Diamonds might have led to life

According to German scientists, “Diamonds could have played an important role in the origin of life on Earth”.

Scientists have long theorised that life on Earth started in a primordial soup of precursor chemicals. But it is unclear how these simple amino acids - the building blocks of life - were assembled into complex polymers needed for the beginning of life.

Diamond is the crystallised form of carbon and predates the oldest known life on the planet. In experiments, researchers found that when treated with hydrogen, natural diamonds formed crystalline layers of water, which is an essential requirement for life, on the surface.
The tests also found electrical conductivity that could have been key in starting chemical reactions needed for the birth of life.

When primitive molecules landed on the surface of these hydrogenated diamonds in the atmosphere of early Earth, a few billion years ago, the resulting reaction may have been sufficient to generate more complex organic molecules that eventually gave rise to life, the researchers said.

'Hydrogenated diamond advances to the best of all possible origin-of-life platforms,' the researchers said.

The new research does not conclusively determine how life began, but lends support one of the possible ways.

The research, by German scientists Andrei Sommer, Dan Zhu, and Hans-Joerg Fecht at the University of Ulm, has been published in the Aug 6 issue of the American Chemical Society's journal Crystal Growth & Design.

More and more girls to engineering studies

More and more girls are taking to engineering studies these days. The enrolment of girls in technical institutes in the country has gone up from 22 percent in 2002 to 125 percent this year, with most preferring system engineering and information and communication, says a survey conducted by ASSOCHAM.

The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry in India (ASSOCHAM), says the emergence of the knowledge economy has motivated more girls to acquire engineering skills.

The survey was carried out under the Social Development Foundation on “Rising Trend of Women towards the Technical Education” and covered over 20 engineering schools, including the National Institutes of Technology (NITs).

Their views were sought and it was discovered that females’ participation in acquiring engineering skills since 2002 onwards was more towards system engineering followed by information and communication, environmental and electrical engineering.

However, aerospace and material engineering are not preferred by women in India. According to Assocham president Sajjan Jindal, women have been bettering their male counterparts in system engineering.

The survey says 90 percent of women engineers are motivated by their academic performance and 71 percent for career as well as good salary prospects that influence them to opt for engineering.

However, in case of men, 79 percent of them opt for engineering by their academic performance as well as challenges that the work brings in.

The survey points out that 71 percent of male engineers take active part in corporate management but hardly 29 percent of women get involved in management activities.

The survey says 55 percent of men and 26 percent of female engineers feel they are equally treated in their organization.

The survey also says that most of the women engineers consult their parents, especially father, in order to pursue a career in engineering. The impact of parents on women (86 percent) is stronger than on men (24 percent).

Honda plans to launch Rs 10 lakh bike to counter Nano

Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India, the wholly owned subsidiary of Japan's Honda Motor Co, plans to launch bikes priced at Rs 10 lakh and above at around the time the Tata Motors will be launching its small car Nano.

The company is looking at two big bikes and one small one in the current financial year, with a volume target of 10 lakh units against 9 lakh sold last year. The big bikes will have engines of 1,000cc and above, while smaller versions will be a 100cc one.

A top company official said Honda's aim is to create a niche segment for bikes and make up for any loss at its entry-level if bike buyers move up to Tata's Rs 1 lakh car. Shinji Aoyama, president and chief executive officer of HMSI, said after the Nano's launch the market for entry segment bikes "will shift to some extent to the inexpensive cars".

"All the three bikes will be launched by March 2009, taking the number of launches to four this fiscal," Aoyama said. He was here to launch the 125cc CBF Stunner, priced at around Rs 48,000-Rs 53,000. Honda has set a sales target of 80,000 units aiming 8% of the total turnover from the model. The other three bikes would account for 2% of turnover.

HSMI, which has an 11% market share at present, is trying to maintain a steady share in India's overall sales of eight million units a year by introducing more models, mostly in the 100cc-plus segment. Ayoma said that while sales of 100cc bikes fell by 15%, sales of 125 cc bikes grew 9% in 2007-08. Suzuki also plans to launch 1,300cc Hayabusa and 1,000cc GSXR this year.

Hey Ladies- Beware of Gastrosexuals

It is often said that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, but now, it seems tables have turned, for a new trend has hit male society called Gastrosexual - which implies that increasing numbers of men are taking up cooking in order to seduce their ladies.

The boom has been fuelled by the popularity of superstar chefs Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver, who have helped make cooking a macho pursuit.

Chef John Meredith, who runs James St Cooking School, in Brisbane's Fortitude Valley, said half of the people booking his classes were men.

"It's very much about men wanting to attract the ladies by serving up a special dinner," he quotes.

"They range from the 18-year-old student trying to be a cut-above, to the 59-year-old man who is newly divorced and maybe on the lookout for love again.

"Guys tend to come to the classes in small groups, which makes it less daunting for them, but often they have no need to worry because they turn out to be better cooks than the girls," he added.

According to UK research, men having the ability to cook is now a key factor in attracting women, along with salary, status, personality and appearance.

The increase in the number of women working full time has also contributed to the rise of the Gastrosexual male.

AustraliaScan social analyst David Chalke said men had been forced to learn how to feed themselves because they were marrying at a later age.

Beware of your fat pals- they can make you obese

Do you have a big belly? If your answer is yes, then have you ever wondered what could be the reasons for this? Well, one of the key reasons behind the extra flab could be your friends, says a new research, which found that spending time with fat people can increase a person's chances of becoming obese.

According to a study conducted by University of Warwick, people are influenced by the weight of those around them without being aware of it, leading to a “spiral of obesity”.

The study suggests that people are powerfully but subconsciously influenced by the weight of those around them. Without being aware of it, the researchers believe, human beings keep up with the weight of the people in their company.

The study has been presented at a National Bureau of Economic Research conference in Cambridge Massachusetts in a paper entitled Imitative Obesity and Relative Utility at the NBER Summer Institute on Health Economics.

Using data on 27,000 Europeans from 29 countries, the researchers find that nearly half of European women feel overweight. Less than a third of males feel overweight.

The authors suggest that whether for reasons of job promotions or finding a mate it is someone's weight relative to others that matters. They show that overweight perceptions and dieting decisions are influenced by people's comparisons with others of the same age and gender.

Highly educated Europeans hold themselves to a particularly tough standard, the research shows. For any given level of Body Mass Index (BMI), somebody with a university degree feels much fatter than someone with low educational qualifications.

Overall, the researchers believe that a person's "utility" depends on their own weight relative to the weight of those around them. They suggest that it is easier to be fat in a society that is fat.
However, the authors also found a significant gender split.

Females were much more prone, for any given BMI value, to feel overweight. For European women, weight dissatisfaction and overweight perceptions depended crucially upon not just their own absolute BMI, but also upon their BMI relative to other women of exactly the same age in their country. Conversely, being overweight tended not to be a significant issue for men if many of those around them were as overweight as they were.

Professor Andrew Oswald at the University of Warwick, one of the researchers, said "Consumption of calories has gone up but that does not tell us why people are eating more. Some have argued that obesity has been produced by cheaper food, but if fatness is a response to greater purchasing power, why do we routinely observe that rich people are thinner than poor people?"

He says: "A lot of research into obesity, which has emphasized sedentary lifestyles or human biology or fast-food, has missed the key point. Rising obesity needs to be thought of as a sociological phenomenon not a physiological one. People are influenced by relative comparisons, and norms have changed and are still changing."

Only 100 months to save the planet

The Green New Deal Group has warned that humanity only has 100 more months to prevent dangerous global warming and save the planet.

According to a report by BBC News, the group's proposals include major investment in renewable energy and the creation of thousands of new "green collar" jobs.

The new grouping said that rising greenhouse gas emissions, combined with escalating food and energy costs, mean the globe is facing one of its biggest crises since the 1930s.

Its members include former Friends of the Earth UK director Tony Juniper, Green MEP Caroline Lucas and Andrew Simms, policy director of the New Economics Foundation.

Simms warns that the combination of the current credit crunch, rising energy prices and accelerating emissions are "conspiring to create the perfect storm".

"The UK and the global economy are entering unchartered waters, and the weather forecast is not bad, but appalling," he said.

"Instead of desperate bailing-out, we need a comprehensive plan and new course to navigate each obstacle in this new phenomenon," he added.

According to the authors, within "the very real timeframe of 100 months", the world will reach the point where the risk of "runaway" climate change became unacceptably high.

The group's recommendations include massive investment in renewable energy and wider transformation in the UK, as well as the creation of thousands of new "green collar" jobs.

It also includes making low-cost capital available to fund the UK's green economic shift, and building a new alliance between environmentalists, industry, agriculture and unions.

Viagra comes to help depressed women

Women are known to use more anti depressants than men almost to the tune of a 2 to 1 ratio. A common side effect being reported in anti depressants is sexual dysfunction.

Viagra was tested on 98 women with depression. The women were suffering from side effects of anti depressants. Many women have reported positive results in using Viagra. This could be a gift to cure depression in women.

Based on the results of the study, lead author, George Nurnberg of the University of New Mexico School of Medicine says that women who need to continue taking antidepressants can effectively treat bothersome side effects with Viagra.

Use a sex machine to boost your sex life

Wanna add some more action in the bedroom?

Well, all your 'naughty' wishes are about to be fulfilled, all thanks to personal sex machines that kick pleasure into overdrive.

From the smooth, silent glide of the Monkey Rocker Tango to Le Chair's ability to put two people into a dozen compromising positions, the new products and prototypes unveiled at this week's Adult Novelty Expo in Washington straddle the line between toy and machine.

The evolutionary equipments help improve people's dull sex life, reports Wired News.

Monkey Rocker is an amazing cybersex accessory, a silent machine that responds to your body motions without any complicated control panels or need for batteries.

It is handmade from powder-coated, 100 percent recovered and recycled wood fibre - PermaCore MDF - and can handle up to 400 pounds.

The engineers also introduced robotic sex chair, Le Chair developed California Exotic Novelties (NSFW), based on love furniture already available in Japan.

Le Chair comes with motors in the seat and back supports that can pound, vibrate or stroke.

One seat adjusts up and down to place lovers in optimal positions for various intimate activities, and both sides provide arm and leg support as well.

A representative confided that the company plans to work with programmes to help get Le Chairs to war veterans wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan at low or no cost.

Then came up Menage-A-Tool, which is an adjustable, lightweight rod with two attachments for various dildos, which can penetrate two people at a time and still have one hand free for someone else.

The new Monkey Rocker Tango brings the cyber sex experience offline - when an individual meets his/ her online lover in person, they can both ride it at the same time as long as their combined weight is less than 450 pounds.

The Tango also works for folks who skip the whole cybersex thing and just have a regular, ol' fashioned in-person relationship.

Power Bullet doubles as a muscle massager and hides its complex machinery inside a velvety, matte-black cylinder.

Straddling it on a pillow is going to be a lot more effective at relaxing muscles and relieving stress.

Its motors provide a deep throbbing touch and its single button offers a simplicity much appreciated by tired tech workers with wrist pain.

Imatah is a custom-made dildo mounted on a plate connected to a mechanism that can pump straight in and out or move in an oval pattern.

It weighs about 5 pounds and comes with a fabric sleeve that hides its legs and prevents the machine from falling off the bed when in use.

Top 10 food myths revealed

Do you stick to food myths? In fact, there are times when most of us tend to stick and follow some myths associated to food. Here comes a great help from two Sydney based dieticians, Susie Burrell and Karen Fischer. They are nutritionist and author of The Healthy Skin Diet. They have come up with a list of the top 10 food myths that people have been following blindly for years.

According to Burrell and Fischer, the top 10 food myths are following:

1. Oysters are an aphrodisiac
Oysters don't have a secret chemical agent that boosts your sex drive. Though they do have zinc, which is beneficial for men, won't do any good to the sex life.
"Zinc is linked to the sexual hormone but does not have an effect on libido. However, some people say oysters are an aphrodisiac because they look like parts of the female anatomy," quotes Burrell.

2. Long-life milk is full of chemicals
Milk does not need preservatives to sit on a cupboard shelf for months, for it's preservation secret lies in the application of high-temperature technologies.
Fischer says: "Milk is heated to 135 degrees then quickly cooled. That makes 'bad' bacteria perish, but all the minerals are retained. So long life milk is great as a stand by if you run out of fresh milk."

3. Light olive oil is "light" on calories
The "light" refers to the colour, not the fat content.

4. It is not safe to refreeze meat after it has thawed
It is actually safe to thaw and refreeze meat, but on needs to be very careful dong that. The meat must be thawed in a fridge at five degrees or less. At this temperature, most bacteria responsible for food poisoning cannot grow and those that can, do so very slowly and are killed by subsequent cooking.

5. Carbohydrates cause you to gain weight
Carbohydrates do not cause weight gain unless they contribute to excess calorie intake. The same holds true for protein and fat. Burrell says it's all in the selection.
"The trouble with carbs is they can be easy to overeat. If they are highly processed, like white flour and pasta, it is turned into sugar quickly and means you don't stay full for long. So you need to choose the right sort," she says.

6. Fresh veggies are better than frozen
A large number of frozen veggies are just as nutritious, or in some cases even more nutritious, than fresh ones. Frozen vegetables are usually processed within hours of picking, which prevents the loss of many nutrients during the freezing process, therefore they keep their high vitamin and mineral content.

7. Made in Australia means it's 100 per cent Aussie
The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry has said that "Made in Australia" means a product is substantially transformed in Australia and at least 50 per cent of the cost of production has been incurred here. On the other hand, "Product of Australia" means all significant ingredients come from Australia, and all or virtually all of the manufacturing or processing is carried out in Australia.

8. The healthier option at a restaurant is a vegetarian dish
This depends on the dish, but some vegetarian meals are high in fat, especially if they're fried or are made with cheese or pastry.

Burrell says: "The problem with vegetarian meals is that cream-based sauce or butter is used to make them tasty. If you choose a pasta or risotto it has to be very plain tomato sauce to be the low-fat option."

9. It's best not to eat after 7pm
It's not the time but the type of food that you eat that counts. Eating more calories than you burn will make you gain weight. But late snacking can push your calorie intake over the edge.

Fischer says: "Eating just before you go to bed can hamper sleep patterns in that it messes with your insulin. I'd suggest you don't eat for two to three hours before bed."

10. Fat-free equals calorie-free
Binging on fat-free foods may ward off the guilt-factor linked with gaining weight, but a lot of fat-free foods have the same amount or even more calories than regular versions.

Males like only attractive women- its not true

The results of a new research have revealed that male lust is blind to beauty.

Human testosterone triggers an automatic reaction which has evolved in man when faced with a woman, to look for mating opportunities, and it does not matter if the woman is not attractive, the research reveals.

Research involving a group of male students found that their levels of the hormone testosterone increased to the same extent whether they were talking to a young woman they found attractive - or to one they didn't fancy much at all.

After 300 seconds alone in the same room as a woman they had never met before, and in some cases did not find particularly attractive, the men's testosterone levels of the hormone had shot up by an average of around eight percent.

The rising levels may then fuel more visible changes in male behaviour that occur in the presence of a woman, including a squaring of shoulders, an upright posture, and greater use of hands - and even, it is suggested, a flaring of the nostrils.

The rise in the male hormone may also be the reason why men are more likely to tell women exaggerated stories about their job, career, education and earnings, the researchers believe.

The study, published in the journal Hormones and Behaviour, involved 63 male students aged 21 to 25 who were not aware of the purpose of the study.

Men who were rated as more aggressive or dominant types had registered even higher testosterone levels. The results also show that testosterone levels did not change when they were in the room with another man.
Leander van der Meij, who led the study at the University of Groningen in Holland, said: "We found a testosterone increase after only five minutes of exposure to a woman. Our results suggest that the increase in testosterone levels that we found, may be an automatic male response that activates receptors in organs and the nervous system to prepare the human body for mate attraction."

The Telegraph quotes him as saying: “Once levels have risen, they can display more dominant behaviour. They talk more with their hands, there is more eye contact, their posture is more upright, and they are more likely to tell stories designed to impress the woman. We know that women can be attracted by these kinds of things.”

Zimbabwe introduces 100 billion dollar note

Zimbabwe, grappling with a record 2.2 million percent inflation, has introduced a new 100-billion-dollar bank note in a bid to tackle rampant cash shortages.

According to the Central Bank of Zimbabwe, the new note will go into circulation on Monday, joining about half a dozen new high denomination notes already issued this year.

In January, a 10-million-dollar note was issued, then a 50-million-dollar note in April. In May, notes for 100 million and 250 million dollars were issued, swiftly followed by those for 5 billion, 25 billion and 50 billion.

The southern African nation, currently gripped by a post-election crisis, has been ravaged by hyperinflation which shot up from 165,000 percent in February to 2.2 million in June.

Independent economists however believe the official inflation figure is grossly understated, estimating it could be running between 10 million and 15 million percent.

Zimbabwe's chronic economic crisis has left at least 80 percent of the population living below the poverty threshold and mass shortages of basic goods.

Internet is a blessing for long distant lovers

With communication getting easier day-by-day, the Internet is turning out to be a blessing for people involved in long distance relationships, shows a new survey.

According to the study, social networking websites have led to a boom in long-distance relationships.

Some 14 per cent of people quizzed said they were dating a partner who lives more than two hours' drive away - double the rate of ten years ago.

More than three-quarters of them said it was now far easier to enjoy a long-distance relationship - thanks to networking sites, videophone calls and text messaging.

And 10 per cent of the 2,000 adults polled admitted dating people they met through Internet dating or social websites.

One in four had begun a relationship over the net at some point.

But telephone remains the most common way to stay in touch during a long-distance relationship. It was followed by text and email.

The world is getting smaller all the time as communication gets more efficient - causing this boom.

Salman Rushdie wins Best of the Booker honour

Even after 27 years of publication, the popularity to Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children hasn't diminished. The novel, which made waves in 1981, has now won the author the coveted Best of the Booker honour.

The impact of the novel was evident even in 1993, the Booker's 25th anniversary, when it won Rushdie the Booker of Bookers. The poll for the Best of Booker award, to celebrate the award's 40th anniversary, was opened to the public on May 12.

Thirty six per cent of the 7801 people who voted for the six shortlisted titles chose Midnight's Children. At least half the voters were under 35 with the largest age group ranging between 25-34 years.

This itself indicates the book's all-pervading appeal. The Best of the Booker shortlist was selected by a panel of judges comprising biographer, novelist and critic Victoria Glendinning; writer-broadcaster Mariella Frostrup and John Mullan, Professor at University College, London.
Rushdie could not be present for the award ceremony at the Southbank Centre, as he is on a tour in America to promote The Enchantress of Florence.

His sons Zafar and Milan represented him at the award ceremony. Younger son Milan said he hoped to read the book when he was a bit older as he found some words quite difficult to understand.

Bajaj-Renault-Nissan To Manufacture Low Cost Car

After Tata, now Bajaj-Renault-Nissan is in the field of manufacturing low cost luxury cars for middle class Indian families, a recent report has said. Tata’s Nano, the much hyped low cost next generation family car, had generated enough ripples few months ago, when Ratan Tata had offered a mechanized roadworthy car against a price of Rs. 1 lakh only. Integrity and success of the project, though, is yet to be tested when first lot of the vehicle will roll on the road later this year.

To face nano-challenges imposed by the Tata in the domestic car market, all Indian car manufacturers now have a tough time planning and reorganizing their visions and work schedules. Carlos Ghosn of Renault-Nissan and Rajiv Bajaj of Bajaj Auto, sharing a common platform, have recently declared forming their partnership in manufacturing an ambitious low cost budget car to compete with the nano-growth effectively. If they are to be believed, their dream car may even hit the market with lower price tag than the Nano’s. They have presently fixed it @ $2,500.

The challenging car from the Bajaj alliance, of course, is not going to be available for the consumer’s use before mid 2011, whereas Tata’s Nano is scheduled to arrive in September-October this year. With the declaration of Bajaj group’s plan, Nano’s sales will certainly see some setback, as the proposed new car from Bajaj will be available with diesel option, along with the traditional petrol model. “Initially, it would come with a petrol version and diesel would follow”, the joint declaration said.

Full configuration of this new car, being referred as ULC’ has yet not been finalized, or at least not immediately made available for comments. The group has denied revealing full project details. However, Bajaj Auto will have 50% stake in the upcoming JV, while Renault and Nissan will have 25% each. After a great success of Logan, the group is even eying overseas markets for their new exotic car. Initially, the group will start manufacturing their ULC at the set up of Bajaj at Chakan, near Pune, Maharashtra, with a yearly capacity of 400,000 units.

Having Sex Thrice a Week halves Erectile Dysfunction risk

A new study has revealed that frequent intercourse can cut erectile dysfunction (ED) risk in men.

Researchers from Finland have revealed that men who had intercourse more often were less likely to develop ED.

Over the period of five years, the team studied 989 men between 55 to 75 years from Pirkanmaa, Finland.

They found that men who had intercourse less than once per week were twice as likely to suffer from erectile dysfunction.

Further, the risk of erectile dysfunction was inversely related to the frequency of intercourse.
Out of 1000 cases, 79 cases had men, who had sexual intercourse less than once per week, which dropped to 32 cases per 1000 in men having intercourse once per week.

The number further dropped to 16 per 1000 in those reporting intercourse 3 or more times per week.

In addition, the frequency of morning erections predicted the development of complete erectile dysfunction, with an approximate 2.5-fold risk among those with less than 1 morning erection per week compared with 2 to 3 morning erections per week.

"Regular intercourse has an important role in preserving erectile function among elderly men, whereas morning erection does not exert a similar effect," said Dr Juha Koskimeki, PhD, Tampere University Hospital, Department of Urology, Tampere, Finland.

"Continued sexual activity decreases the incidence of erectile dysfunction in direct proportion to coital frequency," Koskimeki added.

The study indicates that regular intercourse protects men from the development of erectile dysfunction, which may, in turn, impact general health and quality of life.

The study is published in the July 2008 issue of The American Journal of Medicine.

Smokers more prone to chronic back pain

According to a new study, it has been found that smokers suffer more chronic back pain.

In 2003, the Robert Koch Institute interviewed more than 8000 private persons in the course of a telephone health survey, which included questions on social and demographic themes, as well as health and life style.

On the basis of the collected data, Monique Zimmermann-Stenzel and her colleagues examined whether there was link between smoking and chronic back pain.

They found that smokers or former smokers suffer chronic back pain much more often than do non-smokers.

The number of years the subjects had been smoking or had smoked was decisive.

The evaluation showed that subjects who had consumed tobacco for more than 16 years had a two-fold greater probability of suffering chronic back pain than subjects who had smoked for less than 10 years.

The probability of back pain was further multiplied for subjects who had smoked for longer than 26 years.

On contrary, the frequency with which the subjects consumed tobacco and the quantities smoked did not play a role.

However, the researchers pointed out that tobacco consumption does not necessarily cause chronic back pain.

It is just as possible that people with chronic back pain smoke to alleviate the pain.

The exact link between smoking and back pain will have to be clarified in appropriate studies.

These could offer additional possibilities to prevent chronic back pain or smoking motivated by this.

The study is published in the current edition of Deutsches Arzteblatt International.