Washington, April 21 : In a new research, scientists have determined that the ancient Maya civilization used a rare type of clay called "palygorskite" to produce Maya blue, a unique bright blue to greenish-blue pigment.

As part of the research, the Spanish research team defined the features of palygorskite clay on the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico.

These findings will make it possible to ascertain the origin of the materials used to produce this pigment, which survives both time and chemical and environmental elements.

The team traced the route followed by the Maya to obtain palygorskite clay, one of the basic ingredients of Maya Blue.

Washington, April 21: Astronomers, using different telescopes, have found that the well-known Great Nebula of Orion, which is a stellar nursery of sorts, is a lively and overcrowded place, with young stars emitting gas jets in all directions, creating quite a chaotic picture.

This was observed by astronomers using the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope (UKIRT) in Hawaii, the IRAM Millimeter-wave Telescope in Spain, and the Spitzer Space Telescope in orbit above the Earth.

Berlin, April 21 : Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy in Bonn, Germany, Cornell University, USA, and the University of Cologne, Germany, have detected two of the most complex molecules yet discovered in interstellar space: ethyl formate and n-propyl cyanide.

Their computational models of interstellar chemistry also indicate that yet larger organic molecules may be present - including the so-far elusive amino acids, which are essential for life.

Washington, April 21 : Distracting consumers from a decision for some moments could help them make more accurate product evaluations, a new study suggests.

In the study, author Davy Lerouge of Tilburg University has demonstrated that distraction can help decision-making, depending on the manner in which consumers process the available product information.

London, April 21: UK-based charity Oxfam has suggested that the umber of people hit by climate-related disasters is expected to rise by about 50 percent, to reach 375 million a year by 2015.

According to a report by BBC News, the Oxfam study says that current humanitarian systems would be unable to cope with the natural disasters.

It warns that agencies are in danger of being overwhelmed by events such as flooding, storms and drought.

London, April 21: If a long term research by astronomers is anything to go by, then the centre of our of galaxy tastes like raspberries and smells of rum.

According to a report in the Guardian, astronomers searching for the building blocks of life in a giant dust cloud at the heart of the Milky Way have concluded that it contains the chemical ethyl formate, which gives raspberries their flavour and smells of rum.