stone of Calcutta high court's circuit bench at Jalpaiguri Sports' Complex. Once functional, the circuit bench will bring huge relief for litigants from North Bengal who travel down to Kolkata at present for hearing of their cases.

Chief Justice J N Patel, who accompanied the chief minister on Saturday, said: "I have written to the Union law ministry for a notification so that we can start the bench at the earliest. Once the building is completed, it will be a permanent bench of Calcutta high court."

"There are 21,263 cases from North Bengal (Jalpaiguri - 2,749, Darjeeling - 2,778, Cooch Behar - 2,749, Malda - 7,100, North Dinajpur - 3,087, South Dinajpur - 2,703) pending with Calcutta high court. This number will increase once the court is operational in Jalpaiguri. Poor people, who cannot afford to go to Kolkata for their cases, will benefit the most," Patel added.

Before the foundation stone laying ceremony, the Chief Justice, assisted by three judges Kalyan Jyoti Sengupta, Ashim Kumar Banerjee and Prasenjit Mandal, went to visit the Zilla Parishad Dak Bungalow to check out facilities at the circuit bench's temporary venue. He expressed satisfaction with infrastructure there. "The circuit bench will be of great help to people in North Bengal. We heartily want this to be operational as early as possible," Mamata Banerjee said amid cheers from the crowd. She mentioned that her government had set up nine Human Rights courts in the state in the past one year. On communal unrest that has hit Assam, the chief minister urged people of all communities to maintain communal harmony. State law minister Moloy Ghatak, who was also present at the function, requested the Chief Justice to make the bench functional at the temporary building as early as possible.

The permanent court building will be constructed on a 40-acre plot at Paharpur More. The design of the Rs 83-crore court building has already been sanctioned by the high court and a tender for the project's first phase for Rs 57 crore has already been passed. The state law department has sanctioned an initial sum of Rs 20 crore for the project. Apart from this, Rs 6 crore has been sanctioned for constructing the boundary wall, work of which is in progress. A sum of Rs 4.77 crore has been sanctioned for filling land at the site.

2) 1st coalgate FIR to name fraud firms:

 

Coal-Gate Case Post

CBI is giving final touches to its first set of FIRs in the coalgate case, based on findings of the preliminary inquiry which reveal that allocations were made arbitrarily without running elementary checks on claims made by applicants.

"Several companies were given coal blocks simply on the basis of their financial status and without evaluating their competence vis-a-vis others to operate a coal mine," said a source familiar with the findings of the preliminary inquiry which will form the basis of the FIR. In some other cases, the allottees have been found to have fudged facts to bag coal blocks.

"Some of the beneficiaries misrepresented their stage of network preparedness, joint venture group details and other facts," said the source. "Some other companies were given coal blocks even when they had not been recommended by state governments."

The first set of FIRs will be against six private companies under sections for cheating and forgery, and under the Prevention of Corruption Act against unknown officials. Sources added that more than one company could be named in one FIR. Companies under the scanner are from Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Karnataka, said the source.

The FIRs will add to the political temperature over coalgate, although government has distanced itself from those who may be accused by the agency of any wrongdoing. Coal minister Sriprakash Jaiswal had said on Friday that the minister was responsible only for formulation of policy, and that it is the bureaucrats who carry out the implementation.

CBI has questioned screening committee members, secretaries and several joint secretaries, apart from state officials, to learn about the eligibility of companies which are under the scanner and the selection criteria.

The agency has examined allocation of 64 coal blocks for which 1,422 applications were received by the coal ministry between 2006 and 2009. "We have primarily zeroed in on at least 24 companies but major anomalies have been found with 6 to 10," the source said.

"There may be some cases where companies may have provided wrong information. It is also possible that there was shortcoming on part of officials in scrutiny (of applications), wittingly or unwittingly. It is a matter of investigation by CBI... The facts will soon come out," Jaiswal had said at a press conference he addressed last Friday, along with finance minister P Chidambaram and law minister Salman Khurshid, to denounce the government auditor's report on allocation of coal blocks.

3) US deploying forces in Indian Ocean to take on China: Yechury:

The US government has decided to deploy over half of its naval fleet in the Indian Ocean and South China Sea to take on China, Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) politburo member Sitaram Yechury said here Saturday."The US became frightened following the growth and hence decided to deploy 60 percent of its naval fleet and additional strength in Indian Ocean and South China Sea to deal with China," Yechury told a gathering here.

"Realising its future economic fate, the US has also been trying to grab oil and natural gas resources of this region besides West Asia, Arab countries and others," he said, addressing a function to mark the birth centenary of Leftist leader and first CPI-M chief Putchalapalli Sundarayya.

On the coal block allocation issue, which had paralysed parliament for several days, Yechury alleged that both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress have done "match-fixing" on the issue and thus both the parties does not want to discuss it in parliament.

He said that there are lots of irregularities have taken place in the coal block allocation."The UPA (United Progressive Alliance) and BJP led governments arbitrarily had allocated coal blocks without proper auctions."

Demanding cancellation of the licences and coal block allocation, the CPI-M leader asked the government to disclose every detail on the urgent national issue to the people of the country.

"Some people saying that Left parties have been removed from power in West Bengal and Kerala, how it would survive in Tripura. The Left parties would not only keep its government in the next year's assembly polls in Tripura, but would also come back power in the other two states too," the CPI-M politburo member said.
CPI-M leader Gautam Das also spoke in the gathering held at the Agartala town hall.

The 20th Congress of the CPI-M, held in Kozhikode in Kerala, had decided to hold a year-long observance of the birth centenary of Sundarayya from May 1.
Sundarayya was the general secretary of the CPI-M from its inception in 1964 and played a major role in establishing the party as a leading force in the Left
movement in the country.

4) Major quake off Philippines causes panic but minor damage:

An earthquake of 7.6 magnitude struck off the Philippines

An earthquake of 7.6 magnitude struck off the Philippines on Friday killing one person, damaging roads and bridges and sending people fleeing to higher ground in fear of a tsunami, a politician and authorities said.The quake was centred off the east coast, 91 miles (146 km) off the town of Guiuan in Samar province at a depth of about 20 miles (32 km), the U.S. Geological Survey said.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a warning for much of the region

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a warning for much of the region, but cancelled it about two hours later.Philippine authorities maintained their tsunami warning for longer, after ordering residents to get out of coastal areas immediately. They cancelled it more than three hours after the quake."Residents can now return to their homes. It's safe now, the danger of a tsunami has passed," the Philippine Institute of Volcanology said.

The mayor of Guiuan, Annalisa Quan, told local radio there was no report of major damage.The head of the national disaster agency, Benito Ramos, said one woman was killed in Cagayan de Oro town on the island of Mindanao when heavy rain and the quake triggered a landslide that buried her house. A child was injured.

Samar congressman Ben Evardone told local radio some bridges and roads were damaged and people had fled from coastal areas in panic, seeking refuge inland.

3D Picture of Subhaditya Movie News Channel

Movie Realease This Week:

1) The Possession:

The Possession

A young girl buys an antique box at a yard sale, unaware that inside the collectible lives a malicious ancient spirit. The girl's father teams with his ex-wife to find a way to end the curse upon their child.

2) Lawless:

 

Lawless:

Based on the novel The Wettest County In The World by Matt Bondurant, Lawless is inspired by the true story of the Bondurant boys, bootlegging siblings who take the law into their own hands in Prohibition-era Virginia. The three brothers make a run for the American Dream in this epic, gangster tale set during the nation’s most notorious crime wave.

3) The Day:

 

The Day:

Open war against humanity rages. 5 survivors; lost and on the run. The pursuit is relentless, the bullets are dwindling and the battle is everywhere. This is a 24hr look into their lives. Fight or die.

4) The Tall Man:


 

The Tall Man

 


In an isolated, slowly dying mining town, children are vanishing without a trace – abducted, the townsfolk whisper, by a mysterious entity known locally as “The Tall Man.” Town nurse Julia Denning (Jessica Biel) seems skeptical…until her young David disappears in the middle of night. Frantic to rescue the boy, Julia lives every parent’s darkest nightmare in this twisting, shock-around-each-corner thriller.

5) Joker:


 



 

Joker

In 1947 when the maps of India and Pakistan were being drawn, an oversight ensured that the village of Paglapur didn't find a place in either country. The village had the distinction of housing the largest mental asylum in the region and in the mêlée that ensued during partition, the asylum inmates broke loose, drove away the villagers and established their own republic in Paglapur. And that's how it stayed for the next 60 years! While the world outside changed, Paglapur remained isolated, with no electricity, television or sanity. Now, decades after the world forgot this village, a NASA scientist of Indian origin, Agastya and his beautiful wife find themselves on the road to Paglapur. Agastya is working on a top secret project for creating a device to communicate with aliens. So why is he in a village whose colorful inhabitants include a man who speaks in gibberish, another who thinks he is a lamp post and everyone else who think Mahatma Gandhi is still around...