Washington, Nov 20 : A detailed analysis of black carbon, in computer climate models, has suggested that those models may be overestimating global warming predictions.

Savanna fires occur almost every year in northern Australia, leaving behind black carbon, which is the residue of burned organic matter that remains in soil for thousands of years.

A new study, by researchers at Cornell University, quantified the amount of black carbon in Australian soils and found that there was far more than expected, according to Johannes Lehmann, a Cornell professor of biogeochemistry.

As a result of global warming, soils are expected to release more carbon dioxide, the major greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere, which, in turn, creates more warming.

Washington, Nov 20 : A new study has highlighted how the exploration of the ocean depths can benefit humankind in the field of biomedical research.

Many marine organisms such as sea anemones and corals produce fluorescent proteins, which come in a variety of dazzling hues.

Fluorescent proteins have revolutionized biomedical research by enabling the imaging of processes within living cells and tissues.

The impact of this technology is considered so high that the 2008 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was most recently awarded to scientists that discovered and further developed the first green fluorescent protein that was applied as cellular marker.

Washington, Nov 20 : Hollywood actress Reese Witherspoon has pulled her daughter out of a dream school because of the hounding paparazzi.

The stunner is upset by the way snappers have tortured her daughter Ava to get her snap, because of which the actress was forced to take her baby girl out of the "wonderful school".

"She was so harassed that we had to take her out,” Contactmusic quoted the actress, as saying.

Washington, Nov 20 : A new research has suggested that the first eyes in the animal kingdom evolved for the purpose of seeking light.

Larvae of marine invertebrates – worms, sponges, jellyfish - have the simplest eyes that exist. They consist of no more than two cells: a photoreceptor cell and a pigment cell.

These minimal eyes, called eyespots, resemble the ‘proto-eyes’ suggested by Charles Darwin as the first eyes to appear in animal evolution. They cannot form images but allow the animal to sense the direction of light.

This ability is crucial for phototaxis – the swimming towards light exhibited by many zooplankton larvae.

Washington, Nov. 20 : Senator Joe Lieberman, and Independent and a close friend of John McCain, the Republican presidential candidate in 2008, has said that the time is right for America to reconcile with its myriad problems and rebuild under the Obama administration.

In an interview with Kate Couric of CBS, Lieberman said: “I think it''s so clear now that America''s house is being threatened by fire that all of just got together and help to put out that fire and rebuild the house.”

Once the Space Shuttle Endeavour, which launched Friday, delivers the new unit - 'Water Recovery System' (WRS) - for installation on the space station, astronauts will soon be able to drink their own recycled urine and sweat! . Until now, urine has been dumped overboard, but WRS will ensure it does not go to waste - a system that could be critical to future human space travel.