Washington, April 8 : Scientists have completed the first study of microbes that live within the plumbing of deep-sea mud volcanoes in the Gulf of Mexico, where conditions may resemble those in extraterrestrial environments and early Earth.

The study, which was partially funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), was conducted in an area where clusters of seafloor vents spew mud, oil, brine and gases that support food chains independently of the Sun.

Washington, April 8 : Researchers at North Carolina State University have found that a tiny aquatic plant can be used to clean up animal waste at industrial hog farms and be used for ethanol production, thus contributing to solve the global energy crisis.

Their research shows that growing duckweed on hog wastewater can produce five to six times more starch per acre than corn, according to researcher Dr. Jay Cheng.

This means that ethanol production using duckweed could be "faster and cheaper than from corn," said fellow researcher Dr. Anne-Marie Stomp.

"We can kill two birds - biofuel production and wastewater treatment - with one stone - duckweed," Cheng said.

Washington, April 8 : In a new study, scientists have analyzed the DNA of 68 whale sharks from 11 locations across the Indian and Pacific Oceans and the Caribbean Sea, in an effort to study the migration of the threatened species.

The study was conducted by Jennifer Schmidt, University of Illinois at Chicago associate professor of biological sciences, and her colleagues.

The results showed little genetic variation between the populations, which indicates migration and interbreeding among far-flung populations of the big fish.

Washington, April 8 : Rutgers geneticists have announced the discovery of a specific DNA change that may make some people prone to schizophrenia.

Lead researcher Linda Brzustowicz says that her team's study provides a potential mechanism that may be a point of entry for drug therapy, consistent with the growing trend of personalized medicine.

She said that the study revealed a functional DNA change that increases gene expression.

Washington, Apr. 8 : Raising questions over Pakistan's will to act against extremists, the Democrat Senator from Michigan and head of the Armed Services Committee, Carl Levin has said that it is unlikely that Islamabad would ever act against terrorists based on its soil.

"The evidence is mixed as to whether or not the government in Pakistan is going to take on the religious extremists," The Daily Times quoted Levin, as saying.

Levin also urged the United States to de-hyphenate Pakistan from its joint AFPAK strategy.

Washington, Apr. 8 : Notwithstanding the threat from Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) chief Baitullah Mehsud the United States is planning to extend Predator drone strikes to Balochistan, a reports has claimed.

According to The New York Times, the Obama Administration is planning to extend missile attacks to Balochistan also, unless Pakistan takes stern action against terror hideouts and training camps.