Canberra, Sept 13 : A group of prominent Australians have warned that remote Australia has become a "failed state" fuelled by dysfunction and neglect that threatens the nation''s security, social cohesion and rare ecosystems.

The Remote Focus Group, which includes academics, politicians, public servants and mining executives, has produced a "prospectus", detailing the extent of the crisis and calling for an urgent national debate.

Canberra, Sept. 13 : Australia’s refusal to sell uranium to India will adversely affect bilateral ties, a spokesman of Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith, has warned.

The Herald Sun quoted Andrew Robb as saying that India is "deeply affronted" by Australia''s decision not to sell it uranium.

"At every level they (the Indian government) are deeply affronted by the decision of the Australian government to refuse to sell our uranium while encouraging the rest of the world to sell uranium to India," Robb told ABC Radio.

"They can''t understand it, they are affronted and it will affect our relationship and it will cost Australians billions of dollars in the years ahead," he added.

Canberra, September 12 : An Australian scientist has said that if the ‘Higgs boson’, which is referred to as the ‘God particle’ in cosmic science, is not found in the mega-experiment of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), it would be no big deal.

According to a report by ABC News, Dr Aldo Saavedra, a particle physicist at the University of Sydney, made the comment.

The LHC is the world’s largest and the most powerful particle accelerator, located near the Franco-Swiss border near Geneva, Switzerland.

The first beam of photons was sent zooming at nearly the speed of light around the 17-mile-long underground circular path of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) near Geneva on September 10.

Canberra, September 9 : Scientists are using new laser technology to improve the precision of telescopes, bringing the dream of watching the expansion of the universe in real time within reach.

According to a report by ABC News, the researchers, including Swinburne University astronomer Michael Murphy, have shown how a laser frequency comb can be used to calibrate an infra-red telescope, which will allow astronomers to more precisely measure features of distant galaxies and stars.

The comb was developed by co-author Theodor Hansch, of the Max-Planck Institute for Quantum Optics who is a joint winner of the 2005 Nobel Prize for Physics for the technology.

Canberra, September 8 : Scientists have warned of a ‘toxic time bomb’ ticking away near one of the world’s largest copper mines in Papua New Guinea, which they say is a potential environmental disaster waiting to happen.

According to a report by ABC News, Melbourne-based river scientist Dr Ian Campbell is concerned about large areas downstream from Papua New Guinea’s Ok Tedi mine being affected by acid mine drainage.

Campbell said that sulfur-laden mine waste has built up in and around the Fly River, and if the river’s floodplains dry out, this could trigger a mass poisoning of animals and plants.

Canberra, September 4 : A new research has indicated that in the animal kingdom, offsprings from the same father tend to stick together, a prominent example being the small tropical fish known as the guppy.

Dr Jonathan Evans and Dr Jennifer Kelley, from the University of Western Australia, carried out the research.

According to a report by ABC News, research into the behaviour of the guppy has found pairs of full-siblings spend significantly more time shoaling compared to pairs of half-sibling.

Shoaling, or crowding close together, is a common survival trait among fish.