Cockroaches stop breathing to stay alive!

October 13th, 2009 LONDON - A new insect repellent, which can make termites, cockroaches and other pests to develop wet feet, has now been unveiled by Cambridge University scientists. Researchers have claimed that they have developed a cheap, durable, non-toxic and environmentally safe coating that causes the creatures to behave like "someone with wet feet in the shower".

September 14th, 2009 MELBOURNE - Clyde, the cat, has miraculously survived a trek over 3800km in three years. The cat was found in the Cloncurry Hospital, in outback Queensland, four months ago, where a nurse took him to local vet.

September 12th, 2009 TORONTO - Dead animals, from insects to crustaceans, emit the same death stench. This smell acts as a signal to other insects to avoid disease or predators, biologists have discovered.

September 10th, 2009 LONDON - Scientists have discovered that when animals die, their corpses exude a particular "stench of death" that repels their living relatives, who avoid others that have succumbed to the disease or places where predators lurk. Corpses of animals as distantly related as insects and crustaceans all produce the same stench, caused by a blend of simple fatty acids.

August 28th, 2009 MELBOURNE - Heathcliffe, a giant burrowing cockroach, could be the world's heaviest insect. The cockroach, 85mm in length and 40mm in width, gives birth to live young ones, unlike other members of its family who lay eggs.

August 25th, 2009 MELBOURNE - Almost six years after Neelma Singh, 24, her brother Kunal, 18, and sister Sidhi, 12, were allegedly murdered in their home in Bridgeman Downs, a Brisbane Court was informed today that the boy was still alive when he was dumped in a steaming spa bath. Pathologist Dr Alex Olumbe was giving evidence this morning at the hearing for Massimo "Max" Sica, 38, who is charged with killing his former girlfriend Neelma, her brother and younger sister in April 2003.

August 20th, 2009 LONDON - The use of codeine to treat pain following a tonsillectomy could prove fatal for some children, a new report has warned. Dr. Gideon Koren from The University of Western Ontario investigated the death of a two-year-old boy following a relatively easy operation to remove his tonsils.

August 18th, 2009 LONDON - A new study has found that cockroaches can hold their breath to save water, a trick that could help them to thrive in the face of climate change. When cockroaches are resting, they periodically stop breathing for as long as 40 minutes, though why they do so has been unclear.

August 16th, 2009 LONDON - Elephant hear using their feet, bats attract females by singing high-pitch songs, and mole rats use a form of Morse code to communicate-these are just few of the secret abilities some animals possess, revealed a new book. With the aid of modern technology and techniques, scientists are starting to uncover a multitude of secret abilities that animals have evolved to help them survive.

July 16th, 2009 CARACAS - Archaeologists have found evidence that a woman from the Chimu culture was buried alive in the 15th century at the Chan Chan archaeological complex in Peru to ameliorate the various effects of what we today call the El Nino weather phenomenon. "This is the first time that evidence has been found that some people from the epoch were buried alive to prevent, in this case, the actions of El Nino from having effects on the city of mud," said Cristobal Campana from Peru's National Institute of Culture (INC).

July 4th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Just like humans, cockroaches too can get fat on an unhealthy diet, says a British researcher. Patricia Moore, of the University of Exeter, came to this conclusion after studying how female cockroaches change their mating behaviour in response to their diet, specifically what they eat when they are young, as part of a decade's worth of research.

June 9th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Scientists in the US have come up with a cheap, environmentally friendly way to kill termites and other pests. In their study, they have found that a substance derived from glucose can weaken the insects' immune systems, making them vulnerable to infections from lethal microbes.

April 29th, 2009 MELBOURNE - Singer Olivia Newton-John says she still believes her missing boyfriend is alive. The 60-year-old singer's lighting technician beau of nine years Patrick McDermott mysteriously disappeared during a fishing trip in 2005.

April 20th, 2009 MELBOURNE - Elle Macpherson was up to her diva-like antics during her stay in Sydney. Elle, who was busy enjoying her stay in Sydney with her 2 kids Flynn, 10, and Cy, 5, seemed to in her trademark snooty mood when she was asked how was her stay in the city.

January 18th, 2009 MELBOURNE - Australian Open organisers were breathing a sigh of relief Monday after 2008 finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga declared himself fit enough to play after a back injury scare. 'I'm feeling much better than the previous days and excited to go out there,' said the fifth seed.