Beliefs, disbeliefs about God governed by same cerebral areas

October 6th, 2009 BANGKOK - The World Bank has estimated that industrialised countries will have to pay developing nations $100 billion a year from now till 2050 to battle climate change. But there is no money nor any commitment on the table though over 4,000 delegates from 177 countries are squabbling here over who will govern the fund if it comes into being.

October 2nd, 2009 WASHINGTON - Extended stress has been found to cause stroke, also called cerebral infarction, according to a unique patient study. Conducted by research collaborators from the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg and Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Sweden, the study found that many stroke patients urgently admitted to hospital have stated that they were under great stress over a prolonged period prior to suffering their stroke.

September 29th, 2009 LAHORE - Pakistan has reportedly swapped two Al-Qaeda members with Saudi Arabia in exchange for five of its citizens who were detained in Riyadh over drug-trafficking charges. According to a private television channel, two sons of top Al-Qaeda leader Al-Alawi, who purportedly plotted a suicide attack on a Saudi Minister, were exchanged in return for five Pakistanis.

September 6th, 2009 LONDON - Are you feeling powerless as a parent? Then, here's some food for thought: a new research has claimed that a mother's beliefs even before her baby is born predict how well her infant will sleep at night later. According to researchers in Israel, if an expectant mum thinks that babies who cry at night are suffering distress and need comforting and soothing back to sleep, then her newborn is likely to wake more frequently during the night than if she believes babies should learn to settle themselves.

August 22nd, 2009 LONDON - Professor Richard Dawkins, author of books on evolution as well as religion, has said that popularising evolution in the Islamic world, where creationist beliefs are strong, was a challenge and he is keen to take up. Professor Dawkins' books have never been translated into Arabic.

July 29th, 2009 NC Republican Burr will vote against SotomayorWASHINGTON — Republican Sen. Richard Burr says he will vote against the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor.

July 22nd, 2009 CHENNAI - Joggers on the Chennai beach were surprised to see dolphins swimming and jumping very near the shore early Wednesday, the day of the century's longest eclipse, even as Dravida Kazhagam cadres ate food in public to debunk superstition linked to the celestial event. As news about the dolphins being close to shore spread, a large number of people gathered on the beach to enjoy seeing them swim.

July 22nd, 2009 HYDERABAD - A group of rationalists gathered here Wednesday morning to not just watch the longest solar eclipse of the century but also tuck into breakfast in an attempt to remove superstitious beliefs from the minds of people. While the dark clouds blocked the view of the partial eclipse, they went ahead with their meal on the banks of the picturesque Hussain Sagar Lake in the heart of the city to prove a point.

June 23rd, 2009 WASHINGTON - An international study involving more than half a million participants in 34 countries has revealed that about 70 per cent people harbour implicit stereotypes linking science with males more than with females. Reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the study has also shown that in countries whose citizens stereotyped most strongly, boys achieved at a higher level in eighth-grade science and maths.

May 4th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Stopping daily caffeine consumption produces changes in cerebral blood flow velocity that are most likely related to caffeine withdrawal symptoms including headache, drowsiness and decreased alertness, according to a recent study. People say caffeine withdrawal is characterised by headaches, fatigue, feeling less alert and experiencing difficulties in concentrating.

April 30th, 2009 WASHINGTON - American model Shanna Moakler has decided to make it very clear that she was "hurt and upset" by first runner up in Miss USA 2009 pageant Carrie Prejean's comment about gay and lesbian marriage. Moakler, 34, was upset by Prejean saying that a "marriage should be between a man and a woman", and she has decided to make a stand for what she believed in - the right for gay and lesbian couples to marry.

April 22nd, 2009 WASHINGTON - Miss USA runner-up Carrie Prejean, who answered she was against the legalisation of gay marriage in California, may have grounds to file a lawsuit against the pageant for discrimination, says a legal analyst. Miss California, during the recent Miss USA telecast, had picked gay judge Perez Hilton's question whether every state should make same-sex marriages legal.

March 12th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Wishful bettors, who make overly optimistic investments, not only harm themselves financially but contaminate the entire markets as well, say researchers. The research team from the University of Texas at Austin and Cornell University showed how wishful betting could harm beliefs throughout markets, as other market participants assume that wishful bettors possess more favourable information than they do.

February 17th, 2009 WASHINGTON - While science is only nibbling at the edges of the stuff dreams are made of, different cultures believe that they embody hidden truths, according to newly published research. In six different studies, researchers asked 1,100 people about their dreams.

January 20th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Magnesium sulphate protects very premature babies from cerebral palsy and could help reduce incidence of the disabling condition which affects 10 percent of this segment of births. The neuro-protective function of magnesium in preterm babies was first suggested in the early nineties.