Scientists have reason to believe that solar flares may be somehow linked with the "starquake" solar phenomena occasionally experienced by our solar system's sun. Images taken from the ESA-NASA SOHO spacecraft may give some clue to the long-standing mystery behind the sun's interior make-up. You can read more about the details of this study in our full article.

The average person will probably have nothing in mind about his own solid waste except to get rid of it by flushing it. Thank goodness they didn't have johns 14,000 years ago or we might have less clues about our ancestors. Recently discovered in Oregon is the oldest native American DNA, and it's all because someone's feces lasted so long. Full story after the jump.

We all know that there are several blood types that humans carry. Among these, the most prized is that of type O negative because it's considered universal and can be transferred to anyone.

If a person in need of a blood transfusion receives blood incompatible with his own, his immune system will be triggered and his own antibodies will treat the new blood as foreign particles. What follows is often a patient in shock and another dead body in the morgue.

Shortages in blood supply has plagued the medical industry and humanitarian endeavors alike. Scientists in Denmark, however, think that they may be closing in on an answer to that problem.

Blood gets classified according to the distinct sugar molecules that each type carries. Type A and B have different sugars, while type AB has both. The sugar molecules known as "antigens" are absent in type O negative.

According to Dr. Henrik Claussen of the University of Copenhagen, bacteria Elizabethkingia meningosepticum, and Bacteroides fragilis yield special enzymes that can strip the antigens off the red blood cells and neutralize them so that any type can become neutral.

The blood conversion technique has been tested in labs and has proven that in an hour, 200 ml of blood can be neutralized. The product will soon be tested and if all goes well, will be applied to medical facilities worldwide.

The U.S. just dropped down to the seventh position in the Networked Readiness Index Rankings for 2006. The Rankings were included in a report submitted by the World Economic Forum, which attributed the sinking to the "deterioration of political and regulatory environment" - whatever that means.

The report took into consideration the technological advancements in general business, the infrastructure available for production or use, and the initiative and gravity of the national government's policies on economic development and improving local and global competitiveness. With that said, the top 10 countries in the Index Rankings of 2006 are:

1. Denmark (3)
2. Sweden (8)
3. Singapore (2)
4. Finland (5)
5. Switzerland (9)
6. Netherlands (12)
7. US (1)
8. Iceland (4)
9. UK (10)
10. Norway (13)

With strong emphasis with cooperative development and college education, the U.S. is the leader in innovation. But also noticeable is Singapore's strongest points of innovation and network readiness.

Denmark now leads the world in technological innovation and application, because of constant support given from the government for the thriving e-businesses, strict regulatory policies and a quick and early liberalization of the telecommunication sector.

People's personalities are being determined well before birth, but the culprit is not the stars. It's the sun.

In a study made at Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark, people who were born in the winter months are said to be more at risk of having schizophrenia. A study of people who committed suicide in England and Wales meanwhile also found out that 17 percent more people who had committed suicide had birthdays in April, May and June than in the rest of the year.

The recent explanations for this have concentrated on the more direct effects of the seasons on the mother: how much sunshine a pregnant woman is exposed to, or the effects of temperature. Researchers from London also collated their findings on the relationship between the seasons and the development of babies. When they went to Singapore, however, where the temperature remains at a constant 80 degrees all year round, they found no season-of-birth effect at all.

Scientists are still studying the effects of lack of sunshine to neurodevelopmental abnormalities. They are hoping to someday understand the biological basis for this seasonal blip in the incidence of mental disorder, in order to fix it.

Professor Paul Hunter of the University of East Anglia in England warned that climate change would also lead to rising incidence of infectious diseases usually found in warmer zones. Hunter noted two organisms were able to extend their habitats because of warmer seawater.

One such marine organism is Vibrio vulnificus, which is bacteria found in warm waters (20C/68F). The organism enters the human body through the consumption of shellfish or through open wounds when swimming in infected water. The potentially fatal disease caused by Vibrio vulnificus has already claimed a victim in Denmark.

Another illness caused by the single-celled algae Ostreopsis ovata is spreading among holiday-makers at an Italian coast. The disease, which causes diarrhea, skin rashes and hay fever type illnesses, has struck over 100 people.