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Wipe away fearful memories from brain

2012-12-21T00:04:00.002-08:00

WASHINGTON: And you thought it just happens in sci-fi movies!

Scientists have found that newly formed emotional memories can be erased from the human brain, a breakthrough that could lead to new treatments for phobias and post-traumatic stress, with researcher Thomas Agren from Uppsala University leading the research.

"The findings may be a breakthrough in research on memory and fear. Ultimately the new findings may lead to improved treatment methods for the millions of people in the world who suffer from anxiety issues like phobias, post-traumatic stress, and panic attacks," said Agren.

When a person learns something, a long-term memory is created with the aid of a process of consolidation, which is based on the formation of proteins.

As we remember something, the memory becomes unstable for a while and is then restabilized by another consolidation process.

In other words, we are not remembering what originally happened, but rather what we remembered the last time we thought about what happened.

By disrupting the reconsolidation process that follows upon remembering, we can affect the content of memory.

Researchers showed subjects a neutral picture and simultaneously administered an electric shock. In this way the picture came to elicit fear in the subjects which meant a fear memory had been formed.

To activate this fear memory, the picture was then shown without any shock.

For one experimental group the reconsolidation process was disrupted with the aid of repeated presentations of the picture.

Just one glass of wine a day could trigger breast cancer

2012-12-21T00:02:00.002-08:00

LONDON: A single glass of wine everyday for an year could trigger breast cancer and other tumours, a new study by an international team of researchers has claimed.

Researchers compared the effects between those who consumed up to one typical drink of alcohol a day with 'non-drinkers' in terms of relative risks for a number of types of cancer.

The study concluded there were detectable increases in cancer cases involving the mouth, throat, gullet and breast.

The team, from the University of Milan and other centres in the US, Canada, Iran, France and Sweden, estimated that in just one year, light drinking caused 24,000 deaths from oesophageal cancer, 5,000 from oral and 5,000 from breast cancer worldwide, the Daily Mail reported.

The latest research pooled data from a number of previous studies, involving more than 150,000 people.

The International Scientific Forum on Alcohol Research who reviewed the findings said they were concerned about a number of aspects of the study.

These included the fact the investigators included both ex-drinkers and never drinkers in their reference group and that they had no data on the duration of alcohol consumption at different levels.

The researchers also did not adjust their estimates for other lifestyle habits, including smoking. All of these factors tend to weaken the implications of their results, they said.

The study was published in the Annals of Oncology.

Our planet is singing!

2012-12-21T00:00:00.004-08:00

WASHINGTON: Nasa's twin Radiation Belt Storm Probe (RBSP) satellites have captured the chirping and whistling radio waves emitted by Earth’s magnetosphere, known as 'Earth's chorus'.

It can be heard by human ears but you need to take your helmet off while floating in space which is not medically advisable. You might also encounter the tricky problem of sound not travelling through the vacuum.

Craig Kletzing from the University of Iowa, the principal investigator of the Electric and Magnetic Field Instrument Suite and Integrated Science (EMFISIS) instruments on-board the satellites, said “People have known about chorus for decades. Radio receivers are used to pick it up, and it sounds a lot like birds chirping. It was often more easily picked up in the mornings, which along with the chirping sound is why it’s sometimes referred to as "dawn chorus".”

The sounds are emitted by energetic particles in the upper levels of Earth’s magnetosphere, before they get whipped around by the radiation belts circling the Earth.

The Van Allen belts are streams of particles, which arrive in Earth's vicinity from the solar winds and get caught in Earth's magnetic field.

Virtual foot to treat injuries

2012-12-20T23:59:00.000-08:00

LONDON: Scientists have developed an advanced virtual model of the human foot which they claim will help treat conditions ranging from feet and ankle problems to amputations.

The 3-D model depicts bones, joints, ligaments, muscles and tendons in an unprecedented level of detail.

The virtual foot will be used to drive forward improvements in treating serious injuries and illness, the 'BBC News' reported.

The 3.7 million euro a-footprint project is being led by Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU).

The human foot is particularly difficult to model because of its complexity.

The 'Glasgow/Maastricht Foot Model' has been created by the Maastricht University in collaboration with the Danish biomechanical firm AnyBody Technology.

The model also features applications in treating flat feet or foot drop - which prevents recovering stroke patients from moving their ankles and toes.

"The Glasgow/Maastricht foot is a game-changer," said GCU's Professor Jim Woodburn, who is the project co-ordinator. "It opens the door to a huge range of applications, including the manufacture of better and more efficient orthotics, resulting in quicker recovery times, reduced symptoms and improved functional ability for those suffering from conditions which afflict the foot and lower leg," Woodburn said.

The simulation can be used to test potential cures as well as developing new orthotic devices, using 3-D printing techniques.

A chunk of moon for sale

2012-12-20T23:55:00.005-08:00

NEW YORK: A New York City auction will offer 125 meteorites for sale, including a large chunk of the moon and a cosmic rock that evokes Edvard Munch's iconic painting The Scream.

The sale, one of the largest of its kind, is being held by Heritage Auctions on Oct 14. The moon rock has the highest pre-sale estimate of $340,000 to $380,000, as less than 0.1 per cent of all meteorites recovered are lunar in origin.

The 179-pound (81-kilogramme) meteorite nicknamed The Scream is estimated at $175,000 to $225,000. "When I first saw this meteorite (The Scream) I saw the resemblance in a heartbeat," said Darryl Pitt, who consigned the piece to the auction.

"It is sculpted in part by atmospheric entry and most significantly by its exposure to the elements on earth over millennia."

Three of the concave hallows are evocative of Munch's image of a man holding his head and screaming under a streaked sky. It was discovered in the Kalahari Desert in southern Africa.

More than half of the meteorites in the sale come from the Macovich collection, the world's largest grouping of iron meteorites. Specimens from the collection are found at museums in London, New York and Paris and The Smithsonian in Washington, among others.

Its principal owner is Pitt, who said that 20 years ago all meteorites were selling for the same price. "That has radically changed with the introduction of the first natural history auction in the mid-1990s," Pitt said in an interview. "I was on a mission to popularise meteorites. I knew that the only way I would be able to attract interest on the part of the public was to offer objects that were more visually captivating."

"The overwhelming majority of meteorites are not aesthetic," he added. Some come with interesting stories, like a small portion of a meteorite estimated at about $4,000 that fell from the sky in 1492. It was later chained up in a church so it couldn't fly back into orbit.

Soon, car that can drive and park itself

2012-12-20T23:52:00.003-08:00

An electric car that is able to park itself and come to the driver when 'called' has been launched at the Ceatec 2012 show in Tokyo.

Nissan's NSC-2015 is only a prototype, but its name suggests that the carmaker aims to have it on the market by 2015, the BBC reported.

Many car companies have been working on autonomous technology, with a number of driverless cars unveiled in recent months.

But one analyst warned that the mass use of such cars was a long way off.

The NSC-2015 is a modified version of Nissan's Leaf model.

It relies on sensors, cameras, computers and 4G communication technology for wireless links to navigate, and robotics to turn the steering wheel, change gears and brake.

When demonstrated at Ceatec, the car drove itself at about 3mph (5km/h) in a straight line forward and in reverse, and was able to turn.

It was shown that the car could recognise road markings and was able to stop at a crossing.

A Nissan representative also controlled the car from the outside, making it drive towards him, as he pressed some buttons on his phone.

"After the driver exits the NSC-2015, it starts to park itself automatically, following the instructions given by smartphone," the company said.

"The vehicle looks for a vacant parking space while identifying its surroundings; once it detects an open parking space automated parking begins.

"The driver can also use smartphone commands to make the NSC-2015 vehicle leave the parking space and return to the place where he or she is," the company said.

The car's security camera system automatically works with a camera installed in the vehicle.

If the system detects suspicious behaviour, the driver is alerted automatically by a report to his or her smartphone.

First human ancestor looked like a squirrel

2012-12-20T23:49:00.007-08:00

First human ancestor – a primitive tiny animal - looked like a squirrel, a new study has claimed.
Newly discovered fossilised bones for the world's oldest and most primitive known primate, Purgatorius, reveal a tiny, agile animal that spent much of its time eating fruit and climbing trees.
The fossils are the first known below-the-head bones for Purgatorius and previously, only teeth revealed its existence.
"The ankle bones show that it had a mobile ankle joint like primates today that live in trees," co-author Stephen Chester, a Yale University vertebrate paleontologist, told the Discovery News.
"This mobility would have allowed for rotating the foot in different directions as it adjusted to different angles presented by tree trunks and branches," Chester said.
"It also shows that the first primates did not have elongate ankles that you see in many living primates today that are thought to be related to leaping behaviours," added Chester.
He conducted the study with colleagues Jonathan Bloch of the Florida Museum of Natural History and William Clemens, a professor emeritus at the University of California.
Researchers believe that the specialised ankle bones of Purgatorius played a key role in the evolutionary success of early primates.
"These new fossils support the idea that the first 10 million years of primate evolution happened in the context of an intense period of similar diversification in flowering plants, including the ability to climb in branches and collect fruits and other products of the trees at the very beginning," Bloch said.
While many questions remain unanswered about Purgatorius, this and other studies are shedding more light on the animal.

Purgatorius lived during the Paleocene, shortly after the extinction of non-avian dinosaurs. Given the end of the Age of Dinosaurs, the new era began the mammal-dominated era. This mammal is generally believed to have been small and brown, and had a bushy tail.
Purgatorius weighed about 1.3 ounces, making it roughly the size of the smallest living primates: the mouse lemurs of Madagascar, researchers said.
The mammal had a lot of teeth, including relatively low-crowned molars, which were specialised for eating fruit, although it probably ate other things too.
Tree living served this and other primates well, such that all but a few existing species remain at least partly arboreal. Humans are part of the rare exceptions, since our more recent ancestors left the trees some 60 million years after Purgatorius' lifetime.

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Britain launches first 4G mobile service

2012-12-20T23:47:00.001-08:00

Britain's first fourth generation (4G) mobile service was launched in 11 cities Tuesday by the operator EE.

EE, a company formally known as Everything Everywhere, said the 4G service went live in Bristol, Birmingham, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Sheffield and Southampton, reported Xinhua.

The price is diversified in different plans -- 500MB of data would be charged 36 pounds ($58) a month, while more elaborate plans would cost 56 pounds per month with a data allowance of 8GB.

"Today is a landmark day for our company, the UK mobile industry and, most importantly, the country's business and consumers," said Olaf Swantee, CEO of EE, in a statement.

Tuesday's launch is reportedly the first phase of its 4G services. The network will expand by 2,000 square miles every month, both into new cities as well as providing denser coverage in existing areas.

4G technology can deliver internet download speeds up to 10 times faster than 3G which helped bring the internet to mobile phones a few years ago.

EE was granted Britain's first 4G license in August by Ofcom, the regulator for British communication industries. Its rival companies such as Vodafone and O2 are waiting for a spectrum auction scheduled for early next year to launch their own 4G services in Britain.

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Sony launches Windows 8 hybrid ultrabook Vaio Duo 11

2012-12-20T23:44:00.001-08:00

NEW DELHI: Sony India unveiled the next generation of hybrid ultrabook PC - VAIO Duo 11 - which also turns into a touchscreen tablet. With its Surf Slider design, the VAIO Duo 11 PC switches between tablet to PC modes.

It has a 29.4cm (11.6-inch) Full HD OptiContrast Panel. The device features USB 3.0, USB Sleep Charge to charge your USB charging devices like mobiles or music players on the go; even when the PC power is off, HDMI, Ethernet and VGA video ports.
It weighs approximately 1.3kg and is 17.85mm thick. Running Windows 8 operating system, the device is powered by an Intel Core processor.

According to the company, Quick Boot gets you up and running in seconds. When you need a break, VAIO powers down into a deep energy-saving Sleep mode, keeping your documents safe. With RapidWake + Eco, everything's ready for instant wake-up, just as you left off.

Optional accessories include a screen protection cover and carrying case.

Available in Gun metal colour, this hybrid device is priced at Rs 89,990. It will be available in the Indian markets by the end of December.

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School shooting fallout: Texas town allows teachers to carry concealed guns

2012-12-20T23:40:00.000-08:00

HARROLD (TEXAS): In this tiny Texas town, children and their parents don't give much thought to safety at the community's lone school mostly because some of the teachers are carrying concealed weapons.

In remote Harrold, the nearest sheriff's office is 30 minutes away, and people tend to know and trust one another. So the school board voted to let teachers bring guns to school.

"We don't have money for a security guard, but this is a better solution," superintendent David Thweatt said. "A shooter could take out a guard or officer with a visible, holstered weapon, but our teachers have master's degrees, are older and have had extensive training. And their guns are hidden. We can protect our children."

In the awful aftermath of last week's Connecticut elementary school shooting, lawmakers in a growing number of states including Oklahoma, Missouri, Minnesota, South Dakota and Oregon have said they will consider laws allowing teachers and school administrators to carry firearms at school.

Texas law bans guns in schools unless the school has given written authorization. Arizona and six other states have similar laws with exceptions for people who have licenses to carry concealed weapons.

Harrold's school board voted unanimously in 2007 to allow employees to carry weapons. After obtaining a state concealed-weapons permit, each employee who wants to carry a weapon must be approved by the board based on his or her personality and reaction to a crisis, Thweatt said.

Employees also must undergo training in crisis intervention and hostage situations. And they must use bullets that minimize the risk of ricochet, similar to those carried by air marshals on planes.

CaRae Reinisch, who lives in the nearby community of Elliott, said she took her children out of a larger school and enrolled them in Harrold two years ago, partly because she felt they would be safer in a building with armed teachers.

"I think it's a great idea for trained teachers to carry weapons," Reinish said. "But I hate that it has come to this."

The superintendent won't disclose how many of the school's 50 employees carry weapons, saying that revealing that number might jeopardize school security.

The school, about 150 miles (240 kilometers) northwest of Fort Worth near the Oklahoma border, has 103 students from kindergarten through 12th grade. Most of them rarely think about who is carrying a gun.

"This is the first time in a long time that I've thought about it," said Matt Templeton, the principal's 17-year-old son. "And that's because of what happened" in Connecticut.

Thweatt said other Texas schools allow teachers to carry weapons, but he would not reveal their locations, saying they are afraid of negative publicity.

The Texas Education Agency said it had not heard of any other schools with such a policy. And the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence did not know of any other districts nationwide that allow school employees to carry concealed handguns.

But that may change soon.

European Union (EU) Parliament asks India to protect Dalits.

2012-12-17T00:31:00.001-08:00

Asks EU’s representatives in India to take up caste discrimination issue

The European Parliament in Strasbourg on Thursday conducted an hour-long debate over the persistence of human rights violations against Dalits in India.

While acknowledging the efforts at various levels to eradicate caste discrimination, the Parliament however, expressed alarm at the continually large number of reported and unreported atrocities and widespread untouchability practices, such as manual scavenging.
On its previous resolutions on the issue (February 2007 and April 2012), the Parliament noted that while India has made enormous economic progress, caste discrimination continues to be widespread and persistent.
It called upon the European Union’s and the Member States’ representatives in India to include the issue of caste discrimination in their dialogues with the Indian authorities, and to prioritise programmes addressing caste discrimination, in education, and programmes with particular focus on women and girls.
The Parliament instructed its President to forward this resolution, which was adopted unanimously by the EP, to India’s Prime Minister, Minister for Law and Justice, Home Minister, Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment, EU institutions, the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, the Secretary-General of the UN and the President of the UN General Assembly.
The Parliament urged the Indian authorities to honour their pledges and to implement or, if necessary, amend the existing legislation of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, in order to effectively protect Dalits and other vulnerable groups in society.
The Parliament particularly underlined the need for victims to be able to safely register their cases with the police and judicial authorities, as well as for serious follow-up by the police and judiciary of reported atrocities and other cases of discrimination.
“According to estimates, the vast majority of crimes against Dalit women are not reported owing to fear of social ostracism and threats to personal safety and security.”
It particularly noted the cases of a gang rape of a girl in Haryana where her father committed suicide and the police only decided to take belated action when faced with mass protests and the looting and torching of 268 Dalit houses by a 1,000 strong mob of upper castes in Dharmapuri, with no intervention from the police officers present.
It called upon the Indian Parliament to act on its plans to pass a new Bill prohibiting employment of manual scavengers and securing their rehabilitation.

Scientists create robot which registers human emotions

2012-10-28T00:31:00.000-07:00

London: In their quest for creating a human-like robot, scientists have edged closer to their goal -- they have designed one that can display several human emotions - from fear, amazement, disgust to happiness.

Roboticists from the University of Pisa, Italy, drawing on 30 years of research, built one that uses 32 motors in 'her' face to simulate different expressions, to the point where a robot looks almost realistic enough to pass for a human.

It has been aptly named FACE.

The university team, led by doctoral student Nicole Lazzeri from Pisa, modelled the robot on one of the team's wives - and the team say 'it's very realistic', the Daily Mail reports.

The team used software called Hybrid Engine for Facial Expressions Synthesis (HEFES), which has been built up over the last 30 years to mimic human emotional responses.

It tells the motors how to respond in order to recreate a look, and the software can mix the various emotions on a sliding scale, for instance a smile tinged with sadness, or a laugh mixed with unease.

This last expression might be apt for those people who get trapped in the 'uncanny valley'. The principle of the valley is that people do not have an issue with humanoid robots when they do not look human - for instance, when they have metallic faces or expressionless faces.

And if a robot is undetectable as a robot, then the illusion is not broken, and people can interact with the robot.

But if the robot looks very close to human, yet is given away by tell-tale signs, it makes most people startled and very uneasy - which, if you plot on a graph of human reactions to robots, create the 'uncanny valley'.

The research team reportedly asked five autistic and 15 non-autistic children to identify a set of expressions performed by FACE, and then the same expressions performed by a psychologist.

Both groups could identify happiness, anger and sadness, but they struggled more with fear, disgust and surprise.

Third of Earth's organisms live in rocks, sediments

2012-10-28T00:28:00.002-07:00

London: A third of the Earth's organisms live in our planet's rocks and sediments - and the amount could even be greater undersea than what we find on the surface, scientists say.

Microbiologist James Holden of the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and his colleagues revealed the first detailed data on methane-exhaling microbes that live deep in the rocks and sediments, the Daily Mail reported Wednesdasy.

Just as biologists studied the habitats and life requirements of giraffes and penguins when they were new to science, Holden says, 'for the first time we're studying these subsurface micro-organisms, defining their habitat requirements and determining how they differ among species'.

'Evidence has built that there's an incredible amount of biomass in the Earth's subsurface, in the crust and marine sediments, perhaps as much as all the plants and animals on the surface,' said Holden.

'We're interested in the microbes in the deep rock, and the best place to study them is at hydrothermal vents at undersea volcanoes. Warm water there brings the nutrient and energy sources these microbes need,' the Mail quoted him as saying.

Safer to sit in the back of the plane: Crash test

2012-10-28T00:26:00.002-07:00

London: A passenger jet deliberately smashed into the ground has led experts to believe that passengers sitting at the back would have the best chance of survival, and all first-class travellers would die as the fuselage shears off.

In an extraordinary aviation experiment, a 170-seat Boeing 727 was brought down in a controlled crash in a remote part of Mexico's Sonoran desert, the Daily Mail reported.

Experts tried to recreate what happens to an aircraft - and all those on board - in an air disaster.

Pilot James Slocum, 55, parachuted out of the plane at 2,500 feet, and the jet was guided into the ground by a pilot in a following Cessna plane via a remote-controlled device.

The one-million-pound project - to be screened on Channel 4 - aimed to recreate a serious but survivable accident, and allow scientists to study the crashworthiness of the aircraft's frame and cabin, as well as the impact on the human body.

The plane was packed with dozens of cameras to record the impact from inside. Footage was also collected on the ground, in chase planes, and even from the ejecting pilot's helmet.

Experts predicted that 78 percent of passengers on board would have survived the impact. But when coming down nose-first, all first-class travellers would have died. Those sitting at the back would have had the best chance of survival.

This was only the second time that a jet has been crash-tested this way. The first was when a Boeing 720 crashed by NASA in 1984 ended up as a fireball.

Human brain recognises new sounds better

2012-10-28T00:25:00.000-07:00

London: Our brains register new and approaching sounds much better than noting the disappearance of an existing one, says a new study.

The research, funded by Wellcome Trust, could explain why parents often fail to notice the sudden quiet from the playroom that usually accompanies the bustle of mischief. Hearing plays an important role as an early warning system to rapidly direct our attention to new events.

Indeed, we often rely on sounds to alert us to things that are happening around us before we see them, for example somebody walking into the room while our back is turned to the door, the journal Public Library Of Science ONE reports.

Yet, little is known about how our brains make sense of sounds around us and what makes us hear certain events while completely missing others.

Researchers at the University College London Ear Institute wanted to understand what makes certain sounds easily detectable while others go unnoticed. They created artificial 'soundscapes' comprising different ongoing sounds and asked listeners to detect the onset or disappearance of different sound objects within the melee, according to University College statement.

Overall, the team found that listeners are remarkably tuned to detecting new sounds around them but are much less able to detect when a sound disappears. In busy sound environments, the participants missed more than half of the changes occurring around them and the changes that were detected involved much longer reaction times.

Maria Chait, who led the research at the Ear Institute, said: 'On the one hand, we might expect to be more sensitive to the appearance of new events. In terms of survival, it is clearly much more important to detect the arrival of a predator than one that has just disappeared.

'Understanding what makes certain events pop out and grab attention while others pass by un-noticed is important not only for understanding how we perceive the world but also has important practical applications,' added Chait.

Alien life will be found within 50 years

2012-10-28T00:21:00.003-07:00

London: Planets supporting alien life beyond the solar system will be found within the next 50 years, says renowned astronomer Sir Patrick Moore.

Asked if recent discoveries of Earth-like planets meant that we were closer to discovering proof of alien life within the next 50 years, he said: 'Yes, we are not far off. We have found other planets. The next stage is to detect the atmosphere.'

Sir Patrick wrote 'The Cosmic Tourist' with his BBC astronomy programme 'Sky at Night' colleague Chris Lintott from Oxford University and Queen star Brian May, who has a doctorate in astrophysics and is a close friend.

Lintott said Virgin Galactic's venture into space tourism would take off and people would pay to travel beyond earth, the Daily Mail reports.

'I can certainly imagine people paying to go to the Moon or Mars. Farther than the solar system, you will have to wait a while. To get to the nearest stars would take tens of thousands of years,' he said.

'In the next 100 years, I hope cosmic tourism will be possible. I hope we could go to the (outer) part of the solar system. Distances in space are too vast to go further,' Sir Patrick added.

This week, Lintott announced the discovery of a new planet, PH1, which is around 5,000 light years away. It is believed to be six times the size of Earth, and has four suns in its sky - it orbits two, and is in turn circled by a pair.

It was discovered by two armchair astronomers or amateurs using data from the Planet Hunters website run by Lintott and colleagues, and later verified by experts.

The website allows visitors to identify dips in the output of stars caused by their light being blocked by 'transits' of orbiting stars.

New York man who sued Facebook faces criminal charges

2012-10-27T00:27:00.002-07:00

REUTERS - A New York man was arrested Friday on charges he forged documents in a multibillion-dollar scheme to defraud Facebook Inc and its chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, through a lawsuit claiming a huge ownership stake in the Internet company.

Paul Ceglia, 39, a one-time wood pellet salesman from Wellsville, New York, was charged with mail and wire fraud over what federal prosecutors and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service said was fabricated evidence to support his claim to a large stake in Facebook through a 2003 deal with Zuckerberg.

Ceglia's accusations against Zuckerberg had marked a bizarre twist to Facebook's march toward its highly anticipated initial public offering in May. Facebook's origins were also the focus of a separate legal challenge by Zuckerberg's Harvard University classmates, the twins Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, in a saga chronicled in the 2010 film, "The Social Network."

Ceglia sued the Silicon Valley company and its chief executive in 2010, claiming that a 2003 contract he signed with Zuckerberg entitled him to a stake in the social media network. Zuckerberg had done programming work for Ceglia's company, StreetFax.com, while at Harvard University.

This past March, as part of that case, Facebook attorneys released emails sent by Zuckerberg to show Ceglia's claims were false. The attorneys cited work by forensic experts who found that Ceglia had typed text into a Microsoft Word document and declared it was the text of emails with Zuckerberg.

Ceglia sought "a quick pay day based on a blatant forgery," U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara in Manhattan said in a statement announcing the criminal charges. "Dressing up a fraud as a lawsuit does not immunize you from prosecution."

A lawyer for Ceglia could not immediately be reached for comment.

"Ceglia used the federal court system to perpetuate his fraud and will now be held accountable for his criminal scheme," Orin Snyder, a partner at law firm Gibson Dunn who is representing Facebook and Zuckerberg in the civil case, said in a statement.

PARTNERSHIP CLAIMS

In his lawsuit, filed in federal court in Buffalo, New York, Ceglia had claimed that Zuckerberg shared his plans for a social networking site with him while working at StreetFax. He contended that their contract granted him part ownership in Zuckerberg's project in exchange for a $1,000 investment.

To build his case, Ceglia submitted what he said were emails from Zuckerberg that proved the pair had discussed the project that would eventually become Facebook.

But Zuckerberg said he had not even conceived of the idea for Facebook until December 2003, and submitted his own emails to prove his version of the timeline.

Ceglia went through a string of lawyers from prominent firms, including DLA Piper and Milberg, who worked with him on the case but later withdrew.

Ceglia was arrested at his home on Friday morning and appeared in federal court in Buffalo in the afternoon. In the hearing, a federal judge set bail at $21,000 and stayed the bail order until Monday at noon to give prosecutors a chance to appeal it, authorities said.

Each of the charges against him carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

Investigators for the Postal Inspection Service, which is conducting the probe, made the arrest following Ceglia's return to the United States this week after spending time out of the country, according to a source familiar with the matter who was not authorized to speak publicly on the case.

The judge in Friday's hearing ordered Ceglia and his family to surrender their travel documents.

Separately on Friday, Massachusetts fined Citigroup Inc $2 million to settle charges that two bank analysts improperly released confidential information about Facebook's financials before the technology company went public.

Amazing to see the rise of F1 in India: Hamilton

2012-10-27T00:20:00.000-07:00

New Delhi, Oct 27: Amazed to see the rapid rise of Formula One in India, McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton said the F1 race here could become one of the best of the year given the country's potential.
"It is amazing to see the rise of India in Formula One. From a driver (Narain Karthikeyan), to a team and then a Grand Prix in a matter of few years shows the potential of the country," the 2008 F1 champion told PTI in an interview.
"I am amazed at the development and rise of Formula One in India in a matter of few years. India will become a major destination on the F1 calendar in the coming years," he said.
Inspired by the vibrant colours of India, Hamilton will be sporting a specially designed helmet during the Indian GP.
"I try and play with the design of my helmet in a few races around the year. Be it the first race of the season, or Monaco, Silverstone or the season-ending Brazil GP. Indian GP is a very special race for me and hence, I have designed a special helmet," said Hamilton.
"It has the 'Holi' effect with different colours like the beautiful and colourful festival in India and also has a special message in Hindi meaning Believe in yourself enough and anything is possible," added Hamilton.
Hamilton felt that Narain Karthikeyan's move to Force India would do wonders as he is presently driving a slower car in HRT.
The Brit said the Indian driver has not been able to drive a competitive car until now due to which he has not secured any good results.
"Not all drivers get fast cars. But, if Karthikeyan was to get to race for Force India, just I drive for a British team, it can work wonders and do great for both the driver and the car." Hamilton is disappointed at how the season has panned out for the Woking-based Mclaren outfit so far.
PTI

Aamir Khan to become Team Anna member?

2012-10-27T00:18:00.002-07:00

Mumbai, Oct 27: Post Arvind Kejriwal era, Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan may join Team Anna to uproot corruption from this country. Speculations over Aamir and Team Anna surfaced when Anna Hazare expressed his wish to approach the actor to become a member of the anti-corruption team.
According to sources, Hazare was impressed with Aamir's television show - Satyamev Jayate - which had created public awareness about various social issues persisting in India. Citing the response and tremendous impact of the show on aam-aadmi, Hazare is believed to have decided to ask the Bollywood star to join his team.
However, official talks with Aamir will happen only after his return from Haj where he currently is accompanying his mother.
As a mark of solidarity, the actor had shared the dais with Hazare during his initial fast protest against UPA government and had also sent a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh asking them to pay heed to the septuagenarian's demand over Lokpal Bill. [Read: Anti-corruption war: Amir Khan extends hands to Anna Hazare]
After disbanding his former team, Hazare is currently busy in forming his new team and if sources are to be believed then the Gandhian is also trying to include erstwhile government employees in his movement.
Hazare had held meeting and discussions with several ex-servicemen as he is hoping to utilise the considerable experience of aged bureaucrats.
Former Indian Army chief VK Singh has also been approached to join the team. However, no confirmation has been made yet from his side.

Myths On Women Weightlifting

2012-10-27T00:17:00.002-07:00

Weight training is one of the most popular exercises to stay fit and maintain a perfect figure. Both men and women have become gym freaks to lose weight and boost up stamina. Well, working out is very important but beginners are always scared to start weight training. There are many myths that are associated with weightlifting. That is why, women especially think twice before opting for this type of exercise.
What are the myths about weight training? Find out the common myths that are related to weight lifting.

Myths about weight training in women:
Myth: Weightlifting makes you bulky and masculine
Fact: Women cannot produce too much testosterone like men so there are no chances of building masculine body. Women with heavily built body take anabolic steroids (synthetic testosterone) to build muscle mass. If you practice weightlifting without taking steroids, you will get a cellulite-free body.
Myth: Breast size increases through weight training
Fact: Weight training enhances the shape of the shoulders and back but not the chest. If your breast size increases, it is because of the fatty tissues. Breast fat is due to the fatty tissues and not weightlifting. If you have breast fat, you will look bulkier from the chest.
Myth: Muscle turns to fat if you stop weightlifting
Fact: There are many gym freaks who think that leaving weightlifting will make them fat. The fact is that muscle can never turn to fat. The only way to avoid weight gain after leaving weight training is to control bad eating habits. If you eat more than before, you will put on weight.
Myth: Weightlifting causes hemorrhoids
Fact: Breathing in the wrong method while weightlifting increases the chances of getting hemorrhoids. While lifting weight, hold your breath and push it against your closed glottis. This increases the pressure in your abdomen and not back. If you breathe and exert pressure on the anus, you can risk your health.
Myth: Weightlifting causes blood pressure problems
Fact: When you lift heavy weight, the blood pressure increases and gets back to normal after you keep it. Once your sets are done, your blood pressure gets back to normal. Weight lifters have less chances of suffering from cardiovascular problems because it lowers your systolic & diastolic blood pressure.
Myth: It weakens uterus of women
Fact: Women are often advised not to lift heavy weights but if done with guidance, it can help lose weight and get in shape. Avoid lifting extremely heavy weight if you are not capable of lifting such bundles. This can have an impact on your uterus. But, light weightlifting will not damage the uterus.
These are few myths that are related to weightlifting. Have you heard more than these? Do share with us.

India gets its costliest SUV Evade at Rs 8.5 crore

2012-10-27T00:14:00.002-07:00

Toronto-based Conquest Vehicles, the manufacturer of the popular Knight XV, an armoured, hand-built SUV, has launched the Evade in India.

Priced at Rs 8.5 crore, the Evade is the costliest SUV available in India.

The vehicle is powered by a 6.8-litre engine that churns out 400 Bhp of power at 2215 Nm of torque.

The SUV is a luxurious six-seater with a cabin space of 400 cubic feet, with the second and third rows facing each other in a limousine-like arrangement.

Some of the exciting features include a retractable flat screen television, three sun roofs, joystick-controlled roof-mounted searchlights and even a night-vision camera.

In India, the 4x4 comes in both diesel and petrol options, and should be available by the end of the year.

Several parts of the vehicle adhere to the ‘hand-crafted’ tradition of the company. The steering wheel, proprietary hinges, running boards and even the key itself are machined out of solid stainless steel. The handles are machined out of a solid block of aluminum.

Soon, car that can drive and park itself

2012-10-27T00:13:00.000-07:00

Microsoft opens Windows 8 in India

2012-10-27T00:11:00.003-07:00

BANGALORE: Global software major Microsoft late Thursday unveiled its Windows 8 version of the operation system in India as part of its worldwide launch.

"Retail and enterprise users worldwide will be able to experience from Friday all that Windows has to offer with a new user interface, a host of applications from its store," Microsoft India chairman Bhaskar Pramanik said in a statement late Thursday.

The bundled version will be available on form factors ranging from tablets to laptops and ultra-notebooks from 14 OEM (original equipment manufacturer) partners, including Acer, Dell, Fujitsu, HCL, Hewlett Packard, Lenovo, Samsung, Sony, Toshiba, Wipro and Zenith Computers.

Over 250 Windows 8 enabled devices, including 23 new SKUs (stock keeping unit) of Windows 8 PCs are available across 100 cities and over 2,500 retail stores.

Unlike its earlier versions, including Windows 7, Windows 8 boasts of an intuitive start screen and tiles with rich content and update in real time.

"As Windows anytime upgrade (WAU), the latest version is cloud connected. Users will have to sign once with their MS (Microsoft) account to ensure they will be able to access mails, calendars, contact, pictures among other apps (applications," Pramanik said.

The new OS (operating system) will have two versions at retail - Windows 8 & Windows Pro, while Windows 8 enterprise offers mobile productivity with features like To Go, Direct Access.

"Users can upgrade their personal computers (desktops) that have Windows XP, Vista or Window 7 at an affordable price of Rs1,999 till Jan 2013," Pramanik added.

Cannabis compound in cancer treatment

2012-10-26T02:51:00.003-07:00

SAN FRANSICO: Research team from the California Pacific Medical Center found that a compound, called cannabidiol, present in cannabis could halt the spread of many forms of aggressive cancer.

It has the ability to 'switch off' the gene responsible for metastasis in an aggressive form of breast cancer without producing the psychoactive properties of the cannabis plant.

Cannabis is a Class B drug that is illegal to have, give away or sell. It is associated with an increase in developing psychotic illnesses later in life including schizophrenia. Heavy-use can also affect learning ability and concentration levels.

Its potential was spotted five years ago and last year they published a study that found a similar effect in mice. Now they say they are on the verge of publishing further animal study results that expand these results further.

Study co-leader Dr Sean McAllister, said “The preclinical trial data is very strong, and there's no toxicity. There's really a lot or research to move ahead with and to get people excited.”

While he, along with colleague Dr Pierre Desprez acknowledges that they are some way off from turning their finding into a pill, they are already developing human trial models. They hope to eventually test the drug in combination with current chemotherapies.

Professor Desprez had previously found that a protein called ID-1 seemed to play a role in causing breast cancer to spread. Meanwhile Dr McAllister had discovered the cannabidiol had anti-cancer potential.

The pair teamed up to see if they could treat a particularly aggressive form of breast cancer called 'triple negative.' Cells from this cancer have high levels of ID-1.When they exposed cells from this cancer to cannabidiol they were shocked to find the cells not only stopped acting 'crazy' but also returned to a healthy normal state.

They discovered that the compound had turned off the over expression of ID-1, stopping them from travelling to distant tissues.

Other potentially treatable cancers are forms of leukemia, lung, ovarian and brain cancers, which also have high levels of ID-1.

A chunk of moon for sale

2012-10-26T02:48:00.003-07:00