Washington, Feb 7 : A new study has shown that there is an increased risk of intrauterine fetal death (IUFD), commonly known as stillbirth, in women who have fibroids.

The study, conducted by scientists at Washington University in St. Louis, Mo., identified women who had fibroids detected during their routine second trimester ultrasound for anatomic survey at 16-22 weeks.

"Fibroids are very common. We think they occur in 5 percent to 20 percent of all women, but most women are asymptomatic and don''t even know they have them." said Dr. Molly J. Stout, one of the study''s authors.

The study was a retrospective cohort study of 64,047 women. Data were extracted on maternal sociodemographics, medical history, and obstetric outcomes.

Washington, Feb 7 : In a new research, scientists have taken the help of mosses to understand how land was conquered by plants 480 million years ago.

The research work was done by scientists at the Washington University in St. Louis.

No would-be colonizer could have survived on dry land without the ability to deal with dehydration, a major threat for organisms accustomed to soaking in water.

Clues to how the first land plants managed to avoid drying out might be provided by bryophytes, a group that includes the mosses, many of which retain remarkable drought tolerance.

Earlier, scientists had showed that seeds depended on both the plant hormone ABA and the regulatory molecule ABI3 to survive drying.

Washington, Feb 7 : A new study has confirmed that the spiky body of an eyeless sea urchin acts as one big, spine-covered eye.

Sea urchins, like their close relatives the starfish, don''t technically have eyes. Instead, the ball-like invertebrates detect light striking their spines and compare the beams intensities to get a sense of their surroundings.

According to a report in National Geographic News, to explore urchins'' visual capabilities, Sonke Johnsen and colleagues at Duke University, US, collected 20 Strongylocentrotus purpuratus sea urchins from the wild and tested their reactions to sets of black disks.

Washington, January 9 : In a new research, a team of scientists is studying organisms found in Australian Lakes, which they believe may hold clues to life on Mars.

The research, by microbiologists like Dr. Melanie Mormile from Missouri University of Science and Technology are studying organisms found in the salt-water lakes of western Australia that have an acidic pH because the lakes’ conditions are similar to those found on Mars.

Until recently, it was thought that life could not be sustained in lakes like those Mormile studied in Australia, which tend to have a high concentration of metals and other ions due to the type of rocks that form the lake floors.

Washington, January 9 : Physicists at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory at The Florida State University, US, have reclaimed their record of developing the world’s strongest magnet.

Engineers and technicians at the place in late December completed testing of a 36-tesla magnet.

This achievement reestablishes the magnet lab as the world-record holder for the highest-field “resistive” magnet — a type of electromagnet that uses electricity to generate high magnetic fields.

The new magnet, which is actually an upgrade to an existing one, bests the previous record of 35 tesla, jointly held by the magnet lab and the Grenoble High Magnetic Field Laboratory in France.

Washington, Jan 9 : Attractive people tend to have more social relationships and therefore an increased sense of psychological well being, reveals a new study.

The study led by University of Georgia and the University of Kansas researchers suggests that the impact of our attractiveness on our social lives depends on the social environment where we live.

Attractiveness does matter in more socially mobile, urban areas but it is far less relevant in rural areas.

In urban areas, individuals experience a high level of social choice, and associating with attractive people is one of those choices.

Washington, Jan 9 : Scientists from University of Rochester Medical Centre have developed a gene therapy by bringing together herpes virus and a molecule, which will help fight diseases of the brain and nervous system.

With the new technique, they dramatically increased the size of the “genetic payload” they can deliver to brain cells compared to some conventional techniques, nearly tripling the amount of genetic material by some measures.

It aims to manipulate genes to correct for molecular flaws that cause disease.

Washington, January 9 : Studies of two supernova remnants using the Japan-US Suzaku observatory have revealed never-before-seen embers of the high-temperature fireballs that immediately followed supernovae explosions.

“This is the first evidence of a new type of supernova remnant - one that was heated right after the explosion,” said Hiroya Yamaguchi at the Institute of Physical and Chemical Research in Japan.

A supernova remnant usually cools quickly due to rapid expansion following the explosion.

Then, as it sweeps up tenuous interstellar gas over thousands of years, the remnant gradually heats up again.

Washington, January 9 : Scientists have discovered ancient painted scallops and cockleshells in Spain, which is the first hard evidence that Neanderthals made jewelry, thus suggesting that they were capable of symbolism, sweeping away age-old thinking that they were stupid.
Body ornaments made of painted and pierced seashells dating back 70,000 to 120,000 years have been found in Africa and the Near East for years, and serve as evidence of symbolic thought among the earliest modern humans.

Washington, Jan 9 : The US warned Friday that "time is limited" on the implementation of a Sudanese peace accord and urged both sides in the north-south conflict to meet their obligations under the agreement.

"Time is limited, the stakes are high, and there is much work yet to be done to secure a lasting peace and prevent the resurgence of a deadly war," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said.

This week marks five years since the government in Khartoum and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement in the south signed the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA).

Washington, Jan 9 : US Vice President Joe Biden's mother Catherine passed away Friday at the age of 92.

Biden said she died "peacefully" in the company of much of her family in their home state of Delaware. She was married for 61 years to Biden's father, who passed away in 2002.

"Her strength, which was immeasurable, will live on in all of us," Biden said in a statement.(DPA)

Washington, Jan 9 : The US government is reviewing options for proceeding with the prosecution of five Blackwater contractors accused of killing innocent Iraqi civilians in a September 2007 shooting.

US State Department spokesman P. J. Crowley said Friday that a Dec 31 decision by a federal judge to dismiss manslaughter charges against the five security guards does not "exonerate the defendants or necessarily terminate the proceedings".

"The Department of Justice, in consultation with the State Department, will carefully review the judge's decision and assess all available legal options," Crowley said.

Washington, Jan 9 : Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, charged with attempting to blow up a Christmas Day flight over Detroit, pleaded not guilty during his first appearance in federal court Friday.

Abdulmutallab said he understood the charges against him before entering the plea during a very brief arraignment hearing in Detroit at the District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.

Washington, Jan 8 : A series of pictures posted online reveal that the alleged third White House crasher, Carlos Allen, did attend President Barack Obama's state dinner for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The photos published Friday by Politico newspaper show Allen seated at a dinner table in the tented dining room on the White House South Lawn at the Nov 24 event.

The pictures appear to confirm Allen's attorney's statement that the DC party promoter attended the dinner and stayed for the entertainment portion of the evening.

Washington, January 8 : A recent study has found out that the Cold War offered an odd benefit, as in it limited bird species invasions.

The research found that during an extended period following World War II, when most trade and travel was interrupted between Eastern Europe and its western counterparts, there were far fewer introduced bird species.

"Last year, people worldwide celebrated the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Iron Curtain and the end of the Cold War," said Susan Shirley, a research associate in the College of Forestry at Oregon State University.

Washington, Jan 7 :The revelation that Jalaluddin Haqqani, who controls one of the most powerful Taliban groups fighting in Afghanistan, may be behind the deadly CIA bombing throws the spotlight back on Pakistan’s involvement with militants operating on its soil, a report in the Times has said.

Pakistan has refused to make any moves against Haqqani, but several reports have claimed that Haqqani has official Pakistani support from top to bottom.

Washington, Jan 7 :Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen has said that there would be no direct military intervention of the United States in countries like Pakistan or Yemen, where Al-Qaeda seemed to have established its bases.

Mullen, however, said that they would continue to use "actionable intelligence" to target Al-Qaeda hideouts.

Washington, Jan 7 : Actor Gary Coleman, who appeared in early 1980s TV show "Diff''rent Strokes", is doing fine after being rushed to a Los Angeles-area hospital, it has emerged.

The 41-year-old was "rushed" to the hospital at 8:03am local time from the Custom Hotel in Los Angeles where he was staying, reports E! Online.

It was reported that the TV star, most famous for playing the role of Arnold Jackson in Diff''rent Strokes was admitted because he "wasn''t feeling well," according to his agent.

Washington, Jan 5 : Indian billionaire Adi Godrej considers India "as the best emerging economy for investors" as he expects the "Indian stock market to appreciate by about 20 percent within the next two years".

"India will be back to its earlier growth rate of 9 percent plus in 2010," said Godrej, one of the 10 of the world's wealthiest persons chosen by Forbes magazine to share his 'Billionaire Predictions 2010'.

Washington, Jan 5 :NASA scientists said Monday they have identified another five planets orbiting stars in the Milky Way Galaxy.

But none of them appears to be the long sought after Earth-twin that could support life the way the home planet does, Kepler telescope specialists said at a news conference in Washington.