'Wonder drug' to kill off cancer

London: Scientists claim to have achieved a major breakthrough by creating a 'wonder drug' which kills off cancer -- in fact, it could wipe out some of the most deadly forms of the disease.

An international team, led by University of California, says that the KG5 drug works by making cancer cells "commit suicide"; it stops tumorous cells multiplying and they then shut themselves down, the 'Nature Medicine' journal reported.

Will the Taj turn blue tonight?

Agra: While many historical buildings across India will sport a blue look to support a campaign for creating awareness about diabetes Sunday evening, uncertainty about permission to turn the lights on at the Taj Mahal continues.

Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) officials here appear hesitant to allow permission to NGO HEAL Foundation to use artificial lights to give a blue look to the 17th century Mughal wonder.

Pomegranate good for sex life and the heart

London: Pomengranate is virtually nature's elixir that can help stave off heart disease, relieve stress and perk up your sex life.

A two million pounds study has found that an extract of the whole fruit - including pith, peel and seeds - was given to 60 volunteers every day for a month in the form of a capsule.

Working from home is exhausting: study

London: Given an option many would wish to work from home to maintain their work-life balance, but a new study has found that the experience makes one exhausted trying to juggle both at the same time.

The research, which was led by Prof Timothy Golden of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York, found that working from home often proved counter-productive, with home-workers caught between the demands of the office and the demands of family life.

Women suffer from Same Dress Syndrome: study

London: Women never change, it seems. At least one in five females admits to having suffered from Same Dress Syndrome, a new study has revealed. The study, based on a survey, also found that one in five women has deliberately ruined another girl's outfit if she turns up to a party in the same dress.

More than 80 per cent of the respondents admit they worry about clashing with another girl and would be "mortified" to discover they had. One in four said they had suffered the fate, in what has been dubbed Same Dress Syndrome. And 18 per cent of those say they have been left so jealous at having a rival lookalike

Vedic Mantra chanting gets a new voice in India

Haridwar: For centuries, Indian women were forbidden from chanting Vedic Mantras, especially in public, out of fear the power of the religious verses might cause menstrual problems and difficulties in bearing children.

Though the thinking changed slightly in recent years to allow women to chant in some cases, it remained extremely rare and private. But on November 6, this will change. A total of 108 Indian women have been selected to chant mantras in front of an audience of millions in Haridwar, part of ceremonies celebrating the centennial of a spiritual leader's birth.

Why fingernails on blackboard sound so horrible

London: Ever wondered why scraping your nails down a blackboard sounds so awful? It's because human ears are designed in such a way that it amplifies the screeching sound to make it intolerable, scientists say.

Researchers from Germany and Austria found that the noise of fingernails on a chalkboard is similar to human speech and human ears are "built" to hear sounds at that frequency.

Women still lag economics, politics: report

New York: Women are almost on par with men around the world in health and education, but they still lag in economic and political participation and opportunities, according to a World Economic Forum report released on Tuesday.

The Global Gender Gap Report found 96 percent of gaps in health and 93 percent of disparities in education had been closed, compared with less than two thirds of economic gaps and only a fifth of gaps in political participation.

Russian circus man sets new Guinness record

Moscow: A Russian animal tamer has set a new Guinness record, standing on two horses running side by side while his two women assistants stood one on top of another on his shoulders.

Edgard Zapashny set the record Monday. He and his assistants formed an acrobatic 4.5-metre-tall human column.

Out-of-body experience? It's your brain playing tricks

London: Have had an out-of-body experience? It's nothing, just your brain playing tricks on you, according to a new study. Researchers from the universities of Edinburgh and Cambridge claim that common spooky scenarios, such as floating above a hospital bed or walking towards the light at the end

of a tunnel, can be explained by human brain trying to make sense of the process of death.