New vaccine to prevent chikungunya developed

WASHINGTON: In a breakthrough, scientists have developed a new vaccine candidate to provide protection from the mosquito-borne viral illness chikungunya.

The experimental vaccine elicited neutralising antibodies in all 25 adult volunteers who participated in a recent early-stage clinical trial conducted by researchers at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

The most distinctive symptom of chikungunya infection is severe joint pain accompanied by headache and fever. There are currently no vaccines or specific drug treatments for chikungunya.

In 2010, Vaccine Research Centre (VRC) scientists and colleagues tested this candidate chikungunya vaccine in non-human primates.

All of the immunised animals were protected from infection when later exposed to chikungunya virus.

In the newly reported trial, 23 healthy volunteers received three injections (two other volunteers received two injections) of vaccine at one of three different dosages (10, 20 or 40 microgrammes) over a 20-week span.

Antibody production was measured at multiple time points following each injection.

Investigators detected chikungunya neutralising antibodies in all volunteers following the second injection, with a significant boost of neutralising antibodies seen following the third injection.

Vaccine-induced antibodies persisted in all volunteers, even those who received the lowest dosage, for at least 11 months after the final vaccination, suggesting that the vaccine could provide durable protection against disease.

"The candidate vaccine prompted a robust immunological response in recipients and was very well tolerated," noted VRC scientist Julie E Ledgerwood, principal investigator of the trial.

"Notably, the levels of neutralising antibody produced in response to the experimental vaccine were comparable to those seen in two patients who had recovered from a chikungunya virus infection acquired elsewhere.

"This observation gives us additional confidence that this vaccine would provide as much protection as natural infection," Ledgerwood said.

Whereas traditional vaccines are typically made from either killed viruses or from weakened live viruses, the experimental vaccine used in the trial is a different type: a virus-like particle (VLP) vaccine.

VLP vaccines contain the outer shell proteins of a virus without any of the material the virus needs to replicate inside cells.

The finding was published in The Lancet journal.

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Curiosity rover marks 2 years on Mars

The author has posted comments on this articlePTI | Aug 8, 2014, 06.29AM IST

Page 1 of 4

WASHINGTON: Nasa's rover Curiosity, the most advanced roving laboratory on Mars, has celebrated its second anniversary on the Red planet.
The unmanned spacecraft landed inside the Gale Crater on August 5, 2012 to start a multi-year mission to seek out areas where life could or may once have existed.

During its first year of operations, Curiosity fulfilled its major goal of determining if Mars ever offered environmental conditions favourable for microbial life, Nasa said.

During its second year, Curiosity has been driving towards long-term destinations on lower slopes of Mount Sharp. Those destinations are in an area beginning about 3 km southwest of the rover's current location, but an appetizer outcrop of a base layer of the mountain lies much closer— less than 500m from Curiosity.

Curiosity carries duplicate main computers. It has been operating on its B-side computer since a problem with the Aside computer prompted the team to command a side swap in February 2013.

Article continues

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Nasa says new heavy-lift rocket debut not likely until 2018

CAPE CANAVERAL (Florida): Nasa's new heavy-lift rocket, designed to fly astronauts to the moon, asteroids and eventually Mars, likely will not have its debut test flight until November 2018, nearly a year later than previous estimates, agency officials said on Wednesday.

Nasa is 70 percent confident of making a November 2018 launch date, given the technical, financial and management hurdles the Space Launch System faces on the road to development, Nasa associate administrators Robert Lightfoot and Bill Gerstenmaier told reporters on a conference call.

Nasa estimates it could spend almost $12 billion developing the first of three variations of the rocket and associated ground systems through the debut flight, and potentially billions more to build and fly heavier-lift next-generation boosters, a July 2014 General Accountability Office report on the program said.

While the rocket might be ready for a test flight in December 2017, as previously planned, the new assessment showed the odds of that were "significantly less" than the 70 percent confidence level Nasa requires of new programs, Gerstenmaier said.

"We want to commit to this (November 2018) date and show that we can meet it," added Lightfoot.

The schedule assumes flat annual budgets of about $1.3 billion for the SLS rocket and another $1.5 billion for Orion crew capsule and associated ground launch systems at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The GAO report found that Nasa's SLS rocket program was about $400 million short of meeting its December 2017 target.

The rocket is a modified version of the shuttle-derived, heavy-lift booster developed under Nasa's previous exploration initiative known as Constellation.

The US space agency spent about $9 billion on Constellation, which included the Orion capsule, from 2005 to 2010, before President Obama axed the program. Its goal was to return astronauts to the surface of the moon by 2020.

Instead, the White House and Congress approved a flexible path toward Mars, including a visit to an asteroid that will be robotically relocated into a high lunar orbit.

Nasa did not say if the 11-month slip in the new rocket's debut flight, which will be an unmanned test run around the moon, would impact the second mission, slated for 2021, with a two-member crew.

Initially, the SLS rocket, which uses leftover space shuttle main engines and shuttle-derived solid rocket boosters, will be able to put about 77 tons (70 metric tons) into an orbit about 100 miles (160 km) above Earth. Later versions are expected to carry nearly twice that load. Ultimately, the rocket is expected to be used to launch astronauts and equipment to Mars.

"Our nation has embarked on a very ambitious space exploration program and we owe it to the American taxpayers to get this right," Lightfoot said.

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

New vaccine to prevent chikungunya developed

WASHINGTON: In a breakthrough, scientists have developed a new vaccine candidate to provide protection from the mosquito-borne viral illness chikungunya.

The experimental vaccine elicited neutralising antibodies in all 25 adult volunteers who participated in a recent early-stage clinical trial conducted by researchers at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

The most distinctive symptom of chikungunya infection is severe joint pain accompanied by headache and fever. There are currently no vaccines or specific drug treatments for chikungunya.

In 2010, Vaccine Research Centre (VRC) scientists and colleagues tested this candidate chikungunya vaccine in non-human primates.

All of the immunised animals were protected from infection when later exposed to chikungunya virus.

In the newly reported trial, 23 healthy volunteers received three injections (two other volunteers received two injections) of vaccine at one of three different dosages (10, 20 or 40 microgrammes) over a 20-week span.

Antibody production was measured at multiple time points following each injection.

Investigators detected chikungunya neutralising antibodies in all volunteers following the second injection, with a significant boost of neutralising antibodies seen following the third injection.

Vaccine-induced antibodies persisted in all volunteers, even those who received the lowest dosage, for at least 11 months after the final vaccination, suggesting that the vaccine could provide durable protection against disease.

"The candidate vaccine prompted a robust immunological response in recipients and was very well tolerated," noted VRC scientist Julie E Ledgerwood, principal investigator of the trial.

"Notably, the levels of neutralising antibody produced in response to the experimental vaccine were comparable to those seen in two patients who had recovered from a chikungunya virus infection acquired elsewhere.

"This observation gives us additional confidence that this vaccine would provide as much protection as natural infection," Ledgerwood said.

Whereas traditional vaccines are typically made from either killed viruses or from weakened live viruses, the experimental vaccine used in the trial is a different type: a virus-like particle (VLP) vaccine.

VLP vaccines contain the outer shell proteins of a virus without any of the material the virus needs to replicate inside cells.

The finding was published in The Lancet journal.

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Curiosity rover marks 2 years on Mars

The author has posted comments on this articlePTI | Aug 8, 2014, 06.29AM IST

Page 1 of 4

WASHINGTON: Nasa's rover Curiosity, the most advanced roving laboratory on Mars, has celebrated its second anniversary on the Red planet.
The unmanned spacecraft landed inside the Gale Crater on August 5, 2012 to start a multi-year mission to seek out areas where life could or may once have existed.

During its first year of operations, Curiosity fulfilled its major goal of determining if Mars ever offered environmental conditions favourable for microbial life, Nasa said.

During its second year, Curiosity has been driving towards long-term destinations on lower slopes of Mount Sharp. Those destinations are in an area beginning about 3 km southwest of the rover's current location, but an appetizer outcrop of a base layer of the mountain lies much closer— less than 500m from Curiosity.

Curiosity carries duplicate main computers. It has been operating on its B-side computer since a problem with the Aside computer prompted the team to command a side swap in February 2013.

Article continues

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Nasa says new heavy-lift rocket debut not likely until 2018

CAPE CANAVERAL (Florida): Nasa's new heavy-lift rocket, designed to fly astronauts to the moon, asteroids and eventually Mars, likely will not have its debut test flight until November 2018, nearly a year later than previous estimates, agency officials said on Wednesday.

Nasa is 70 percent confident of making a November 2018 launch date, given the technical, financial and management hurdles the Space Launch System faces on the road to development, Nasa associate administrators Robert Lightfoot and Bill Gerstenmaier told reporters on a conference call.

Nasa estimates it could spend almost $12 billion developing the first of three variations of the rocket and associated ground systems through the debut flight, and potentially billions more to build and fly heavier-lift next-generation boosters, a July 2014 General Accountability Office report on the program said.

While the rocket might be ready for a test flight in December 2017, as previously planned, the new assessment showed the odds of that were "significantly less" than the 70 percent confidence level Nasa requires of new programs, Gerstenmaier said.

"We want to commit to this (November 2018) date and show that we can meet it," added Lightfoot.

The schedule assumes flat annual budgets of about $1.3 billion for the SLS rocket and another $1.5 billion for Orion crew capsule and associated ground launch systems at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The GAO report found that Nasa's SLS rocket program was about $400 million short of meeting its December 2017 target.

The rocket is a modified version of the shuttle-derived, heavy-lift booster developed under Nasa's previous exploration initiative known as Constellation.

The US space agency spent about $9 billion on Constellation, which included the Orion capsule, from 2005 to 2010, before President Obama axed the program. Its goal was to return astronauts to the surface of the moon by 2020.

Instead, the White House and Congress approved a flexible path toward Mars, including a visit to an asteroid that will be robotically relocated into a high lunar orbit.

Nasa did not say if the 11-month slip in the new rocket's debut flight, which will be an unmanned test run around the moon, would impact the second mission, slated for 2021, with a two-member crew.

Initially, the SLS rocket, which uses leftover space shuttle main engines and shuttle-derived solid rocket boosters, will be able to put about 77 tons (70 metric tons) into an orbit about 100 miles (160 km) above Earth. Later versions are expected to carry nearly twice that load. Ultimately, the rocket is expected to be used to launch astronauts and equipment to Mars.

"Our nation has embarked on a very ambitious space exploration program and we owe it to the American taxpayers to get this right," Lightfoot said.

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

New vaccine to prevent chikungunya developed

WASHINGTON: In a breakthrough, scientists have developed a new vaccine candidate to provide protection from the mosquito-borne viral illness chikungunya.

The experimental vaccine elicited neutralising antibodies in all 25 adult volunteers who participated in a recent early-stage clinical trial conducted by researchers at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

The most distinctive symptom of chikungunya infection is severe joint pain accompanied by headache and fever. There are currently no vaccines or specific drug treatments for chikungunya.

In 2010, Vaccine Research Centre (VRC) scientists and colleagues tested this candidate chikungunya vaccine in non-human primates.

All of the immunised animals were protected from infection when later exposed to chikungunya virus.

In the newly reported trial, 23 healthy volunteers received three injections (two other volunteers received two injections) of vaccine at one of three different dosages (10, 20 or 40 microgrammes) over a 20-week span.

Antibody production was measured at multiple time points following each injection.

Investigators detected chikungunya neutralising antibodies in all volunteers following the second injection, with a significant boost of neutralising antibodies seen following the third injection.

Vaccine-induced antibodies persisted in all volunteers, even those who received the lowest dosage, for at least 11 months after the final vaccination, suggesting that the vaccine could provide durable protection against disease.

"The candidate vaccine prompted a robust immunological response in recipients and was very well tolerated," noted VRC scientist Julie E Ledgerwood, principal investigator of the trial.

"Notably, the levels of neutralising antibody produced in response to the experimental vaccine were comparable to those seen in two patients who had recovered from a chikungunya virus infection acquired elsewhere.

"This observation gives us additional confidence that this vaccine would provide as much protection as natural infection," Ledgerwood said.

Whereas traditional vaccines are typically made from either killed viruses or from weakened live viruses, the experimental vaccine used in the trial is a different type: a virus-like particle (VLP) vaccine.

VLP vaccines contain the outer shell proteins of a virus without any of the material the virus needs to replicate inside cells.

The finding was published in The Lancet journal.

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Curiosity rover marks 2 years on Mars

The author has posted comments on this articlePTI | Aug 8, 2014, 06.29AM IST

Page 1 of 4

WASHINGTON: Nasa's rover Curiosity, the most advanced roving laboratory on Mars, has celebrated its second anniversary on the Red planet.
The unmanned spacecraft landed inside the Gale Crater on August 5, 2012 to start a multi-year mission to seek out areas where life could or may once have existed.

During its first year of operations, Curiosity fulfilled its major goal of determining if Mars ever offered environmental conditions favourable for microbial life, Nasa said.

During its second year, Curiosity has been driving towards long-term destinations on lower slopes of Mount Sharp. Those destinations are in an area beginning about 3 km southwest of the rover's current location, but an appetizer outcrop of a base layer of the mountain lies much closer— less than 500m from Curiosity.

Curiosity carries duplicate main computers. It has been operating on its B-side computer since a problem with the Aside computer prompted the team to command a side swap in February 2013.

Article continues

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Nasa says new heavy-lift rocket debut not likely until 2018

CAPE CANAVERAL (Florida): Nasa's new heavy-lift rocket, designed to fly astronauts to the moon, asteroids and eventually Mars, likely will not have its debut test flight until November 2018, nearly a year later than previous estimates, agency officials said on Wednesday.

Nasa is 70 percent confident of making a November 2018 launch date, given the technical, financial and management hurdles the Space Launch System faces on the road to development, Nasa associate administrators Robert Lightfoot and Bill Gerstenmaier told reporters on a conference call.

Nasa estimates it could spend almost $12 billion developing the first of three variations of the rocket and associated ground systems through the debut flight, and potentially billions more to build and fly heavier-lift next-generation boosters, a July 2014 General Accountability Office report on the program said.

While the rocket might be ready for a test flight in December 2017, as previously planned, the new assessment showed the odds of that were "significantly less" than the 70 percent confidence level Nasa requires of new programs, Gerstenmaier said.

"We want to commit to this (November 2018) date and show that we can meet it," added Lightfoot.

The schedule assumes flat annual budgets of about $1.3 billion for the SLS rocket and another $1.5 billion for Orion crew capsule and associated ground launch systems at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The GAO report found that Nasa's SLS rocket program was about $400 million short of meeting its December 2017 target.

The rocket is a modified version of the shuttle-derived, heavy-lift booster developed under Nasa's previous exploration initiative known as Constellation.

The US space agency spent about $9 billion on Constellation, which included the Orion capsule, from 2005 to 2010, before President Obama axed the program. Its goal was to return astronauts to the surface of the moon by 2020.

Instead, the White House and Congress approved a flexible path toward Mars, including a visit to an asteroid that will be robotically relocated into a high lunar orbit.

Nasa did not say if the 11-month slip in the new rocket's debut flight, which will be an unmanned test run around the moon, would impact the second mission, slated for 2021, with a two-member crew.

Initially, the SLS rocket, which uses leftover space shuttle main engines and shuttle-derived solid rocket boosters, will be able to put about 77 tons (70 metric tons) into an orbit about 100 miles (160 km) above Earth. Later versions are expected to carry nearly twice that load. Ultimately, the rocket is expected to be used to launch astronauts and equipment to Mars.

"Our nation has embarked on a very ambitious space exploration program and we owe it to the American taxpayers to get this right," Lightfoot said.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=white house,President Obama,Nasa's SLS rocket program,NASA

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22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

New vaccine to prevent chikungunya developed

WASHINGTON: In a breakthrough, scientists have developed a new vaccine candidate to provide protection from the mosquito-borne viral illness chikungunya.

The experimental vaccine elicited neutralising antibodies in all 25 adult volunteers who participated in a recent early-stage clinical trial conducted by researchers at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

The most distinctive symptom of chikungunya infection is severe joint pain accompanied by headache and fever. There are currently no vaccines or specific drug treatments for chikungunya.

In 2010, Vaccine Research Centre (VRC) scientists and colleagues tested this candidate chikungunya vaccine in non-human primates.

All of the immunised animals were protected from infection when later exposed to chikungunya virus.

In the newly reported trial, 23 healthy volunteers received three injections (two other volunteers received two injections) of vaccine at one of three different dosages (10, 20 or 40 microgrammes) over a 20-week span.

Antibody production was measured at multiple time points following each injection.

Investigators detected chikungunya neutralising antibodies in all volunteers following the second injection, with a significant boost of neutralising antibodies seen following the third injection.

Vaccine-induced antibodies persisted in all volunteers, even those who received the lowest dosage, for at least 11 months after the final vaccination, suggesting that the vaccine could provide durable protection against disease.

"The candidate vaccine prompted a robust immunological response in recipients and was very well tolerated," noted VRC scientist Julie E Ledgerwood, principal investigator of the trial.

"Notably, the levels of neutralising antibody produced in response to the experimental vaccine were comparable to those seen in two patients who had recovered from a chikungunya virus infection acquired elsewhere.

"This observation gives us additional confidence that this vaccine would provide as much protection as natural infection," Ledgerwood said.

Whereas traditional vaccines are typically made from either killed viruses or from weakened live viruses, the experimental vaccine used in the trial is a different type: a virus-like particle (VLP) vaccine.

VLP vaccines contain the outer shell proteins of a virus without any of the material the virus needs to replicate inside cells.

The finding was published in The Lancet journal.

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Earth-like volcanic eruptions on Jupiter's moon

The author has posted comments on this articleIANS | Aug 5, 2014, 04.46PM IST

Page 1 of 4

WASHINGTON: In a new finding, Nasa scientists have reported three massive volcanic eruptions on one of Jupiter's moons.

This assumes significance as apart from Earth, Jupiter's moon "Io" is the only known place in the solar system with volcanoes erupting and spewing extremely hot lava like that on Earth, the US space agency said in a statement.

"We typically expect one huge outburst every one or two years and they are usually not this bright," said Imke de Pater, chair of astronomy at University of California, Berkeley.

"Here, we had three extremely bright outbursts, which suggest that if we looked more frequently we might see many more of them on Io," de Pater added.

The study of these eruptions will help scientists understand the processes that helped shape the surfaces of all the terrestrial planets, including Earth, and the moon, Nasa stated.

This information is essential to better understand the physical processes involved in the heating and cooling processes on Io, de Pater concluded.

The findings were published in the journal Icarus.

Article continues

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Curiosity rover marks 2 years on Mars

The author has posted comments on this articlePTI | Aug 8, 2014, 06.29AM IST

Page 1 of 4

WASHINGTON: Nasa's rover Curiosity, the most advanced roving laboratory on Mars, has celebrated its second anniversary on the Red planet.
The unmanned spacecraft landed inside the Gale Crater on August 5, 2012 to start a multi-year mission to seek out areas where life could or may once have existed.

During its first year of operations, Curiosity fulfilled its major goal of determining if Mars ever offered environmental conditions favourable for microbial life, Nasa said.

During its second year, Curiosity has been driving towards long-term destinations on lower slopes of Mount Sharp. Those destinations are in an area beginning about 3 km southwest of the rover's current location, but an appetizer outcrop of a base layer of the mountain lies much closer— less than 500m from Curiosity.

Curiosity carries duplicate main computers. It has been operating on its B-side computer since a problem with the Aside computer prompted the team to command a side swap in February 2013.

Article continues

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Curiosity rover marks 2 years on Mars

The author has posted comments on this articlePTI | Aug 8, 2014, 06.29AM IST

Page 1 of 4

WASHINGTON: Nasa's rover Curiosity, the most advanced roving laboratory on Mars, has celebrated its second anniversary on the Red planet.
The unmanned spacecraft landed inside the Gale Crater on August 5, 2012 to start a multi-year mission to seek out areas where life could or may once have existed.

During its first year of operations, Curiosity fulfilled its major goal of determining if Mars ever offered environmental conditions favourable for microbial life, Nasa said.

During its second year, Curiosity has been driving towards long-term destinations on lower slopes of Mount Sharp. Those destinations are in an area beginning about 3 km southwest of the rover's current location, but an appetizer outcrop of a base layer of the mountain lies much closer— less than 500m from Curiosity.

Curiosity carries duplicate main computers. It has been operating on its B-side computer since a problem with the Aside computer prompted the team to command a side swap in February 2013.

Article continues

22.11 | 0 komentar | Read More

Earth-like volcanic eruptions on Jupiter's moon

The author has posted comments on this articleIANS | Aug 5, 2014, 04.46PM IST

Page 1 of 4

WASHINGTON: In a new finding, Nasa scientists have reported three massive volcanic eruptions on one of Jupiter's moons.

This assumes significance as apart from Earth, Jupiter's moon "Io" is the only known place in the solar system with volcanoes erupting and spewing extremely hot lava like that on Earth, the US space agency said in a statement.

"We typically expect one huge outburst every one or two years and they are usually not this bright," said Imke de Pater, chair of astronomy at University of California, Berkeley.

"Here, we had three extremely bright outbursts, which suggest that if we looked more frequently we might see many more of them on Io," de Pater added.

The study of these eruptions will help scientists understand the processes that helped shape the surfaces of all the terrestrial planets, including Earth, and the moon, Nasa stated.

This information is essential to better understand the physical processes involved in the heating and cooling processes on Io, de Pater concluded.

The findings were published in the journal Icarus.

Article continues

22.11 | 0 komentar | Read More

New vaccine to prevent chikungunya developed

WASHINGTON: In a breakthrough, scientists have developed a new vaccine candidate to provide protection from the mosquito-borne viral illness chikungunya.

The experimental vaccine elicited neutralising antibodies in all 25 adult volunteers who participated in a recent early-stage clinical trial conducted by researchers at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

The most distinctive symptom of chikungunya infection is severe joint pain accompanied by headache and fever. There are currently no vaccines or specific drug treatments for chikungunya.

In 2010, Vaccine Research Centre (VRC) scientists and colleagues tested this candidate chikungunya vaccine in non-human primates.

All of the immunised animals were protected from infection when later exposed to chikungunya virus.

In the newly reported trial, 23 healthy volunteers received three injections (two other volunteers received two injections) of vaccine at one of three different dosages (10, 20 or 40 microgrammes) over a 20-week span.

Antibody production was measured at multiple time points following each injection.

Investigators detected chikungunya neutralising antibodies in all volunteers following the second injection, with a significant boost of neutralising antibodies seen following the third injection.

Vaccine-induced antibodies persisted in all volunteers, even those who received the lowest dosage, for at least 11 months after the final vaccination, suggesting that the vaccine could provide durable protection against disease.

"The candidate vaccine prompted a robust immunological response in recipients and was very well tolerated," noted VRC scientist Julie E Ledgerwood, principal investigator of the trial.

"Notably, the levels of neutralising antibody produced in response to the experimental vaccine were comparable to those seen in two patients who had recovered from a chikungunya virus infection acquired elsewhere.

"This observation gives us additional confidence that this vaccine would provide as much protection as natural infection," Ledgerwood said.

Whereas traditional vaccines are typically made from either killed viruses or from weakened live viruses, the experimental vaccine used in the trial is a different type: a virus-like particle (VLP) vaccine.

VLP vaccines contain the outer shell proteins of a virus without any of the material the virus needs to replicate inside cells.

The finding was published in The Lancet journal.

22.11 | 0 komentar | Read More

Curiosity rover marks 2 years on Mars

The author has posted comments on this articlePTI | Aug 8, 2014, 06.29AM IST

Page 1 of 4

WASHINGTON: Nasa's rover Curiosity, the most advanced roving laboratory on Mars, has celebrated its second anniversary on the Red planet.
The unmanned spacecraft landed inside the Gale Crater on August 5, 2012 to start a multi-year mission to seek out areas where life could or may once have existed.

During its first year of operations, Curiosity fulfilled its major goal of determining if Mars ever offered environmental conditions favourable for microbial life, Nasa said.

During its second year, Curiosity has been driving towards long-term destinations on lower slopes of Mount Sharp. Those destinations are in an area beginning about 3 km southwest of the rover's current location, but an appetizer outcrop of a base layer of the mountain lies much closer— less than 500m from Curiosity.

Curiosity carries duplicate main computers. It has been operating on its B-side computer since a problem with the Aside computer prompted the team to command a side swap in February 2013.

Article continues

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Earth-like volcanic eruptions on Jupiter's moon

The author has posted comments on this articleIANS | Aug 5, 2014, 04.46PM IST

Page 1 of 4

WASHINGTON: In a new finding, Nasa scientists have reported three massive volcanic eruptions on one of Jupiter's moons.

This assumes significance as apart from Earth, Jupiter's moon "Io" is the only known place in the solar system with volcanoes erupting and spewing extremely hot lava like that on Earth, the US space agency said in a statement.

"We typically expect one huge outburst every one or two years and they are usually not this bright," said Imke de Pater, chair of astronomy at University of California, Berkeley.

"Here, we had three extremely bright outbursts, which suggest that if we looked more frequently we might see many more of them on Io," de Pater added.

The study of these eruptions will help scientists understand the processes that helped shape the surfaces of all the terrestrial planets, including Earth, and the moon, Nasa stated.

This information is essential to better understand the physical processes involved in the heating and cooling processes on Io, de Pater concluded.

The findings were published in the journal Icarus.

Article continues

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

New vaccine to prevent chikungunya developed

WASHINGTON: In a breakthrough, scientists have developed a new vaccine candidate to provide protection from the mosquito-borne viral illness chikungunya.

The experimental vaccine elicited neutralising antibodies in all 25 adult volunteers who participated in a recent early-stage clinical trial conducted by researchers at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

The most distinctive symptom of chikungunya infection is severe joint pain accompanied by headache and fever. There are currently no vaccines or specific drug treatments for chikungunya.

In 2010, Vaccine Research Centre (VRC) scientists and colleagues tested this candidate chikungunya vaccine in non-human primates.

All of the immunised animals were protected from infection when later exposed to chikungunya virus.

In the newly reported trial, 23 healthy volunteers received three injections (two other volunteers received two injections) of vaccine at one of three different dosages (10, 20 or 40 microgrammes) over a 20-week span.

Antibody production was measured at multiple time points following each injection.

Investigators detected chikungunya neutralising antibodies in all volunteers following the second injection, with a significant boost of neutralising antibodies seen following the third injection.

Vaccine-induced antibodies persisted in all volunteers, even those who received the lowest dosage, for at least 11 months after the final vaccination, suggesting that the vaccine could provide durable protection against disease.

"The candidate vaccine prompted a robust immunological response in recipients and was very well tolerated," noted VRC scientist Julie E Ledgerwood, principal investigator of the trial.

"Notably, the levels of neutralising antibody produced in response to the experimental vaccine were comparable to those seen in two patients who had recovered from a chikungunya virus infection acquired elsewhere.

"This observation gives us additional confidence that this vaccine would provide as much protection as natural infection," Ledgerwood said.

Whereas traditional vaccines are typically made from either killed viruses or from weakened live viruses, the experimental vaccine used in the trial is a different type: a virus-like particle (VLP) vaccine.

VLP vaccines contain the outer shell proteins of a virus without any of the material the virus needs to replicate inside cells.

The finding was published in The Lancet journal.

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Earth-like volcanic eruptions on Jupiter's moon

The author has posted comments on this articleIANS | Aug 5, 2014, 04.46PM IST

Page 1 of 4

WASHINGTON: In a new finding, Nasa scientists have reported three massive volcanic eruptions on one of Jupiter's moons.

This assumes significance as apart from Earth, Jupiter's moon "Io" is the only known place in the solar system with volcanoes erupting and spewing extremely hot lava like that on Earth, the US space agency said in a statement.

"We typically expect one huge outburst every one or two years and they are usually not this bright," said Imke de Pater, chair of astronomy at University of California, Berkeley.

"Here, we had three extremely bright outbursts, which suggest that if we looked more frequently we might see many more of them on Io," de Pater added.

The study of these eruptions will help scientists understand the processes that helped shape the surfaces of all the terrestrial planets, including Earth, and the moon, Nasa stated.

This information is essential to better understand the physical processes involved in the heating and cooling processes on Io, de Pater concluded.

The findings were published in the journal Icarus.

Article continues

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Curiosity rover marks 2 years on Mars

The author has posted comments on this articlePTI | Aug 8, 2014, 06.29AM IST

Page 1 of 4

WASHINGTON: Nasa's rover Curiosity, the most advanced roving laboratory on Mars, has celebrated its second anniversary on the Red planet.
The unmanned spacecraft landed inside the Gale Crater on August 5, 2012 to start a multi-year mission to seek out areas where life could or may once have existed.

During its first year of operations, Curiosity fulfilled its major goal of determining if Mars ever offered environmental conditions favourable for microbial life, Nasa said.

During its second year, Curiosity has been driving towards long-term destinations on lower slopes of Mount Sharp. Those destinations are in an area beginning about 3 km southwest of the rover's current location, but an appetizer outcrop of a base layer of the mountain lies much closer— less than 500m from Curiosity.

Curiosity carries duplicate main computers. It has been operating on its B-side computer since a problem with the Aside computer prompted the team to command a side swap in February 2013.

Article continues

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

New vaccine to prevent chikungunya developed

WASHINGTON: In a breakthrough, scientists have developed a new vaccine candidate to provide protection from the mosquito-borne viral illness chikungunya.

The experimental vaccine elicited neutralising antibodies in all 25 adult volunteers who participated in a recent early-stage clinical trial conducted by researchers at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

The most distinctive symptom of chikungunya infection is severe joint pain accompanied by headache and fever. There are currently no vaccines or specific drug treatments for chikungunya.

In 2010, Vaccine Research Centre (VRC) scientists and colleagues tested this candidate chikungunya vaccine in non-human primates.

All of the immunised animals were protected from infection when later exposed to chikungunya virus.

In the newly reported trial, 23 healthy volunteers received three injections (two other volunteers received two injections) of vaccine at one of three different dosages (10, 20 or 40 microgrammes) over a 20-week span.

Antibody production was measured at multiple time points following each injection.

Investigators detected chikungunya neutralising antibodies in all volunteers following the second injection, with a significant boost of neutralising antibodies seen following the third injection.

Vaccine-induced antibodies persisted in all volunteers, even those who received the lowest dosage, for at least 11 months after the final vaccination, suggesting that the vaccine could provide durable protection against disease.

"The candidate vaccine prompted a robust immunological response in recipients and was very well tolerated," noted VRC scientist Julie E Ledgerwood, principal investigator of the trial.

"Notably, the levels of neutralising antibody produced in response to the experimental vaccine were comparable to those seen in two patients who had recovered from a chikungunya virus infection acquired elsewhere.

"This observation gives us additional confidence that this vaccine would provide as much protection as natural infection," Ledgerwood said.

Whereas traditional vaccines are typically made from either killed viruses or from weakened live viruses, the experimental vaccine used in the trial is a different type: a virus-like particle (VLP) vaccine.

VLP vaccines contain the outer shell proteins of a virus without any of the material the virus needs to replicate inside cells.

The finding was published in The Lancet journal.

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Earth-like volcanic eruptions on Jupiter's moon

The author has posted comments on this articleIANS | Aug 5, 2014, 04.46PM IST

Page 1 of 4

WASHINGTON: In a new finding, Nasa scientists have reported three massive volcanic eruptions on one of Jupiter's moons.

This assumes significance as apart from Earth, Jupiter's moon "Io" is the only known place in the solar system with volcanoes erupting and spewing extremely hot lava like that on Earth, the US space agency said in a statement.

"We typically expect one huge outburst every one or two years and they are usually not this bright," said Imke de Pater, chair of astronomy at University of California, Berkeley.

"Here, we had three extremely bright outbursts, which suggest that if we looked more frequently we might see many more of them on Io," de Pater added.

The study of these eruptions will help scientists understand the processes that helped shape the surfaces of all the terrestrial planets, including Earth, and the moon, Nasa stated.

This information is essential to better understand the physical processes involved in the heating and cooling processes on Io, de Pater concluded.

The findings were published in the journal Icarus.

Article continues

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Curiosity rover marks 2 years on Mars

The author has posted comments on this articlePTI | Aug 8, 2014, 06.29AM IST

Page 1 of 4

WASHINGTON: Nasa's rover Curiosity, the most advanced roving laboratory on Mars, has celebrated its second anniversary on the Red planet.
The unmanned spacecraft landed inside the Gale Crater on August 5, 2012 to start a multi-year mission to seek out areas where life could or may once have existed.

During its first year of operations, Curiosity fulfilled its major goal of determining if Mars ever offered environmental conditions favourable for microbial life, Nasa said.

During its second year, Curiosity has been driving towards long-term destinations on lower slopes of Mount Sharp. Those destinations are in an area beginning about 3 km southwest of the rover's current location, but an appetizer outcrop of a base layer of the mountain lies much closer— less than 500m from Curiosity.

Curiosity carries duplicate main computers. It has been operating on its B-side computer since a problem with the Aside computer prompted the team to command a side swap in February 2013.

Article continues

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

New vaccine to prevent chikungunya developed

WASHINGTON: In a breakthrough, scientists have developed a new vaccine candidate to provide protection from the mosquito-borne viral illness chikungunya.

The experimental vaccine elicited neutralising antibodies in all 25 adult volunteers who participated in a recent early-stage clinical trial conducted by researchers at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

The most distinctive symptom of chikungunya infection is severe joint pain accompanied by headache and fever. There are currently no vaccines or specific drug treatments for chikungunya.

In 2010, Vaccine Research Centre (VRC) scientists and colleagues tested this candidate chikungunya vaccine in non-human primates.

All of the immunised animals were protected from infection when later exposed to chikungunya virus.

In the newly reported trial, 23 healthy volunteers received three injections (two other volunteers received two injections) of vaccine at one of three different dosages (10, 20 or 40 microgrammes) over a 20-week span.

Antibody production was measured at multiple time points following each injection.

Investigators detected chikungunya neutralising antibodies in all volunteers following the second injection, with a significant boost of neutralising antibodies seen following the third injection.

Vaccine-induced antibodies persisted in all volunteers, even those who received the lowest dosage, for at least 11 months after the final vaccination, suggesting that the vaccine could provide durable protection against disease.

"The candidate vaccine prompted a robust immunological response in recipients and was very well tolerated," noted VRC scientist Julie E Ledgerwood, principal investigator of the trial.

"Notably, the levels of neutralising antibody produced in response to the experimental vaccine were comparable to those seen in two patients who had recovered from a chikungunya virus infection acquired elsewhere.

"This observation gives us additional confidence that this vaccine would provide as much protection as natural infection," Ledgerwood said.

Whereas traditional vaccines are typically made from either killed viruses or from weakened live viruses, the experimental vaccine used in the trial is a different type: a virus-like particle (VLP) vaccine.

VLP vaccines contain the outer shell proteins of a virus without any of the material the virus needs to replicate inside cells.

The finding was published in The Lancet journal.

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Curiosity rover marks 2 years on Mars

The author has posted comments on this articlePTI | Aug 8, 2014, 06.29AM IST

Page 1 of 4

WASHINGTON: Nasa's rover Curiosity, the most advanced roving laboratory on Mars, has celebrated its second anniversary on the Red planet.
The unmanned spacecraft landed inside the Gale Crater on August 5, 2012 to start a multi-year mission to seek out areas where life could or may once have existed.

During its first year of operations, Curiosity fulfilled its major goal of determining if Mars ever offered environmental conditions favourable for microbial life, Nasa said.

During its second year, Curiosity has been driving towards long-term destinations on lower slopes of Mount Sharp. Those destinations are in an area beginning about 3 km southwest of the rover's current location, but an appetizer outcrop of a base layer of the mountain lies much closer— less than 500m from Curiosity.

Curiosity carries duplicate main computers. It has been operating on its B-side computer since a problem with the Aside computer prompted the team to command a side swap in February 2013.

Article continues

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Earth-like volcanic eruptions on Jupiter's moon

The author has posted comments on this articleIANS | Aug 5, 2014, 04.46PM IST

Page 1 of 4

WASHINGTON: In a new finding, Nasa scientists have reported three massive volcanic eruptions on one of Jupiter's moons.

This assumes significance as apart from Earth, Jupiter's moon "Io" is the only known place in the solar system with volcanoes erupting and spewing extremely hot lava like that on Earth, the US space agency said in a statement.

"We typically expect one huge outburst every one or two years and they are usually not this bright," said Imke de Pater, chair of astronomy at University of California, Berkeley.

"Here, we had three extremely bright outbursts, which suggest that if we looked more frequently we might see many more of them on Io," de Pater added.

The study of these eruptions will help scientists understand the processes that helped shape the surfaces of all the terrestrial planets, including Earth, and the moon, Nasa stated.

This information is essential to better understand the physical processes involved in the heating and cooling processes on Io, de Pater concluded.

The findings were published in the journal Icarus.

Article continues

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

New vaccine to prevent chikungunya developed

WASHINGTON: In a breakthrough, scientists have developed a new vaccine candidate to provide protection from the mosquito-borne viral illness chikungunya.

The experimental vaccine elicited neutralising antibodies in all 25 adult volunteers who participated in a recent early-stage clinical trial conducted by researchers at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

The most distinctive symptom of chikungunya infection is severe joint pain accompanied by headache and fever. There are currently no vaccines or specific drug treatments for chikungunya.

In 2010, Vaccine Research Centre (VRC) scientists and colleagues tested this candidate chikungunya vaccine in non-human primates.

All of the immunised animals were protected from infection when later exposed to chikungunya virus.

In the newly reported trial, 23 healthy volunteers received three injections (two other volunteers received two injections) of vaccine at one of three different dosages (10, 20 or 40 microgrammes) over a 20-week span.

Antibody production was measured at multiple time points following each injection.

Investigators detected chikungunya neutralising antibodies in all volunteers following the second injection, with a significant boost of neutralising antibodies seen following the third injection.

Vaccine-induced antibodies persisted in all volunteers, even those who received the lowest dosage, for at least 11 months after the final vaccination, suggesting that the vaccine could provide durable protection against disease.

"The candidate vaccine prompted a robust immunological response in recipients and was very well tolerated," noted VRC scientist Julie E Ledgerwood, principal investigator of the trial.

"Notably, the levels of neutralising antibody produced in response to the experimental vaccine were comparable to those seen in two patients who had recovered from a chikungunya virus infection acquired elsewhere.

"This observation gives us additional confidence that this vaccine would provide as much protection as natural infection," Ledgerwood said.

Whereas traditional vaccines are typically made from either killed viruses or from weakened live viruses, the experimental vaccine used in the trial is a different type: a virus-like particle (VLP) vaccine.

VLP vaccines contain the outer shell proteins of a virus without any of the material the virus needs to replicate inside cells.

The finding was published in The Lancet journal.

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Curiosity rover marks 2 years on Mars

The author has posted comments on this articlePTI | Aug 8, 2014, 06.29AM IST

Page 1 of 4

WASHINGTON: Nasa's rover Curiosity, the most advanced roving laboratory on Mars, has celebrated its second anniversary on the Red planet.
The unmanned spacecraft landed inside the Gale Crater on August 5, 2012 to start a multi-year mission to seek out areas where life could or may once have existed.

During its first year of operations, Curiosity fulfilled its major goal of determining if Mars ever offered environmental conditions favourable for microbial life, Nasa said.

During its second year, Curiosity has been driving towards long-term destinations on lower slopes of Mount Sharp. Those destinations are in an area beginning about 3 km southwest of the rover's current location, but an appetizer outcrop of a base layer of the mountain lies much closer— less than 500m from Curiosity.

Curiosity carries duplicate main computers. It has been operating on its B-side computer since a problem with the Aside computer prompted the team to command a side swap in February 2013.

Article continues

22.11 | 0 komentar | Read More

Earth-like volcanic eruptions on Jupiter's moon

The author has posted comments on this articleIANS | Aug 5, 2014, 04.46PM IST

Page 1 of 4

WASHINGTON: In a new finding, Nasa scientists have reported three massive volcanic eruptions on one of Jupiter's moons.

This assumes significance as apart from Earth, Jupiter's moon "Io" is the only known place in the solar system with volcanoes erupting and spewing extremely hot lava like that on Earth, the US space agency said in a statement.

"We typically expect one huge outburst every one or two years and they are usually not this bright," said Imke de Pater, chair of astronomy at University of California, Berkeley.

"Here, we had three extremely bright outbursts, which suggest that if we looked more frequently we might see many more of them on Io," de Pater added.

The study of these eruptions will help scientists understand the processes that helped shape the surfaces of all the terrestrial planets, including Earth, and the moon, Nasa stated.

This information is essential to better understand the physical processes involved in the heating and cooling processes on Io, de Pater concluded.

The findings were published in the journal Icarus.

Article continues

22.11 | 0 komentar | Read More

New vaccine to prevent chikungunya developed

WASHINGTON: In a breakthrough, scientists have developed a new vaccine candidate to provide protection from the mosquito-borne viral illness chikungunya.

The experimental vaccine elicited neutralising antibodies in all 25 adult volunteers who participated in a recent early-stage clinical trial conducted by researchers at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

The most distinctive symptom of chikungunya infection is severe joint pain accompanied by headache and fever. There are currently no vaccines or specific drug treatments for chikungunya.

In 2010, Vaccine Research Centre (VRC) scientists and colleagues tested this candidate chikungunya vaccine in non-human primates.

All of the immunised animals were protected from infection when later exposed to chikungunya virus.

In the newly reported trial, 23 healthy volunteers received three injections (two other volunteers received two injections) of vaccine at one of three different dosages (10, 20 or 40 microgrammes) over a 20-week span.

Antibody production was measured at multiple time points following each injection.

Investigators detected chikungunya neutralising antibodies in all volunteers following the second injection, with a significant boost of neutralising antibodies seen following the third injection.

Vaccine-induced antibodies persisted in all volunteers, even those who received the lowest dosage, for at least 11 months after the final vaccination, suggesting that the vaccine could provide durable protection against disease.

"The candidate vaccine prompted a robust immunological response in recipients and was very well tolerated," noted VRC scientist Julie E Ledgerwood, principal investigator of the trial.

"Notably, the levels of neutralising antibody produced in response to the experimental vaccine were comparable to those seen in two patients who had recovered from a chikungunya virus infection acquired elsewhere.

"This observation gives us additional confidence that this vaccine would provide as much protection as natural infection," Ledgerwood said.

Whereas traditional vaccines are typically made from either killed viruses or from weakened live viruses, the experimental vaccine used in the trial is a different type: a virus-like particle (VLP) vaccine.

VLP vaccines contain the outer shell proteins of a virus without any of the material the virus needs to replicate inside cells.

The finding was published in The Lancet journal.

22.11 | 0 komentar | Read More

Curiosity rover marks 2 years on Mars

The author has posted comments on this articlePTI | Aug 8, 2014, 06.29AM IST

Page 1 of 4

WASHINGTON: Nasa's rover Curiosity, the most advanced roving laboratory on Mars, has celebrated its second anniversary on the Red planet.
The unmanned spacecraft landed inside the Gale Crater on August 5, 2012 to start a multi-year mission to seek out areas where life could or may once have existed.

During its first year of operations, Curiosity fulfilled its major goal of determining if Mars ever offered environmental conditions favourable for microbial life, Nasa said.

During its second year, Curiosity has been driving towards long-term destinations on lower slopes of Mount Sharp. Those destinations are in an area beginning about 3 km southwest of the rover's current location, but an appetizer outcrop of a base layer of the mountain lies much closer— less than 500m from Curiosity.

Curiosity carries duplicate main computers. It has been operating on its B-side computer since a problem with the Aside computer prompted the team to command a side swap in February 2013.

Article continues

22.11 | 0 komentar | Read More

Earth-like volcanic eruptions on Jupiter's moon

The author has posted comments on this articleIANS | Aug 5, 2014, 04.46PM IST

Page 1 of 4

WASHINGTON: In a new finding, Nasa scientists have reported three massive volcanic eruptions on one of Jupiter's moons.

This assumes significance as apart from Earth, Jupiter's moon "Io" is the only known place in the solar system with volcanoes erupting and spewing extremely hot lava like that on Earth, the US space agency said in a statement.

"We typically expect one huge outburst every one or two years and they are usually not this bright," said Imke de Pater, chair of astronomy at University of California, Berkeley.

"Here, we had three extremely bright outbursts, which suggest that if we looked more frequently we might see many more of them on Io," de Pater added.

The study of these eruptions will help scientists understand the processes that helped shape the surfaces of all the terrestrial planets, including Earth, and the moon, Nasa stated.

This information is essential to better understand the physical processes involved in the heating and cooling processes on Io, de Pater concluded.

The findings were published in the journal Icarus.

Article continues

22.11 | 0 komentar | Read More

New vaccine to prevent chikungunya developed

WASHINGTON: In a breakthrough, scientists have developed a new vaccine candidate to provide protection from the mosquito-borne viral illness chikungunya.

The experimental vaccine elicited neutralising antibodies in all 25 adult volunteers who participated in a recent early-stage clinical trial conducted by researchers at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

The most distinctive symptom of chikungunya infection is severe joint pain accompanied by headache and fever. There are currently no vaccines or specific drug treatments for chikungunya.

In 2010, Vaccine Research Centre (VRC) scientists and colleagues tested this candidate chikungunya vaccine in non-human primates.

All of the immunised animals were protected from infection when later exposed to chikungunya virus.

In the newly reported trial, 23 healthy volunteers received three injections (two other volunteers received two injections) of vaccine at one of three different dosages (10, 20 or 40 microgrammes) over a 20-week span.

Antibody production was measured at multiple time points following each injection.

Investigators detected chikungunya neutralising antibodies in all volunteers following the second injection, with a significant boost of neutralising antibodies seen following the third injection.

Vaccine-induced antibodies persisted in all volunteers, even those who received the lowest dosage, for at least 11 months after the final vaccination, suggesting that the vaccine could provide durable protection against disease.

"The candidate vaccine prompted a robust immunological response in recipients and was very well tolerated," noted VRC scientist Julie E Ledgerwood, principal investigator of the trial.

"Notably, the levels of neutralising antibody produced in response to the experimental vaccine were comparable to those seen in two patients who had recovered from a chikungunya virus infection acquired elsewhere.

"This observation gives us additional confidence that this vaccine would provide as much protection as natural infection," Ledgerwood said.

Whereas traditional vaccines are typically made from either killed viruses or from weakened live viruses, the experimental vaccine used in the trial is a different type: a virus-like particle (VLP) vaccine.

VLP vaccines contain the outer shell proteins of a virus without any of the material the virus needs to replicate inside cells.

The finding was published in The Lancet journal.

22.11 | 0 komentar | Read More

Earth-like volcanic eruptions on Jupiter's moon

The author has posted comments on this articleIANS | Aug 5, 2014, 04.46PM IST

Page 1 of 4

WASHINGTON: In a new finding, Nasa scientists have reported three massive volcanic eruptions on one of Jupiter's moons.

This assumes significance as apart from Earth, Jupiter's moon "Io" is the only known place in the solar system with volcanoes erupting and spewing extremely hot lava like that on Earth, the US space agency said in a statement.

"We typically expect one huge outburst every one or two years and they are usually not this bright," said Imke de Pater, chair of astronomy at University of California, Berkeley.

"Here, we had three extremely bright outbursts, which suggest that if we looked more frequently we might see many more of them on Io," de Pater added.

The study of these eruptions will help scientists understand the processes that helped shape the surfaces of all the terrestrial planets, including Earth, and the moon, Nasa stated.

This information is essential to better understand the physical processes involved in the heating and cooling processes on Io, de Pater concluded.

The findings were published in the journal Icarus.

Article continues

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Curiosity rover marks 2 years on Mars

The author has posted comments on this articlePTI | Aug 8, 2014, 06.29AM IST

Page 1 of 4

WASHINGTON: Nasa's rover Curiosity, the most advanced roving laboratory on Mars, has celebrated its second anniversary on the Red planet.
The unmanned spacecraft landed inside the Gale Crater on August 5, 2012 to start a multi-year mission to seek out areas where life could or may once have existed.

During its first year of operations, Curiosity fulfilled its major goal of determining if Mars ever offered environmental conditions favourable for microbial life, Nasa said.

During its second year, Curiosity has been driving towards long-term destinations on lower slopes of Mount Sharp. Those destinations are in an area beginning about 3 km southwest of the rover's current location, but an appetizer outcrop of a base layer of the mountain lies much closer— less than 500m from Curiosity.

Curiosity carries duplicate main computers. It has been operating on its B-side computer since a problem with the Aside computer prompted the team to command a side swap in February 2013.

Article continues

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

New vaccine to prevent chikungunya developed

WASHINGTON: In a breakthrough, scientists have developed a new vaccine candidate to provide protection from the mosquito-borne viral illness chikungunya.

The experimental vaccine elicited neutralising antibodies in all 25 adult volunteers who participated in a recent early-stage clinical trial conducted by researchers at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

The most distinctive symptom of chikungunya infection is severe joint pain accompanied by headache and fever. There are currently no vaccines or specific drug treatments for chikungunya.

In 2010, Vaccine Research Centre (VRC) scientists and colleagues tested this candidate chikungunya vaccine in non-human primates.

All of the immunised animals were protected from infection when later exposed to chikungunya virus.

In the newly reported trial, 23 healthy volunteers received three injections (two other volunteers received two injections) of vaccine at one of three different dosages (10, 20 or 40 microgrammes) over a 20-week span.

Antibody production was measured at multiple time points following each injection.

Investigators detected chikungunya neutralising antibodies in all volunteers following the second injection, with a significant boost of neutralising antibodies seen following the third injection.

Vaccine-induced antibodies persisted in all volunteers, even those who received the lowest dosage, for at least 11 months after the final vaccination, suggesting that the vaccine could provide durable protection against disease.

"The candidate vaccine prompted a robust immunological response in recipients and was very well tolerated," noted VRC scientist Julie E Ledgerwood, principal investigator of the trial.

"Notably, the levels of neutralising antibody produced in response to the experimental vaccine were comparable to those seen in two patients who had recovered from a chikungunya virus infection acquired elsewhere.

"This observation gives us additional confidence that this vaccine would provide as much protection as natural infection," Ledgerwood said.

Whereas traditional vaccines are typically made from either killed viruses or from weakened live viruses, the experimental vaccine used in the trial is a different type: a virus-like particle (VLP) vaccine.

VLP vaccines contain the outer shell proteins of a virus without any of the material the virus needs to replicate inside cells.

The finding was published in The Lancet journal.

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Earth-like volcanic eruptions on Jupiter's moon

The author has posted comments on this articleIANS | Aug 5, 2014, 04.46PM IST

Page 1 of 4

WASHINGTON: In a new finding, Nasa scientists have reported three massive volcanic eruptions on one of Jupiter's moons.

This assumes significance as apart from Earth, Jupiter's moon "Io" is the only known place in the solar system with volcanoes erupting and spewing extremely hot lava like that on Earth, the US space agency said in a statement.

"We typically expect one huge outburst every one or two years and they are usually not this bright," said Imke de Pater, chair of astronomy at University of California, Berkeley.

"Here, we had three extremely bright outbursts, which suggest that if we looked more frequently we might see many more of them on Io," de Pater added.

The study of these eruptions will help scientists understand the processes that helped shape the surfaces of all the terrestrial planets, including Earth, and the moon, Nasa stated.

This information is essential to better understand the physical processes involved in the heating and cooling processes on Io, de Pater concluded.

The findings were published in the journal Icarus.

Article continues

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Curiosity rover marks 2 years on Mars

The author has posted comments on this articlePTI | Aug 8, 2014, 06.29AM IST

Page 1 of 4

WASHINGTON: Nasa's rover Curiosity, the most advanced roving laboratory on Mars, has celebrated its second anniversary on the Red planet.
The unmanned spacecraft landed inside the Gale Crater on August 5, 2012 to start a multi-year mission to seek out areas where life could or may once have existed.

During its first year of operations, Curiosity fulfilled its major goal of determining if Mars ever offered environmental conditions favourable for microbial life, Nasa said.

During its second year, Curiosity has been driving towards long-term destinations on lower slopes of Mount Sharp. Those destinations are in an area beginning about 3 km southwest of the rover's current location, but an appetizer outcrop of a base layer of the mountain lies much closer— less than 500m from Curiosity.

Curiosity carries duplicate main computers. It has been operating on its B-side computer since a problem with the Aside computer prompted the team to command a side swap in February 2013.

Article continues

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

New vaccine to prevent chikungunya developed

WASHINGTON: In a breakthrough, scientists have developed a new vaccine candidate to provide protection from the mosquito-borne viral illness chikungunya.

The experimental vaccine elicited neutralising antibodies in all 25 adult volunteers who participated in a recent early-stage clinical trial conducted by researchers at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

The most distinctive symptom of chikungunya infection is severe joint pain accompanied by headache and fever. There are currently no vaccines or specific drug treatments for chikungunya.

In 2010, Vaccine Research Centre (VRC) scientists and colleagues tested this candidate chikungunya vaccine in non-human primates.

All of the immunised animals were protected from infection when later exposed to chikungunya virus.

In the newly reported trial, 23 healthy volunteers received three injections (two other volunteers received two injections) of vaccine at one of three different dosages (10, 20 or 40 microgrammes) over a 20-week span.

Antibody production was measured at multiple time points following each injection.

Investigators detected chikungunya neutralising antibodies in all volunteers following the second injection, with a significant boost of neutralising antibodies seen following the third injection.

Vaccine-induced antibodies persisted in all volunteers, even those who received the lowest dosage, for at least 11 months after the final vaccination, suggesting that the vaccine could provide durable protection against disease.

"The candidate vaccine prompted a robust immunological response in recipients and was very well tolerated," noted VRC scientist Julie E Ledgerwood, principal investigator of the trial.

"Notably, the levels of neutralising antibody produced in response to the experimental vaccine were comparable to those seen in two patients who had recovered from a chikungunya virus infection acquired elsewhere.

"This observation gives us additional confidence that this vaccine would provide as much protection as natural infection," Ledgerwood said.

Whereas traditional vaccines are typically made from either killed viruses or from weakened live viruses, the experimental vaccine used in the trial is a different type: a virus-like particle (VLP) vaccine.

VLP vaccines contain the outer shell proteins of a virus without any of the material the virus needs to replicate inside cells.

The finding was published in The Lancet journal.

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

New vaccine to prevent chikungunya developed

WASHINGTON: In a breakthrough, scientists have developed a new vaccine candidate to provide protection from the mosquito-borne viral illness chikungunya.

The experimental vaccine elicited neutralising antibodies in all 25 adult volunteers who participated in a recent early-stage clinical trial conducted by researchers at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

The most distinctive symptom of chikungunya infection is severe joint pain accompanied by headache and fever. There are currently no vaccines or specific drug treatments for chikungunya.

In 2010, Vaccine Research Centre (VRC) scientists and colleagues tested this candidate chikungunya vaccine in non-human primates.

All of the immunised animals were protected from infection when later exposed to chikungunya virus.

In the newly reported trial, 23 healthy volunteers received three injections (two other volunteers received two injections) of vaccine at one of three different dosages (10, 20 or 40 microgrammes) over a 20-week span.

Antibody production was measured at multiple time points following each injection.

Investigators detected chikungunya neutralising antibodies in all volunteers following the second injection, with a significant boost of neutralising antibodies seen following the third injection.

Vaccine-induced antibodies persisted in all volunteers, even those who received the lowest dosage, for at least 11 months after the final vaccination, suggesting that the vaccine could provide durable protection against disease.

"The candidate vaccine prompted a robust immunological response in recipients and was very well tolerated," noted VRC scientist Julie E Ledgerwood, principal investigator of the trial.

"Notably, the levels of neutralising antibody produced in response to the experimental vaccine were comparable to those seen in two patients who had recovered from a chikungunya virus infection acquired elsewhere.

"This observation gives us additional confidence that this vaccine would provide as much protection as natural infection," Ledgerwood said.

Whereas traditional vaccines are typically made from either killed viruses or from weakened live viruses, the experimental vaccine used in the trial is a different type: a virus-like particle (VLP) vaccine.

VLP vaccines contain the outer shell proteins of a virus without any of the material the virus needs to replicate inside cells.

The finding was published in The Lancet journal.

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Earth-like volcanic eruptions on Jupiter's moon

The author has posted comments on this articleIANS | Aug 5, 2014, 04.46PM IST

Page 1 of 4

WASHINGTON: In a new finding, Nasa scientists have reported three massive volcanic eruptions on one of Jupiter's moons.

This assumes significance as apart from Earth, Jupiter's moon "Io" is the only known place in the solar system with volcanoes erupting and spewing extremely hot lava like that on Earth, the US space agency said in a statement.

"We typically expect one huge outburst every one or two years and they are usually not this bright," said Imke de Pater, chair of astronomy at University of California, Berkeley.

"Here, we had three extremely bright outbursts, which suggest that if we looked more frequently we might see many more of them on Io," de Pater added.

The study of these eruptions will help scientists understand the processes that helped shape the surfaces of all the terrestrial planets, including Earth, and the moon, Nasa stated.

This information is essential to better understand the physical processes involved in the heating and cooling processes on Io, de Pater concluded.

The findings were published in the journal Icarus.

Article continues

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Curiosity rover marks 2 years on Mars

The author has posted comments on this articlePTI | Aug 8, 2014, 06.29AM IST

Page 1 of 4

WASHINGTON: Nasa's rover Curiosity, the most advanced roving laboratory on Mars, has celebrated its second anniversary on the Red planet.
The unmanned spacecraft landed inside the Gale Crater on August 5, 2012 to start a multi-year mission to seek out areas where life could or may once have existed.

During its first year of operations, Curiosity fulfilled its major goal of determining if Mars ever offered environmental conditions favourable for microbial life, Nasa said.

During its second year, Curiosity has been driving towards long-term destinations on lower slopes of Mount Sharp. Those destinations are in an area beginning about 3 km southwest of the rover's current location, but an appetizer outcrop of a base layer of the mountain lies much closer— less than 500m from Curiosity.

Curiosity carries duplicate main computers. It has been operating on its B-side computer since a problem with the Aside computer prompted the team to command a side swap in February 2013.

Article continues

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Earth-like volcanic eruptions on Jupiter's moon

The author has posted comments on this articleIANS | Aug 5, 2014, 04.46PM IST

Page 1 of 4

WASHINGTON: In a new finding, Nasa scientists have reported three massive volcanic eruptions on one of Jupiter's moons.

This assumes significance as apart from Earth, Jupiter's moon "Io" is the only known place in the solar system with volcanoes erupting and spewing extremely hot lava like that on Earth, the US space agency said in a statement.

"We typically expect one huge outburst every one or two years and they are usually not this bright," said Imke de Pater, chair of astronomy at University of California, Berkeley.

"Here, we had three extremely bright outbursts, which suggest that if we looked more frequently we might see many more of them on Io," de Pater added.

The study of these eruptions will help scientists understand the processes that helped shape the surfaces of all the terrestrial planets, including Earth, and the moon, Nasa stated.

This information is essential to better understand the physical processes involved in the heating and cooling processes on Io, de Pater concluded.

The findings were published in the journal Icarus.

Article continues

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Curiosity rover marks 2 years on Mars

The author has posted comments on this articlePTI | Aug 8, 2014, 06.29AM IST

Page 1 of 4

WASHINGTON: Nasa's rover Curiosity, the most advanced roving laboratory on Mars, has celebrated its second anniversary on the Red planet.
The unmanned spacecraft landed inside the Gale Crater on August 5, 2012 to start a multi-year mission to seek out areas where life could or may once have existed.

During its first year of operations, Curiosity fulfilled its major goal of determining if Mars ever offered environmental conditions favourable for microbial life, Nasa said.

During its second year, Curiosity has been driving towards long-term destinations on lower slopes of Mount Sharp. Those destinations are in an area beginning about 3 km southwest of the rover's current location, but an appetizer outcrop of a base layer of the mountain lies much closer— less than 500m from Curiosity.

Curiosity carries duplicate main computers. It has been operating on its B-side computer since a problem with the Aside computer prompted the team to command a side swap in February 2013.

Article continues

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New vaccine to prevent chikungunya developed

WASHINGTON: In a breakthrough, scientists have developed a new vaccine candidate to provide protection from the mosquito-borne viral illness chikungunya.

The experimental vaccine elicited neutralising antibodies in all 25 adult volunteers who participated in a recent early-stage clinical trial conducted by researchers at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

The most distinctive symptom of chikungunya infection is severe joint pain accompanied by headache and fever. There are currently no vaccines or specific drug treatments for chikungunya.

In 2010, Vaccine Research Centre (VRC) scientists and colleagues tested this candidate chikungunya vaccine in non-human primates.

All of the immunised animals were protected from infection when later exposed to chikungunya virus.

In the newly reported trial, 23 healthy volunteers received three injections (two other volunteers received two injections) of vaccine at one of three different dosages (10, 20 or 40 microgrammes) over a 20-week span.

Antibody production was measured at multiple time points following each injection.

Investigators detected chikungunya neutralising antibodies in all volunteers following the second injection, with a significant boost of neutralising antibodies seen following the third injection.

Vaccine-induced antibodies persisted in all volunteers, even those who received the lowest dosage, for at least 11 months after the final vaccination, suggesting that the vaccine could provide durable protection against disease.

"The candidate vaccine prompted a robust immunological response in recipients and was very well tolerated," noted VRC scientist Julie E Ledgerwood, principal investigator of the trial.

"Notably, the levels of neutralising antibody produced in response to the experimental vaccine were comparable to those seen in two patients who had recovered from a chikungunya virus infection acquired elsewhere.

"This observation gives us additional confidence that this vaccine would provide as much protection as natural infection," Ledgerwood said.

Whereas traditional vaccines are typically made from either killed viruses or from weakened live viruses, the experimental vaccine used in the trial is a different type: a virus-like particle (VLP) vaccine.

VLP vaccines contain the outer shell proteins of a virus without any of the material the virus needs to replicate inside cells.

The finding was published in The Lancet journal.

22.11 | 0 komentar | Read More

Curiosity rover marks 2 years on Mars

The author has posted comments on this articlePTI | Aug 8, 2014, 06.29AM IST

Page 1 of 4

WASHINGTON: Nasa's rover Curiosity, the most advanced roving laboratory on Mars, has celebrated its second anniversary on the Red planet.
The unmanned spacecraft landed inside the Gale Crater on August 5, 2012 to start a multi-year mission to seek out areas where life could or may once have existed.

During its first year of operations, Curiosity fulfilled its major goal of determining if Mars ever offered environmental conditions favourable for microbial life, Nasa said.

During its second year, Curiosity has been driving towards long-term destinations on lower slopes of Mount Sharp. Those destinations are in an area beginning about 3 km southwest of the rover's current location, but an appetizer outcrop of a base layer of the mountain lies much closer— less than 500m from Curiosity.

Curiosity carries duplicate main computers. It has been operating on its B-side computer since a problem with the Aside computer prompted the team to command a side swap in February 2013.

Article continues

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Earth-like volcanic eruptions on Jupiter's moon

The author has posted comments on this articleIANS | Aug 5, 2014, 04.46PM IST

Page 1 of 4

WASHINGTON: In a new finding, Nasa scientists have reported three massive volcanic eruptions on one of Jupiter's moons.

This assumes significance as apart from Earth, Jupiter's moon "Io" is the only known place in the solar system with volcanoes erupting and spewing extremely hot lava like that on Earth, the US space agency said in a statement.

"We typically expect one huge outburst every one or two years and they are usually not this bright," said Imke de Pater, chair of astronomy at University of California, Berkeley.

"Here, we had three extremely bright outbursts, which suggest that if we looked more frequently we might see many more of them on Io," de Pater added.

The study of these eruptions will help scientists understand the processes that helped shape the surfaces of all the terrestrial planets, including Earth, and the moon, Nasa stated.

This information is essential to better understand the physical processes involved in the heating and cooling processes on Io, de Pater concluded.

The findings were published in the journal Icarus.

Article continues

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

New vaccine to prevent chikungunya developed

WASHINGTON: In a breakthrough, scientists have developed a new vaccine candidate to provide protection from the mosquito-borne viral illness chikungunya.

The experimental vaccine elicited neutralising antibodies in all 25 adult volunteers who participated in a recent early-stage clinical trial conducted by researchers at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

The most distinctive symptom of chikungunya infection is severe joint pain accompanied by headache and fever. There are currently no vaccines or specific drug treatments for chikungunya.

In 2010, Vaccine Research Centre (VRC) scientists and colleagues tested this candidate chikungunya vaccine in non-human primates.

All of the immunised animals were protected from infection when later exposed to chikungunya virus.

In the newly reported trial, 23 healthy volunteers received three injections (two other volunteers received two injections) of vaccine at one of three different dosages (10, 20 or 40 microgrammes) over a 20-week span.

Antibody production was measured at multiple time points following each injection.

Investigators detected chikungunya neutralising antibodies in all volunteers following the second injection, with a significant boost of neutralising antibodies seen following the third injection.

Vaccine-induced antibodies persisted in all volunteers, even those who received the lowest dosage, for at least 11 months after the final vaccination, suggesting that the vaccine could provide durable protection against disease.

"The candidate vaccine prompted a robust immunological response in recipients and was very well tolerated," noted VRC scientist Julie E Ledgerwood, principal investigator of the trial.

"Notably, the levels of neutralising antibody produced in response to the experimental vaccine were comparable to those seen in two patients who had recovered from a chikungunya virus infection acquired elsewhere.

"This observation gives us additional confidence that this vaccine would provide as much protection as natural infection," Ledgerwood said.

Whereas traditional vaccines are typically made from either killed viruses or from weakened live viruses, the experimental vaccine used in the trial is a different type: a virus-like particle (VLP) vaccine.

VLP vaccines contain the outer shell proteins of a virus without any of the material the virus needs to replicate inside cells.

The finding was published in The Lancet journal.

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Earth-like volcanic eruptions on Jupiter's moon

The author has posted comments on this articleIANS | Aug 5, 2014, 04.46PM IST

Page 1 of 4

WASHINGTON: In a new finding, Nasa scientists have reported three massive volcanic eruptions on one of Jupiter's moons.

This assumes significance as apart from Earth, Jupiter's moon "Io" is the only known place in the solar system with volcanoes erupting and spewing extremely hot lava like that on Earth, the US space agency said in a statement.

"We typically expect one huge outburst every one or two years and they are usually not this bright," said Imke de Pater, chair of astronomy at University of California, Berkeley.

"Here, we had three extremely bright outbursts, which suggest that if we looked more frequently we might see many more of them on Io," de Pater added.

The study of these eruptions will help scientists understand the processes that helped shape the surfaces of all the terrestrial planets, including Earth, and the moon, Nasa stated.

This information is essential to better understand the physical processes involved in the heating and cooling processes on Io, de Pater concluded.

The findings were published in the journal Icarus.

Article continues

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Curiosity rover marks 2 years on Mars

The author has posted comments on this articlePTI | Aug 8, 2014, 06.29AM IST

Page 1 of 4

WASHINGTON: Nasa's rover Curiosity, the most advanced roving laboratory on Mars, has celebrated its second anniversary on the Red planet.
The unmanned spacecraft landed inside the Gale Crater on August 5, 2012 to start a multi-year mission to seek out areas where life could or may once have existed.

During its first year of operations, Curiosity fulfilled its major goal of determining if Mars ever offered environmental conditions favourable for microbial life, Nasa said.

During its second year, Curiosity has been driving towards long-term destinations on lower slopes of Mount Sharp. Those destinations are in an area beginning about 3 km southwest of the rover's current location, but an appetizer outcrop of a base layer of the mountain lies much closer— less than 500m from Curiosity.

Curiosity carries duplicate main computers. It has been operating on its B-side computer since a problem with the Aside computer prompted the team to command a side swap in February 2013.

Article continues

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

New vaccine to prevent chikungunya developed

WASHINGTON: In a breakthrough, scientists have developed a new vaccine candidate to provide protection from the mosquito-borne viral illness chikungunya.

The experimental vaccine elicited neutralising antibodies in all 25 adult volunteers who participated in a recent early-stage clinical trial conducted by researchers at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

The most distinctive symptom of chikungunya infection is severe joint pain accompanied by headache and fever. There are currently no vaccines or specific drug treatments for chikungunya.

In 2010, Vaccine Research Centre (VRC) scientists and colleagues tested this candidate chikungunya vaccine in non-human primates.

All of the immunised animals were protected from infection when later exposed to chikungunya virus.

In the newly reported trial, 23 healthy volunteers received three injections (two other volunteers received two injections) of vaccine at one of three different dosages (10, 20 or 40 microgrammes) over a 20-week span.

Antibody production was measured at multiple time points following each injection.

Investigators detected chikungunya neutralising antibodies in all volunteers following the second injection, with a significant boost of neutralising antibodies seen following the third injection.

Vaccine-induced antibodies persisted in all volunteers, even those who received the lowest dosage, for at least 11 months after the final vaccination, suggesting that the vaccine could provide durable protection against disease.

"The candidate vaccine prompted a robust immunological response in recipients and was very well tolerated," noted VRC scientist Julie E Ledgerwood, principal investigator of the trial.

"Notably, the levels of neutralising antibody produced in response to the experimental vaccine were comparable to those seen in two patients who had recovered from a chikungunya virus infection acquired elsewhere.

"This observation gives us additional confidence that this vaccine would provide as much protection as natural infection," Ledgerwood said.

Whereas traditional vaccines are typically made from either killed viruses or from weakened live viruses, the experimental vaccine used in the trial is a different type: a virus-like particle (VLP) vaccine.

VLP vaccines contain the outer shell proteins of a virus without any of the material the virus needs to replicate inside cells.

The finding was published in The Lancet journal.

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Coconut water’s health benefits exaggerated?

When coconut water broke into the American market 10 years ago, it was billed as a miracle drink able to fight viruses, kidney disease and other ailments like osteoporosis. Global sales now reach $400 million a year, and many consumers believe that the beverage has a wide variety of health benefits. But they may be unaware that the drink's marketers have sharply scaled back their claims.

Young and green

Not to be confused with coconut milk (the milky-white liquid made from coconut meat), coconut water is the clear fluid from young, still-green coconuts, packaged in angular Tetra Paks, as well as in bottles and faux coconut shells.

An acquired taste

The flavour is an unusual mix of salty and sweet. The typical coconut water has 30 to 70 milligrams of sodium and 9 to 12 grams of sugar per 11.2-ounce container — saltier but much less sweet than most fruit juices. The same amount of apple juice has 10 milligrams of sodium and three times as much sugar: 33 grams.

Essential elements

The minerals in coconut water are what prompted the early claims of curative power, but their amounts are quite modest and they are widely found in other foods. A banana, for example, has 422 milligrams of potassium, compared with 660 milligrams in a typical container of coconut water. The water's big three minerals are potassium (19% of the daily recommended intake), calcium (4%) and magnesium (4%).

A sports loss

Vita Coco, a leading brand, once boasted that it had 15 times the electrolytes — substances like sodium and potassium that are lost in sweat — in sports drinks. Then a 2011 class-action lawsuit contended that some of the mineral sums on its packages were exaggerated; as part of a settlement, Vita Coco agreed to stop saying that it rehydrated better than sports drinks. "We don't try to compare ourselves to much of anything anymore," said Arthur Gallego, the company's publicist.

One last comparison

These days, coconut water's big rival may be plain old water. How do they compare? Scientists are still wrestling with the question, and while their findings vary, water is starting to look just fine for most people. A 2012 study (funded by Vita Coco) in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition found that neither coconut water nor sports drinks were better than water in hydrating young men after hourlong workouts.

So what's the Appeal?

Coconut water taps into a "deep consumer vein," Tom Pirko, a beverage industry analyst, wrote in an email. "It is not seen as a 'manufactured' concoction, but rather the issue of Mother Earth." And it seems poised to become just the first in a wave of natural waters; already for sale are bottled waters from maple and birch trees, barley, cactus and artichokes, with their own exuberant promotions.

More than a drink

Meanwhile, coconut water flows on. Best-selling cookbooks are using it as an additive in soups and smoothies. And it's not just for drinking: Dial has released a soap and a body wash that use coconut water as a hydrating agent.

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Earth-like volcanic eruptions on Jupiter's moon

The author has posted comments on this articleIANS | Aug 5, 2014, 04.46PM IST

Page 1 of 4

WASHINGTON: In a new finding, Nasa scientists have reported three massive volcanic eruptions on one of Jupiter's moons.

This assumes significance as apart from Earth, Jupiter's moon "Io" is the only known place in the solar system with volcanoes erupting and spewing extremely hot lava like that on Earth, the US space agency said in a statement.

"We typically expect one huge outburst every one or two years and they are usually not this bright," said Imke de Pater, chair of astronomy at University of California, Berkeley.

"Here, we had three extremely bright outbursts, which suggest that if we looked more frequently we might see many more of them on Io," de Pater added.

The study of these eruptions will help scientists understand the processes that helped shape the surfaces of all the terrestrial planets, including Earth, and the moon, Nasa stated.

This information is essential to better understand the physical processes involved in the heating and cooling processes on Io, de Pater concluded.

The findings were published in the journal Icarus.

Article continues

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Curiosity rover marks 2 years on Mars

The author has posted comments on this articlePTI | Aug 8, 2014, 06.29AM IST

Page 1 of 4

WASHINGTON: Nasa's rover Curiosity, the most advanced roving laboratory on Mars, has celebrated its second anniversary on the Red planet.
The unmanned spacecraft landed inside the Gale Crater on August 5, 2012 to start a multi-year mission to seek out areas where life could or may once have existed.

During its first year of operations, Curiosity fulfilled its major goal of determining if Mars ever offered environmental conditions favourable for microbial life, Nasa said.

During its second year, Curiosity has been driving towards long-term destinations on lower slopes of Mount Sharp. Those destinations are in an area beginning about 3 km southwest of the rover's current location, but an appetizer outcrop of a base layer of the mountain lies much closer— less than 500m from Curiosity.

Curiosity carries duplicate main computers. It has been operating on its B-side computer since a problem with the Aside computer prompted the team to command a side swap in February 2013.

Article continues

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More

Coconut water’s health benefits exaggerated?

When coconut water broke into the American market 10 years ago, it was billed as a miracle drink able to fight viruses, kidney disease and other ailments like osteoporosis. Global sales now reach $400 million a year, and many consumers believe that the beverage has a wide variety of health benefits. But they may be unaware that the drink's marketers have sharply scaled back their claims.

Young and green

Not to be confused with coconut milk (the milky-white liquid made from coconut meat), coconut water is the clear fluid from young, still-green coconuts, packaged in angular Tetra Paks, as well as in bottles and faux coconut shells.

An acquired taste

The flavour is an unusual mix of salty and sweet. The typical coconut water has 30 to 70 milligrams of sodium and 9 to 12 grams of sugar per 11.2-ounce container — saltier but much less sweet than most fruit juices. The same amount of apple juice has 10 milligrams of sodium and three times as much sugar: 33 grams.

Essential elements

The minerals in coconut water are what prompted the early claims of curative power, but their amounts are quite modest and they are widely found in other foods. A banana, for example, has 422 milligrams of potassium, compared with 660 milligrams in a typical container of coconut water. The water's big three minerals are potassium (19% of the daily recommended intake), calcium (4%) and magnesium (4%).

A sports loss

Vita Coco, a leading brand, once boasted that it had 15 times the electrolytes — substances like sodium and potassium that are lost in sweat — in sports drinks. Then a 2011 class-action lawsuit contended that some of the mineral sums on its packages were exaggerated; as part of a settlement, Vita Coco agreed to stop saying that it rehydrated better than sports drinks. "We don't try to compare ourselves to much of anything anymore," said Arthur Gallego, the company's publicist.

One last comparison

These days, coconut water's big rival may be plain old water. How do they compare? Scientists are still wrestling with the question, and while their findings vary, water is starting to look just fine for most people. A 2012 study (funded by Vita Coco) in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition found that neither coconut water nor sports drinks were better than water in hydrating young men after hourlong workouts.

So what's the Appeal?

Coconut water taps into a "deep consumer vein," Tom Pirko, a beverage industry analyst, wrote in an email. "It is not seen as a 'manufactured' concoction, but rather the issue of Mother Earth." And it seems poised to become just the first in a wave of natural waters; already for sale are bottled waters from maple and birch trees, barley, cactus and artichokes, with their own exuberant promotions.

More than a drink

Meanwhile, coconut water flows on. Best-selling cookbooks are using it as an additive in soups and smoothies. And it's not just for drinking: Dial has released a soap and a body wash that use coconut water as a hydrating agent.

22.10 | 0 komentar | Read More