Mystery of a 'cosmic impact'

A hundred years ago this week, a gigantic explosion ripped open the dawn sky above the swampy taiga forest of western Siberia, leaving a scientific riddle that endures to this day.

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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Mystery_of_a_cosmic_impact/rssarticleshow/3178218.cms

Heavy Birthweight Increases Risk Of Developing Rheumatoid Arthritis

People who have a birthweight over 10 pounds are twice as likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis when they are adults compared to individuals born with an average birthweight, according to a study published by researchers from Hospital for Special Surgery online in advance of print in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. While the mechanism for this association is unclear, the study identifies a potentially modifiable risk factor and highlights a potential way to decrease the incidence of the disease.

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http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080629191251.htm

Martian Soil Points Toward Possibility Of Life

NASA says the soil appears similar to that found in Antarctica's dry upper valleys and the salts it contains are another indication of the presence of water.

http://www.informationweek.com/news/hardware/supercomputers/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=208801495

Dragonfly may detect water pollution

Young Dragonfly could soon be the aquatic version of the canary in a coalmine, a researcher said in a published report on Sunday.

Just as the singing birds were used by miners to warn them of toxic air, young dragonflies that live in reservoirs and ponds hold the potential of alerting humans to water pollution, The Straits Times said.

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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Dragonfly_may_detect_water_pollution/rssarticleshow/3177784.cms

Retiring? Some quick money tips

The best way to create a good corpus for retirement is by investing at an early age. However, once you actually retire, it becomes even more important to choose the right instruments to park the accumulated funds.

Quick Tips

If you have partly invested in equities, start a systematic withdrawal plan to meet monthly expenses.
If you have a very high exposure in equities, consider index-linked capital protection products
Buy real estate for regular rental incomeThis is very important because the returns from the corpus would finally decide the kind of lifestyle you can afford.

Click link below to read more:
http://www.rediff.com/money/2008/jun/16perfin1.htm

Comet smashed Mars out of shape?

A giant crater made by an asteroid or comet explains why Mars is so lopsided, with a basin on one hemisphere and high terrain on the other, three separate teams of scientists said.



http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Comet_smashed_Mars_out_of_shape/rssarticleshow/3170154.cms

Save on your Credit Card spendings

If you have a tendency to charge your cards up to the limit, it goes without saying that you should try to recondition yourself so that you can stop using credit cards altogether or at the very least pay them off each month. If you want to make sure that you don't max out again, you can ask your credit card company to lower your credit line.

Save by paying of high debts on credit card

If you have credit card debts, loans, etc., select
the one debt with the highest interest rate as your
target for elimination. On the other debts, pay the
minimum due and pay as much as you possibly can on
the high-interest debt. You will pay off your debts
quicker and pay less in finance charges.

Bomb scare at Delhi Metro station

The police and paramilitary forces launched combing operations after an anonymous caller informed the police that a bomb has been planted in a busy Delhi Metro station on Monday evening.

"The police received an anonymous call that a bomb has been planted at the Chawri Bazaar metro station. The service has been suspended for the time being and combing operations are going on," a Delhi Metro official said.

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Combating Diabetics & obesity with common cooking spice

Turmeric, an Asian spice found in many curries, has a long history of use in reducing inflammation, healing wounds and relieving pain, but can it prevent diabetes? Since inflammation plays a big role in many diseases and is believed to be involved in onset of both obesity and Type 2 diabetes, endocrinologists were curious what effect the herb might have on diabetic mice. The spice has now been shown to reverse inflammation associated with obesity and improve blood sugar control.

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NRIs from Kerala to get I-cards

Non-resident Indians (NRIs) from Kerala will be entitled to a number of privileges including identity cards and welfare schemes, Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan told the state Assembly on Monday. The CM said the details of the programmes are being worked out.

How is this going to benefit the NRI's when they are staying away from their country?

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Oil will fall below $100 a barrel

When all are predicting the oil prices to hit $150, Here is an article saying Oil will fall below $100 a barrel

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Worlds only hairy-nosed otter

Dara, the world's only captive hairy-nosed otter, is one of the rarest of otter species. He was recently released into his new home in a wildlife center in Cambodia.

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Attack on Iran will make region ball of fire

United Nations atomic watchdog chief, Mohamed ElBaradei, has warned that any attack on Iran would transform the region into a "ball of fire". The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief was in an interview with Al-Arabiya television broadcast on Saturday. Baradei told the channel that should a strike be carried out, he would find it impossible to continue as IAEA head.

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Drunk driver takes traffic cop for a ride

A Russian drunk driver knocked over a traffic policeman then drove for about 1 km (0.6 miles) with the officer clinging to the roof of his car, local police said on Friday.

The motorist only came to a halt after the policeman on the roof fired eight rounds from his pistol, police in the Khabarovsk region, on Russia's Pacific coast, said in a statement.

The driver was unhurt and is in jail awaiting charges, while the traffic policemen only sustained a graze to his right arm, the statement said.

Phoenix lander confirms presence of ice on Mars

Scientists rejoiced on Friday after the Phoenix Mars lander confirmed their long-held belief that ice is hiding under the surface in the Red Planet's northern region.

The lander's robotic arm started digging trenches into Martian soil after touching down near the planet's north pole on May 25, revealing a white substance that scientists had said could be either salt or ice.

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New Computerized System Estimates Geographic Location Of Photos

Researchers have devised the first computerized method that can analyze a single photograph and determine where in the world the image likely was taken. It's a feat made possible by searching through millions of GPS-tagged images in the Flickr online photo collection.