Canberra, Oct 26: Scientists have come up with an answer to the puzzling question of why life on Earth coincides with a momentous shift in the makeup of the universe.

According to a report by ABC News, research into finding an answer to this mystery was done by Ph. D. student Chas Egan and Charley Lineweaver from Australian National University.

The conundrum has its roots in the way the universe changes as it expands, explained Egan.

Soon after the Big Bang, some 14 billion years ago, most of the energy in the universe was in the form of heat. Later, as the universe cooled and expanded, matter, such as stars and planets, became dominant.

Washington, Oct 26 : A team of scientists may have discovered some hidden clues that may help them identify impending earthquakes, in the form of a multitude of creeping changes underground.

Detecting and interpreting these changes would help forecast earthquakes, but that detection has proven difficult, partly because scientists don’t yet fully understand the complex chain of events that precipitates a quake.

Now, a team of researchers has claimed to find hidden clues that can help them predict looming quakes.

Canberra, Oct 26 : Amateur astronomers are collaborating on an international project to track urban light pollution in the atmosphere, which clouds our view of the stars.

As urban light pollution grows as a problem, a global survey aims to map its spread, with the help of amateur star gazers.

According to a report in Cosmos magazine, the project is known as the Great World Wide Star Count, which pools skyward observations taken by citizens around the world.

The information helps scientists measure the extent to which city lights mask the visibility of stars.

Washington, Oct 26 : A new study has revealed that voters are subconsciously swayed by candidates who share their facial features.

The study was conducted by Jeremy Bailenson, an assistant professor of communication, and Shanto Iyengar, the Harry and Norman Chandler Professor in Communication.

In three experiments, the researchers and their graduate students worked with cheap, easy-to-use computer software to morph pictures of about 600 test subjects with photos of politicians.

And they kept coming up with the same results: For the would-be voters who weren''t very familiar with the candidates or in perfect lockstep with their positions or political parties, the facial similarity was enough to clinch their votes.

Stockholm, Oct 26 : A team of archaeologists digging near the planned expansion of a roadway in Sweden have uncovered 1,700 year old artifacts made of wood, making them some of the oldest man-made wooden objects over discovered in the country.

According to a report in The Local, the find was made near Alvangen in western Sweden and provides additional clues about how farmers in the region lived during the Iron Age.

“We’ve found hundreds of wooden objects, including a wooden wheel. We’re coming much closer to the people of the Iron Age with this find. We’re really getting up close and personal,” said Bengt Nordqvist, an archaeologist from the Swedish National Heritage Board.

Washington, Oct 26 : A research spanning 20 years has determined that climate change and acid rain could actually be good for forests.

The research was undertaken by scientists at Michigan Technological University’s School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science in the northern hardwood forests of Michigan.

The team reached a surprising conclusion that moderate increases in temperature and nitrogen from atmospheric pollution actually improve forest productivity.