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World's first underwater museum

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A proposed underwater museum in Alexandria, Egypt, came closer to reality when the UN established a committee to aid the design process with the Egyptian government Shown with a 2008 illustration of the proposed underwater museum, the Bay of Alexandria once contained Cleopatra's island palace and the Pharos of Alexandria lighthouse , one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Both of them were done in centuries ago by earthquakes.  The proposed museum's underwater facility (at bottom in architect Jacques Rougerie's conception) will be difficult and expensive to build and is the focus of the just launched two-year feasibility study. But planners believe that the benefits of plunging visitors into the historical context of the objects--on the sunken island that once held Cleopatra's palace--will be worth the trouble. The marble head of Roman princess Antonia Minor, mother of Emperor Claudius, rests on sand at the now sunken site of Cleopatra's Alexandria...

Laser security for the Internet developed

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Experts have come up with a new security system for Internet using a special laser that may help keep hackers’ prying eyes off for good. Scientists at Tel Aviv University have developed a digital security tool with existing fiber optic and computer technology that transmits binary lock-and-key information in the form of light pulses. The device, invented by Dr. Jacob Scheuer, TAU’s School of Electrical Engineering, allegedly ensures that a shared key code can be unlocked by the sender and receiver, and absolutely nobody else. Dr. Scheuer explained: "Rather than developing the lock or the key, we've developed a system which acts as a type of key bearer.” The researchers continued: "The trick is for those at either end of the fibre optic link to send different laser signals they can distinguish between, but which look identical to an eavesdropper." Dr. Scheuer added: "We've already published the theoretical idea and now have developed a preliminary demonst...

Why hot water freezes faster than cold

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In a new research, scientists have suggested that hot water may sometimes freeze faster than cold because of random impurities in the water. Fast-freezing of hot water is known as the Mpemba effect, after a Tanzanian schoolboy called Erasto Mpemba. Physicists have come up with several possible explanations, including faster evaporation reducing the volume of hot water, a layer of frost insulating the cooler water, and differing concentration of solutes. But the answer has been very hard to pin down because the effect is unreliable - cold water is just as likely to freeze faster. According to a report in New Scientist, James Brownridge, who is radiation safety officer for the State University of New York at Binghamton, believes that this randomness is crucial. Over the past 10 years, he has carried out hundreds of experiments on the Mpemba effect in his spare time, and has evidence that the effect is based on the shifty phenomenon of supercooling. “Water hardly ever freezes at 0 degree...

No more dead skin cells!

The structure of the human skin is basically divided into two general layers, the dermis and the epidermis. The latter is divided further into five layers. The layer at the very surface of the skin is called the Stratum corneum, which consists mainly of dead skin cells. The body sheds these dead skin cells on its own accord, however, one needs to take care and sometimes use certain remedies to get rid of this skin. Dead skin cells impact the skin's health. As the dead skin cells build up on the surface of the skin, they can act as a barrier to absorption of nutrients from nourishing creams. Also, they tend to block sweat glands, which can result in whiteheads, blackheads or acne. Here are a few ways one can get rid of dead skin... An exfoliating scrub is the easiest way of getting rid of dead skin cells on your face. Use one with almonds as an ingredient. The essential oil of almonds will help repair your skin. Lather soap on your face, or acne wash if you hav...

Your savings account to earn more from April 1

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H ere's some good news for savings account holders. The Reserve Bank has asked banks to start calculating interest rates on savings accounts on a daily basis from April 1. This move will enable saving bank account holders to  earn higher  interest rates. Currently, banks calculate interest (3.5 per cent per annum) on these accounts on the lowest available balance, between 11th and the last date of a month. The new system would help saving account holders earn 16-18 per cent more from their deposits. According to bankers, the new system will amount to higher interest payouts and may even result in a slight rise in the cost of funds. The RBI had announced this in the April 2009 and had given time to all banks to get their IT infrastructure in place for a smooth transition to the new system. "We advise that payment of interest on savings accounts may be made by banks on a daily product basis with effect from April 1," RBI said in a notification, which also asked banks to en...

A personal budget is a must!

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Getting married? Starting a job? Getting further education? Starting your own family? Have you planned for these important phases in your life? Good control over your personal finances will help you achieve the goals you have set for yourself and cope with changes in your life. How can you achieve that? The answer is having your own personalized budget. How do you draw a budget that suits your need? Say, you are interested in taking an educational course and are thinking of taking a student loan. How will you accommodate this additional expense? To begin with, you need to draw your personal budget. a)  The first step is to calculate your monthly income. Consider income from all sources including income from your investments. -----A b)  Next, make a list of your monthly expenses. For example, if you are a salaried employee, list your routine expenses like expenses on commute, food expenses, utilities, clothes, charities etc. Then think of any extraordinary expenses that you may...

Doctors no longer advise women to eat for two during their pregnancies

Doctors no longer advise women to eat for two during their pregnancies as new research shows that overeating during this time can impact the health of their babies adversely. Only a pregnant woman knows what it's like to be told repeatedly by both her mother and mother-in-law to eat "enough for two." It turns out that this advice may be wrong after all: New studies have shown that a high calorie diet could affect the gender, and more importantly, the health of the baby. According to this study, the high fat, high carbohydrate diet of pregnant mice impacted almost 2,000 genes in the developing offspring, including those involved in kidney function and smell. Doctors in the city agree that a pregnant woman who overeats can harm her unborn child by exposing it to a host of health problems. "Pregnancy is the time when a women needs to exercise control on her diet and eat judiciously. The first three months is the time to have extra folic acid along with a balanced diet...