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.

Washington, Dec 18 : A new research has determined that ocean acidification could result in broader disruptions of biological processes in the oceans.

The research was conducted by Donald Potts, a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of California, Santa Cruz, US.

Ocean acidification is one of the side effects of the rising concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in Earth''s atmosphere due to the burning of fossil fuels.

New Delhi, Dec 17 : Tejas, India's indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), has achieved a major milestone when its prototype landed at Leh air base in the high-altitude Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir.

"Tejas (LCA) programme reached a major milestone when the prototype vehicle PV-3 landed at Leh on December 13 this year at 1326 hours," Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) officials said on Tuesday.

Washington, Dec 17 : Scientists from Imperial College London and the University of Edinburgh have found that tiny crystals found inside bacteria provide a magnetic compass to help them navigate through sediment to find the best food.

They believe that the research may provide vital clues explain biomagnetism - a phenomenon in which some birds, insects and marine life navigate using the magnetic field that encompasses the Earth.

The researchers focused their study on magnetotactic bacteria, which contain chains of magnetic crystals, called magnetosomes. They exist all over the globe, living in lake and pond sediments and in ocean coastal regions.