- Latest Popular Stories, Instablogs Community by Ankitachaurasia

Nepalese Porters May Be World's Most Efficient Haulers

Ankita — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 11:09:31 +0000

If you’ve ever watched Nepalese porters in action, you might think they have superhuman strength. How else to explain their ability to carry loads weighing more than 100 pounds (45 kilograms), mile after arduous mile over steep Himalaya terrain?

Now scientists say they have a clue as to how the porters do it: They use less energy than other people would require for the same work.

Marijuana Has Anti-Inflammatory That Won't Get You High

Ankita — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 11:03:52 +0000

A compound in marijuana may be a potent anti-inflammatory agent that won’t get people high, scientists say. The finding could be a boon to sufferers of arthritis, cirrhosis, and other diseases. Existing drugs can be less effective for some...

Migrating Birds Understand "Foreign Languages"

Ankita — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 10:59:39 +0000

Like avid travelers picking up local languages, migrating birds appear to learn and understand the common calls of unrelated bird species that they encounter during their long journeys, new research reveals. Birds that remain in one location...

Penguin Chicks Frozen by Global Warming?

Ankita — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 10:55:54 +0000

This Januaryâ€”deep summer in Antarcticaâ€”explorer Jon Bowermaster suffered through a five-day stretch of torrential rains on the west side of the Antarctic Peninsula. The same cannot be said for thousands of downy penguin chicks.

Epic rains are unusual in Antarctica, even in summer, said Bowermaster, who had been in the region on an expedition funded in part by the National Geographic Society’s Expeditions Council.

Africa moves to stop fish theft

Ankita — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 10:47:47 +0000

African ministers are meeting in Namibia to discuss how to stop illegal and unregulated fishing. The meeting in the capital, Windhoek, aims to encourage governments in Africa and beyond to register fishing vessels and their activities. Illegal...

Tofu 'may raise risk of dementia'

Ankita — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 10:44:13 +0000

Eating high levels of some soy products - including tofu - may raise the risk of memory loss, research suggests. The study focused on 719 elderly Indonesians living in urban and rural regions of Java. The researchers found high tofu consumption -...

Male biological clock 'ticks too'

Ankita — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 10:32:34 +0000

Scientists say they have found more evidence that men as well as women have biological clocks and that they start to tick in their mid-30s.

A French study of over 12,200 couples having fertility treatment suggests the chance of a successful pregnancy falls when the man is aged over 35.

It adds that the chance is significantly lower if he is over 40.

China plans to close Everest for clean-up

Ankita — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 17:26:14 +0000

China is planning to restrict access by climbers to Mount Everest to allow environmental teams to carry out a huge clean up of the worldâ€™s highest peak.

Mount Everest, where the air is thin and climbing to the summit is a task to which few are equal, is a terrible place to organise a clean-up operation, The Independent reported.

The planned Chinese campaign will take place in the first half of 2009 to protect the fragile ecology of the Himalayan plateau.

Get ready to sing like Shakira!

Ankita — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 17:24:30 +0000

You wonâ€™t have to shelve out on expensive music lessons to sing like pop star Shakira, for all you now need to do so is switch on your computer.

Researchers have successfully created an application based on biofeedback to help singers improve their vibrato technique.

Vibrato is the pulsating change of pitch in a singerâ€™s voice and is an important aspect of a singerâ€™s expression, used extensively by both classical opera singers and pop stars like Shakira. And till date, the quality of a vibrato can only be judged subjectively by voice experts

Healing Touch therapy put under scanner

Ankita — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 17:18:09 +0000

In times of sorrow, a gentle hand is more than enough to ease the mind and calm your nerves. Now, a group of researchers are looking at a similar occurrence by pairing a complementary therapy known as Healing Touch with mild sedation to see if the technique truly appeases patients undergoing minor procedures.

Healing Touch is a series of techniques that balance energy for wholeness within a personâ€™s body, mind and soul. It is an energy therapy that can be used in conjunction with other traditional medical treatments.