Native seeds may feed future human colonies in space

Good morning friends. There are seeds that are being germinated. Native seeds may feed future human colonies in space.

An Australian experiment with native plant seeds has raised hopes for self-sustaining human colonies in space, with the seeds, taken into space last year, showing no signs of "fatigue" or damage after surviving more than 28,000 orbits of the earth.

According to a report in The Sydney Morning Herald, the seedlings of the golden wattle, waratah, flannel flower and wollemi pine accompanied NASA astronaut Dr Gregory Chamitoff on his six-month space odyssey. At the request of NSW's (New South Wales') Botanic Gardens Trust, Dr Chamitoff took the seeds on the Space Shuttle Discovery mission to the International Space Station in May 2008.

While tests are still being conducted on the seedlings, which returned to earth in November last year, conservationists are encouraged by preliminary findings. The seeds are being germinated and "fast-track" aged at the Trust's NSW Seedbank at Mount Annan Botanic Garden in Sydney's southwest. "With habitats under increasing threat, seedbanking on earth, and perhaps in space, will be part of an integrated conservation program for species threatened by extinction due to global warming or other sudden changes to their habitat," said Trust executive director Dr Tim Entwisle.

"As a species (humans) have an impact upon the other species of the world and we have the possibility of damaging the environment where we lose the biodiversity because of our actions," said Entwisle. "We also are a species that understands these things and, therefore, I think we have a moral imperative to do these kinds of things and protect the environment." he added.

For NASA, the findings also present the opportunity to plan for possible space colonies.

"As soon as we get back to the moon and even before we reach Mars, we're going to have to figure out how to recycle as much as we can and provide as much food sources as we can in space," Dr Chamitoff said.

"From NASA's perspective, we are interested in seeds that might be hardy enough to survive long duration exposure to the space environment and then germinate in greenhouses in Space or on other planets," he added. "Ultimately, this will be essential to support self-sustaining outposts or colonies in Space with food and oxygen," he explained.The NSW Seedbank tests on the seedlings will monitor their growth, vigour and life span compared to control seeds. (ANI)

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City joins in the yatra of faith

Good morning friends. Different people in the city of Ahmedabad joins the procession in the yatra of faith. They were all cheerful.

A sea of humanity immersed in religious fervor descended on the streets of the city to greet the Jagannath Rath Yatra on Wednesday.

People from different walks of life thronged the rath yatra route to watch the chariots roll by and get the Lord's blessings. A heavy police deployment and religious bonhomie ensured that there was no untoward incident on the auspicious day.

The 132nd rath yatra ended up on a high note. While it saw more participants compared to last year, people flocked the entire route to catch a glimpse of the Lord Jagannath, Balbhadra and Subhadra. Devotees colored the routes pink with shouts of Jai Ranchhod Makhan Chor'.

In the morning, the yatra started on time from the Jagannath temple in Jamalpur after Gujarat Chief Minister swept the initial rath yatra route with a golden broom, clearing the way for the Lord.

After mangala aarti in the morning, the chariots started rolling at 7 am. According to organizers and police officials, while the yatra started on time and went on at a good pace initially, it reached around an hour late at Nij Mandir' One's own temple'.
The procession was greeted by AMC officials, including mayor Kanaji Thakor, at Danapith office around 9.30 am after which the yatra proceeded towards the traditional route. Amid the heavy security, devotees were treated to a variety of delicacies and fruits. Local residents also set up stalls for prasad and water for the devotees.

The yatra had a smooth sail through minority-dominated areas Dariapur and Shahpur. As there was no janta curfew, even Muslims poured out to greet the procession with cheers and joy wherever the juggernaut passed by.

The cops, too, breathed easy. Earlier, they created a cacophony by blowing whistles at minority-dominated areas to drown mischievous slogans and to keep the rath rolling. However, this time the spontaneous bonhomie between the Hindus and Muslims removed the need for loud whistling. Instead devotional songs and loud chants of devotees resounded the ambience. – IST,TNN

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Three city science institutes get US pat

Good morning friends. Nice to know and it boosts our morale, as we heard that our Science Institute and Information Technology are one of the top eight destination for science research.

Bangalore’s pre-eminence as the country’s science capital just received further endorsement. The US-based National Science Foundation (NSF) has ranked the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS) as the number one centre in India for US graduate students to take up research fellowships and short-term programmes.

Two other Bangalore institutions — the Indian Institute of Science and the Indian Institute for Information Technology — are among the top eight destinations for science research.

The NSF is the apex body in the US to offer fellowships to American students interested in short-term research programmes or internships in science institutions outside US. It regularly ranks institutions worldwide on their competencies.

The foundation also recommends IIIT Hyderabad, IIT Madras, IIT Mumbai, IIT Kanpur and TIFR Mumbai. The foundation states that students “will be integrated into ground-breaking research projects closely linked to their own graduate work at MIT.” –The Times of India

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Delhiites march on World Environment Day

Good morning friends. in commemoration of the Worlds Environment Day, I also agree that we all have to be aware of it. We should keep our environment clean. That would benefit also to others. We must do our participation even with only little thing. But when it will be together all that little thing will become big.

Scores of activists undertook a march on Friday to raise awareness on World Environment Day.

Dressed in white t-shirts with trees printed on them, they marched through the lanes and parks of the city, to spread awareness on the factors posing a threat to the environment.

"The idea is to be aware of the environment we are living in and do something to save the environment, which is being slightly destroyed by man. I think its our responsibility to do at least something about it," said Ranjani Sreedharan, an activist.

World Environment Day was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1972, to stimulate awareness about the environment, and enhance political attention and public action.

The World Bank has expressed alarm at the pollution levels in India, saying air pollution in the country was already "of great concern".

India's current stand on climate change does not please Western countries, who want India to show more commitment towards curbing the rapidly rising greenhouse gas emissions. –The Times of India

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