SCIENCE: Russia Space Glory Gone with Downing of Mir

When Russia's space station, the Mir, crashed into the Pacific Friday, just as predicted by scientists, the successful operation did not elicit cheers of triumph from mission control centre. For the Mir's downing symbolised the end of Russia's glory days as a power in outerspace.

SCIENCE-ARGENTINA: The Titanosaurus Will Have to Wait

A dinosaur cemetery is hidden beneath the province of Neuquén, in southern Argentina. But the largely volunteer team of experts working to exhume the fossils is often forced to halt efforts due to lack of resources.

DISARMAMENT: China and US Clash Over Arms Race in Outer Space

The discrepancies between the United States and China regarding the question of an arms race in outer space have once again blocked the work of the Disarmament Conference.

SCIENCE-ARGENTINA: Tiny Mammal the Star of a Spectacular Find

The discovery of a "Jurassic park" in southern Argentina caused an impact Wednesday when a local paper published the photo of the petrified spinal column of an eight-metre dinosaur. Ironically, however, experts say the biggest find was the fossil of a tiny mammal that measured just 15 cms.

SCIENCE/HEALTH: Advances in Human Genome Widen North-South Gap

While the advances in biogenetics reported Monday in Washington, Paris, London, Tokyo and Berlin constitute a major breakthrough, they will widen the gap in medical care between the industrialised North and developing South, researchers warn.

REVIEW 2000-BRAZIL: In the Vanguard of Genome Research

Brazil is firmly in the vanguard of genome research, as it reaches the end of a year of major advances in human health and the fight against agricultural pests, with a host of new projects on the horizon.

ARCHAEOLOGY-KENYA: Scientists Discover Oldest Ancestor

A team of scientists say they have discovered the oldest known ancestor of the human race.

RUSSIAN: Mir Space Station To Be Allowed to Re-enter Earth’s Atmosphere

The Russian government decided Thursday to retire the Mir space station next February by bringing it back to Earth where they hope most of it will burn up in the atmosphere and the remainder will plunge harmlessly into the Pacific Ocean.

SCIENCE/AGRICULTURE: Brazil Narrows Technological Divide

Brazil has demonstrated that the requirements of agriculture, under fire from pests and international competition, can drive developing countries to reduce the technological divide separating them from the industrialised world.

BIOTECHNOLOGY: Traces of Unapproved Biotech Corn Found in Taco Shells

Fuelling the debate on genetically modified foods, a sample of taco shells here was found to contain a form of engineered corn not approved for human consumption because it may cause harmful allergies.

DEVELOPMENT-ARGENTINA: Inventors from South Seek Support

Inventors and delegates from the patent offices of more than 50 countries met this month in the Argentine capital to discuss how the former can obtain backing, especially in developing countries, where they often come up with inexpensive, efficient devices, but without government support.

SCIENCE-SPAIN: Dowser to Seek Ground Water in Argentina

A Spanish geologist, who has made a career out of his skill in finding water in an unorthodox manner, will seek ground water next month in the west-central Argentine province of Mendoza, using a technique passed down to him by his forefathers.

VENEZUELA: Launch Site in Guyana Could Strain Relations with US

The proposed installation of a base for launching commercial satellites in a region of Guyana claimed by Venezuela could hurt relations between Caracas and Washington, local officials warned here Thursday.

SCIENCE: ‘Thinking the Future’ at Expo 2000 in Germany

Some of the leading scientists and researchers from all over the world have been 'thinking the future' during discussion events at the World Exposition Expo 2000 in Hanover.

ENERGY-VENEZUELA: Orimulsion Researcher Takes Prize

A Venezuelan researcher who helped develop orimulsion, a fuel made up of water and bitumen, will receive the first prize granted by the Andean Development Corporation (CAF) to scientists in the region.

// REPEAT TO POINTS NEEDING// DEVELOPMENT: Third World Nations Complain of New Digital Divide

The Group of 77 (G-77), a coalition of 133 developing nations, is complaining that the huge income gap between rich and poor is now being exacerbated by a North-South "digital divide" - between those who have access to computers and the Internet and those who do not.

TECHNOLOGY-BRAZIL: Engineering for a Knowledge-Based Society

A degree in information engineering is a new item to be found on the university menu, and is something Brazilian education strategists believe is the ticket for keeping up with the global trend towards a so-called knowledge-based society.

SCIENCE-INDIA: Moon Mission on a Budget

India's space establishment has announced plans for a budget moon mission and is confident of earning the trip through commercial satellite launches and the sale of spatial services.

SCIENCE-BRAZIL: Women Soon to Outnumber Men in Research

Although women remain a minority in the labour market and earn lower wages than men in Brazil, they will soon be in the majority in the field of scientific research - good news for women on the eve of International Women's Day, to be celebrated Wednesday.

DEVELOPMENT-CUBA: FAO Backs Bio-Pesticide Production

Cuba may soon be exporting bio-pesticides for controlling several types of agricultural plagues, an opportunity arising from a project supported by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

HEALTH: Marijuana’s Active Ingredient Cures Brain Tumours in Rats

A research team in Spain has found that tetrahydrocannibinol (THC), the active ingredient in marijuana, is effective in curing brain cancer in laboratory rats, reported the scientific journal Nature-Medicina.