Washington, Nov 14 : A team of American researchers has moved a step closer to realising much advanced technology for satellite communications and solar power generation by finding a way to slow down the cooling of electrons in nanocrystals, which can lead to more efficient photovoltaic devices.

University of Chicago researchers claim that they have successfully induced electrons in the nanocrystals of semiconductors to cool more slowly by forcing them into a smaller volume, something that was first theorized in 1990.

Washington, Nov 14 : The Planetary Society has outlined a vigorous new approach to space exploration for the consideration of the new U. S. Administration and Congress to develop a flexible space program that is designed to achieve more, cost less, and engage the entire world.

Washington, November 14 : Natural raw materials like sugars, alcohols, or fatty acids may soon find application in the production of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), better known as acrylic glass that is widely used as a lightweight alternative to glass to make protective goggles and vehicle lights.

Dr. Thore Rohwerder, from the University of Duisburg-Essen, and his mentor Dr. Roland Muller, from the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), say that they have found an enzyme that can be used for the biotechnological production of a precursor of methyl methacrylate (MMA), polymerising which is the key to PMMA’s manufacture.

Washington, November 14 : Scientists studying a species of fish have found that when it comes to choosing a leader, most of the time they reach a consensus to go for the more attractive of two candidates.

"It turned out that stickleback fish preferred to follow larger over smaller leaders. Not only that, but they also preferred fat over thin, healthy over ill, and so on. The part that really caught our eye was that these preferences grew as the group size increased, through some kind of positive social feedback mechanism," said Ashley Ward of Sydney University.

MicroWorld, a provider of anti-virus and content security solutions provider, has rolled out the Beta version of its eScan 10 anti-virus solution.

The eScan 10 anti-virus solution is faster and more efficient than any other Anti Virus software as it features heuristic scanning ability and an in-built firewall to protect systems from network attacks.

The company said that eScan 10 offers protection against all kinds of threats including viruses, worms, Trojans, spyware and other security threats.

Washington, Nov 14 : NASA has released a newly restored 42-year-old image of Earth rising above the lunar surface, as taken by the Lunar Orbiter 1 spacecraft in 1966.

In the late 1960s, NASA sent five Lunar Orbiter missions to photograph the surface of the moon and gain a better understanding of the lunar environment in advance of the Apollo program.

Data were recorded on large magnetic tapes and transferred to photographic film for scientific analysis.