An article in Discovery News has listed the top ten discoveries of the decade.

At number 10 is the discovery of Eris in 2005, a minor body that is 27 percent bigger than Pluto.

The finding became the trigger that changed the face of our solar system, defining the planets and adding Pluto to a growing family of dwarf planets in 2006.

At number 9 is the discovery of what appeared to be soft tissues – blood vessels, bone matrix and other cells – inside the fossilized femur of a small T. rex in 2005.

Since then, the bones have revealed amino acids that resemble those of modern chickens, firming the link between dinosaurs and birds. At number 8 is the direct confirmation of the mysterious dark matter in the summer of 2006.

The unprecedented evidence came from the careful weighing of gas and stars flung about in the head-on smash-up between two great clusters of galaxies in the Bullet Cluster. Until then, the existence of dark matter was inferred by the fact that galaxies have only one-fifth of the visible matter needed to create the gravity that keeps them intact.

So, the rest must be invisible to telescopes: That unseen matter is “dark.”

At number 7 is the emergence of new human ancestors, first, in the form of a 6- to 7-million-year-old skull of Sahelanthropus tchadensis – known as Toumai, in northern Chad in 2002.

Then, in 2009, the nearly complete skeleton of “Ardi,” in northeastern Ethiopia bumped the famous “Lucy” as the earliest, most complete skeleton of a human ancestor ever found.

At number 6 is astronomers seeing of alien planets, or “exoplanets”, directly in 2008, using the Hubble Space Telescope and the infrared Keck and Gemini observatories in Hawaii.

At number 5 is the concept of cyborgs, that is, half-machine, half-humans, becoming a reality in the last decade, as much progress has been made with people controlling robotic limbs and computers with their minds.

At number 4 is finding of stem cells in new sources in 2007, when scientists from Kyoto University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, essentially turned back the clock for adult skin cells, allowing these mature cells, which were preprogrammed to become skin, to act like embryonic stem cells.

At number 3 is the discovery of water ice on the surface of Mars in 2008 by NASA””s Mars Phoenix lander.

At number 2 is the development of the rough draft of the entire human genome in the year 2000, followed by a completed version in 2003.

At number 1 is the finding that in the past decade, glaciers have been melting much faster than ever expected.

[Source]

While the year 2009 witnessed altogether four lunar eclipses and two solar eclipses, it will have its last lunar eclipse on December 31.

The various phases of the eclipse would begin at 10.45 pm on December 31 and end at 3 am on January 1.

The year 2010 will witness altogether two lunar and two solar eclipses. Incidentally, the partial lunar eclipse on New Year eve is likely to dampen the spirit of New Year celebrations, which will begin on the midnight of December 31.

As many youths said, “We have been asked by the elders of our family to stay indoors and not to eat or drink during the eclipse. So many will just sit at home welcoming 2010 instead of rocking in a club or a discotheque.”

“In my family, we do not eat or drink during the eclipse hours. Even leftovers are not consumed. So I am really upset that all our plans of merry making on New Year eve have gone awry,” said Prasun Sinha, an engineering student.

“I have recommended families to stay indoors, not consume any food during the time of the eclipse. Expectant mothers should also avoid both eating or viewing the eclipse,” said the priest of a temple, N K Jha. It is better to chant religious mantras and give away alms during eclipses to reduce the ill-effects, he said.

However, astronomers getting ready to study the exact positioning of the planets during the eclipse have a different opinion. “2009 is the International Year of Astronomy as it coincides with the 400th anniversary of the first recorded astronomical observations by Galileo Galilei. It is simply movement of the Earth, the Sun and the Moon and has nothing to do with one’s destiny,” said Indira Gandhi Planetarium director Amitabh Gosh.

“People must observe this celestial spectacle and promote scientific temper inspiring future astronauts and scientists of the country. It is a natural phenomenon and why should one be afraid of it,” he added.

“Even today, people believe that during an eclipse Rahu and Ketu take charge of the universe hence it is inauspicious. But this is absolutely false,” said a physicist, A K Ray.

It is all superstition, said Progressive Youth Association member Ajit Sharma. He said that people must not be scared.

However, there are youths who do not believe in such superstitions. As Suman K Jha, an upcoming musician, said, “We have planned to party and dance the whole night. It is a scientific phenomenon and it has nothing to do with eating, drinking or making merry.”

Source

An Indonesian woman found a brother who had been missing for more than three decades through the popular social networking site Facebook, a report said on Tuesday.

Nurlianti Dehi was separated from her elder brother Anton in 1974 when he left their hometown in Central Sulawesi province for neighbouring North Sulawesi, according to the online edition of the Media Indonesia daily.

Anton maintained contact with his family for the first two years but later cut off communication completely, she told the newspaper.

“We were separated for 35 years and now I found him through Facebook,” Nurlianti was quoted as saying.

Nurlianti had virtually given up hope of finding her brother when Anton’s daughter found her on Facebook and contacted her.

She said she initially doubted if the person who spoke on the phone was her brother, but became convinced after they shared some stories of childhood.

[Source]

A 23-year-old girl has died in Panaji allegedly due to drug overdose, police said on Thursday. Neha Bahuguna, who was working in Bangalore died on Wednesday at a local hospital.

“The medical report has attributed the death to drug overdose,” Police Department spokesman Atmaram Deshpande said. She had come to the city to participate in ‘Sunburn Goa Festival-2009′ organised at Candolim beach.

“The girl was rushed from the festival venue to the hospital in a serious condition,” Deshpande added. Â
The festival organisers, however, said the girl did not consume drugs at the venue.

“We had kept a strict surveillance through 40 CCTV cameras and sniffer dogs,” the organisers stated.