Washington, Dec 20 : A computer model has successfully reproduced the birth of two real tropical cyclones that formed in the Indian Ocean in December 2006 and January 2007.

The model, called the Nonhydrostatic ICosahedral Atmospheric Model (NICAM), was developed for the supercomputer Earth Simulator at JAMSTEC (Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology).

Washington, Dec 19 : A new research, from the Niels Bohr Institute at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, has indicated that the orientation of Stone Age graves at the Danish passage could have an astronomical explanation.

According to the research, the Danish passage graves are most likely oriented according to the path of the full moon, perhaps even according to the full moon immediately before a lunar eclipse.

There are many Stone Age graves in Denmark, where archaeologists estimate that around 40.000 large stone graves were built from around 3500 to 3000 BC.

Only about 500 of the large passage graves, called `giant tombs' are preserved today, but one of the great mysteries is their orientation in the landscape.

Washington, Dec 18 : Embryonic stem cells could be a viable and effective alternative for testing drugs for dangerous side effects, according to a leading British researcher.

Christine Mummery, Professor of Developmental Biology at Leiden University Medical Centre in The Netherlands, has predicted that what is currently a small and sparsely funded research area will boom in coming years under US President-elect Barack Obama, who is an ardent supporter of stem cell research.

Washington, Dec 18 : Scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, US, have described a method for using sugar-producing microalgae for making biofuel.

The researchers have explained a way to genetically modify the tiny organisms, so as to minimize the number of chlorophyll molecules needed to harvest light without compromising the photosynthesis process in the cells.

With this modification, instead of making more sugar molecules, the microalgae could be producing hydrogen or hydrocarbons.

Washington, Dec 18 : Scientists, environmental groups and policymakers are advocating the use of an ancient soil replenishment technique used by former inhabitants of the Amazon Basin, in the fight against global warming.

Former inhabitants of the Amazon Basin enriched their fields with charred organic materials known as biochar, and transformed one of the earth's most infertile soils into one of the most productive.

These early conservationists disappeared 500 years ago, but centuries later, their soil is still rich in organic matter and nutrients.

Washington, Dec 18 : A new analysis by researchers at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) has found that global climate change could dramatically affect water supplies.

The research was conducted by Gene-Hua Crystal Ng, King Bhumipol, Professor Dennis McLaughlin, Professor Dara Entekhabi, from MIT, and Bridget Scanlon, a senior researcher at the University of Texas.

The analysis has found that the changes in groundwater may actually be much greater than the precipitation changes themselves.