Human Virus Linked to Deaths of Endangered Mountain Gorillas; Finding Confirms That Serious Diseases Can Pass to Gorillas from People

The finding confirms that serious diseases can pass from people to these endangered animals. The researchers are from the non-profit Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project; the Wildlife Health Center at the University of California, Davis; the Center for Infection and Immunity at Columbia University; and the Rwanda Development Board. Their study, which reports the 2009 deaths of two mountain gorilla that were infected with a human virus, was published online by the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases, a publication of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Because there are fewer than 800 living mountain gorillas, each individual...

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Will We Hear the Light? Surprising Discovery That Infrared Can Activate Heart and Ear Cells

University of Utah scientists used invisible infrared light to make rat heart cells contract and toadfish inner-ear cells send signals to the brain. The discovery someday might improve cochlear implants for deafness and lead to devices to restore vision, maintain balance and treat movement disorders like Parkinson's. "We're going to talk to the brain with optical infrared pulses instead of electrical pulses," which now are used in cochlear implants to provide deaf people with limited hearing, says Richard Rabbitt, a professor of bioengineering and senior author of the heart-cell and inner-ear-cell studies published this month in The Journal...

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Most Obese Mothers and Children Underestimate Their Weight

A growing number of obese Americans perceive themselves as being slimmer than they actually are. A new study from Columbia University Medical Center in New York shows that among more than 200 obese mothers and children, this continuing trend may be putting many at greater risk of serious health issues. Findings of the new research were recently presented at a meeting of the American Heart Association in Atlanta, Georgia. About one-third of children and two-thirds of adults living in the U.S. are now either overweight or obese. With the growing problem of obesity in America, it appears that the perception of being overweight is being re-defined...

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New Study Shows the Cold Busting Properties of Zinc

Taking zinc supplements could be your best weapon in the battle against the common cold. According to a new study recently published in the health care journal The Cochrane Library, zinc can reduce the severity and duration of the cold virus and possibly even prevent the virus altogether. Researchers from the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research in Chandigarh, India examined data gathered from fifteen trials on more than 1,300 participants. Their findings showed that cold sufferers who began taking zinc in the form of tablets, lozenges, or syrup within a day of the onset of symptoms experienced curative effects. In addition,...

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Five Things Facebook Should Fix Immediately

Let me start with two questions. Why is it that such a successful company as Facebook feels like it needs to change and reinvent its interface constantly? And why are we so complacent with these changes that, quite literally, disrupt our online social lives? We have seen how social media is changing the world around us, yet we don’t have a say in its progress. Undeniably, Facebook is already part of all of our lives, even for non-users. We shouldn’t take the site for granted. After all, it has over half a billion users. Alternatively, we should not allow it to take us—their users—for granted either. I remember back when I was heavily using...

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Amazon Beats Apple And Google To Cloud-Based Music Storage/Streaming

Well, the rumors were true. Not only is Amazon entering the “music locker” space, they’re doing it before both Google and Apple — as their “Cloud Drive” and “Cloud Player” have just gone live on their site tonight. Cloud Drive is the name Amazon is giving to its media storage space on their servers. They give you 5 GB of storage for free and allow you to access the media from any computer. Cloud Player is the name of yes, the actual player. And it comes in two flavors: a player for the web, and one for Android devices. You’ll note an absence of an iOS player… A bit more:     * Any album bought through Amazon MP3 is stored for...

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RJ Shiva's next film!

RJ turned actor Shiva delighted everyone with his comic performance in films like Chennai-28, Saroja and Tamizh Padam. The actor's next film is titled 'Sivapoojayil Karadi' and is being directed by Rama Narayan. The film is touted to be a complete comic caper and the shooting is complete. The post production works are going on in full throttle now. The movie will release once the results of the upcoming elections are out. Shiva is happy to have finished this film and told the media that he is working on his own script and wants to transfer it to the celluloid. The actor is also doing a cameo in Jiiva's Ko directed by KV Anand. We wish Shiva...

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Vikram’s next with Katrina Kaif

Vikram is wrapping up work on Deiva Thirumagan and is all set to begin work on a brand new exciting project. The film is to be called Karikalan and it will be directed by Kannan who has been responsible for the graphics in director Shankar’s movies. Karikalan is expected to be a mega budget entertainer with impressive special effects. It is to be produced by Silver Line Film Factory, the makers of the recent Singam Puli. The buzz is that Katrina Kaif will be the heroine as she is said to be perfect for the part and the entire team is keen that she be a part of this project. Harris Jayaraj will do the mus...

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Sakshi is back

Sakshi who starred in films like Puthaiyal, Vedam, and Manasthan got married and chose to take a break from films. The slender actress will be seen after a long hiatus in a dance sequence for director Ameer’s Adibaghavan. The film has Jeyam Ravi and Neetu Chandra doing the lead roles. Sakshi will provide the spice in this movie with a sizzling number. A huge set has been erected for the dance and as many as 150 dancers will be flown in from abroad. Sakshi is rehearsing diligently and is thrilled to don the greasepaint and face the camera aga...

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Sneha in tears!

Sneha who is famous for her dazzling smile, had reason to cry recently. But they were tears of joy. She participated in a cultural program at Panimalar Engineering College recently and was overwhelmed with the love and affection showered on her by the students. Her presence was a source of excitement for all present and they made sure that she enjoyed every minute of her visit. The students had prepared a video presentation on her life and its best moments. Sneha was deeply moved when she saw it and when she went up onstage to thank those who were responsible, she burst into tears saying that she had been to many college functions in the past...

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Gilani Coming With Senior Ministers To Mohali

Islamabad : Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani will be accompanied by ex-premier Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and several of his Cabinet colleagues, including Interior Minister Rehman Malik, for his visit to Mohali tomorrow to watch the World Cup semi-final between India and Pakistan, a media report said today. Awami National Party chief Asfandyar Wali Khan, Defence Minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar, Information Minister Firdous Ashiq Awan, Sports Minister Engineer Shaukatullah, Postal Services Minister Muhammad Gorgage and Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar will also accompany Gilani,'The News' daily reported. Former...

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Win Mohali, Get 25 Acres Land: Pak Punjab CM's Offer To Cricketers

Lahore, :  Pakistan's Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has announced that each member of the national cricket team will be given 25 acres of fertile land if they beat India in the high-profile World Cup semi-final match. "My government will give 25 acres of fertile land to each member of the team as a prize if they beat India," Sharif said during a news conference yesterday. "The Pakistani cricket team deserves appreciation from the nation for displaying outstanding performance in different matches of the World Cup. We are praying for its success," he said. Sharif advised the Pakistani players not to come under pressure for the crucial...

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Kashmir Not On Agenda In Mohali : Pak Info Minister

Islamabad, March 29: Indian and Pakistani Prime Ministers will only be watching the Mohali match  and will not discuss the Kashmir issue, Information Minister Firdous Ashiq Awan clarified  on Monday night after a cabinet meeting, The Dawn reported. Briefing newsmen,  Firdous Ashiq Awan said that primarily the prime minister was going to watch the Pakistan-India cricket match, and `not to discuss the Kashmir issue`, but she hastened to add that the two prime ministers could discuss anything on the occasion. In reply to a question, she said the Foreign Office and Pakistan`s High Commission in New Delhi were working to fully utilise...

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Japan On 'Maximum Alert' Over Nuclear Crisis: PM

Osaka,  : Japan's Prime Minister Naoto Kan today said his government is in a "state of maximum alert" over the crisis at the stricken Fukushima nuclear plant, Jiji Press reported. Kan told a lower house budget committee meeting that the situation "continues to be unpredictable" and that the government "will tackle the problem while in a state of maximum alert," Jiji reported. Radiation worries have disrupted efforts to restart the cooling system of the Fukushima Daiichi plant, which was battered by a huge earthquake and tsunami on March 11 that left more than 28,000 people dead or missing. Plutonium has been detected in soil at the facility...

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Wikileaks: Mystery Of Two Pink Boxes In Mumbai Probe

New Delhi : The Hindu in a US embassy cable procured from Wikileaks on Tuesday reported that United States officials believed that a pink foam-covered box found at one of the 26/11 Mumbai attack sites was crucial to proving the Pakistani links to the attacks, but complained that India was “not forthcoming” about sharing information about it. A U.S. Embassy cable from Islamabad (204888: confidential) sent by Charge d'Affaires Gerald Feierstein on April 30, 2009, accessed by The Hindu through WikiLeaks, spoke of Pakistani officials handing over to the Federal Bureau of Investigation a similar box from investigations on Pakistan's side. The cable...

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Thackeray Flays PM Over Cricket Invite To Pak President, PM

Mumbai, : The Congress may call it a "holistic" approach towards friendly relations with Pakistan, but Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray has flayed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for inviting his Pakistani counterpart to the March 30 World Cup cricket semi-final match.  "Why should injustice be done to Ajmal Kasab and Afzal Guru? They should also be invited to the match," the Sena chief said in a hard-hitting editorial in party mouthpiece `Saamana'. "Instead of adopting a harsh stance against the enemy country, Singh is laying down the carpet," Thackeray said.   "If Pak President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousaf Raza...

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Govt Acting Fast On Fake Pilot Licence Scam: Vayalar Ravi

Thiruvanathapuram, Mar 28: The government is “acting very fast” in taking action against those linked to the fake pilot licence scam and has set up an independent committee to audit all 40 flying schools in the country, Civil Aviation Minister Vayalar Ravi said here today. “The Union government is acting fast on the matter. The aviation ministry had set up an independent committee which will audit all the 40 flying schools in the country,” he said at a press meet, on a query on whether the probe was going slow. Ravi said action had to be taken step by step and that all pilots cannot be grounded and checked. “And we can’t arrest every officer...

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PAC Summons Niira Radia, Ratan Tata On Apr 4 In 2G Case

New Delhi, : Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee has summoned corporate lobbyist Niira Radia and Tata Group Chairperson Ratan Tata on April 4 to discuss their role in the 2-G Spectrum allocation case. Sources said the PAC will meet on April 4 and 5 to discuss the 2-G spectrum allocation case which had led to the resignation of Telecom Minister A Raja. He was later arrested and is still in custody. “Niira Radia and Ratan Tata have been called on April 4 to discuss their role in the 2-G allocation. On April 5, representatives of four companies - Swan Telecom, Reliance, Airtel and Unitech - have been asked to present themselves,” they said. After...

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