A product from fir trees and yeast may soon replace ambergris, a kind of whale barf, to make expensive perfume, scientists said Thursday. For centuries, perfume makers have prized ambergris for its ability to prevent scent from dissipating. The wax-like substance is secreted by sperm whales to protect their digestive systems from sharp objects. When the animals vomit, the ambergis reacts with salty ocean water and eventually washes ashore …

The Milky Way is home to far more planets than previously thought, boosting the odds that at least one of them may harbour life, according to a study released Wednesday. Not long ago, astronomers counted the number of "exoplanets" detected outside our own solar system in the teens, then in the hundreds. Today the tally stands at just over 700. But the new study, published in Nature, provides evidence that there are more planets than stars in our …

Hundreds of students of Sindh University (SU) have left hostel after the killing of Director Students Affairs Professor Bashir Chhanar, Geo News reported. It may be noted here that academic activities in the varsity have been suspended for many days in protest against killing of Prof. Bashir, as a result students have made their way home. Meanwhile, Secretary Teachers Association Irfan Malah said the protest campaign would continue till the removal …

The University of Karachi has extended the last date for submission of admission forms for BS/Honours open merit programme. This was announced by the Director Admissions, University of Karachi, Prof. Dr Khalid Iraqi, on Thursday. He stated that the last date for submission of admission form for BS/Honours Programme (Open Merit) has been extended till December 3. However, forms can only be obtained and submitted from the UBL Bank Counter situated …

Astronomers claim that a planet orbiting a small fast spinning star, called a pulsar, is likely made of diamond. Pulsars are small spinning stars about 20 km in diameter – the size of a small city – that emits a beam of radio waves. As the star spins and the radio beam sweeps repeatedly over Earth, radio telescopes detect a regular pattern of radio pulses. Researchers, from The University of Manchester as well as institutions in Australia, Germany, …

A new laser device could make high-speed computing faster and more reliable, opening the door to a new age of the Internet. Professor Dennis Deppe at the University of Central Florida has created miniature laser diodes that emit more intense light than those currently used. The light emits a single wavelength, making it ideal for use in CD players, laser pointers and optical mice for computers, in addition to high-speed data transmission. Until …

Researchers have converted discarded plastic bottles in combination with soil to form a porous cement like substance that could be the construction material of the future. It could also considerably ease ecological hazard caused by billions of plastic bottles discarded every year. Naji Khoury, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at Temple University in US, says the trademarked product is called ‘Plastisoil.’ Khoury said …

Four billion years ago, the sun radiated only 70 to 75 percent as much energy as it does today. Now, scientists are trying to explain what compensated for the reduced solar output and kept the earth’s water liquid. A popular theory holds there must have been higher concentrations of greenhouse gases in the air, most likely carbon dioxide, which would have helped retain a greater proportion of the solar energy that arrived. But a team of earth scientists, …

Washington, Mar 3 (ANI): Lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) individuals, who live in states that instituted bans on same-sex marriage are more at risk of developing psychiatric disorders, according to a new study. The Mailman School of Public Health examined the effects of institutional discrimination on the psychiatric health of lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) individuals. It found an increase in psychiatric disorders among the LGB population living …

Washington, March 2 (ANI): In a new study, scientists have determined that half a million year old fossil corals are providing fresh hope that coral reefs may be able to withstand the huge stresses imposed on them by today’s human activity. Reef ecosystems were able to persist through massive environmental changes imposed by sharply falling sea levels during previous ice ages, an international scientific team has found. This provides new hope for …