Riding The Tide
The US endorsement of Pakistan's position on Kashmir bolsters Musharraf's fortunes even as anti-American outrage gathers steam.

Powell And Patience
President Bush's invitation to Vajpayee for a one-on-one in Washington next month makes up for the disappointment in New Delhi in the wake of Colin Powell's visit.

Autumn Of Turmoil
The Northern Alliance waits and watches the US moves in anticipation of a post-US-attack power struggle with the Taliban.
A look at the mood and the ground realities in Kabul.

NEWSNOTES

No Joke: What's in a laugh? Much more than scientists expected, apparently. As many as 1,024 laughter episodes from 97 adults watching funny videos like Monty Python were analysed and reported in the Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. Psychologists discovered that men tend to grunt and snort more often while women are more likely to produce "song-like laughter" using the vocal fold in the larynx. Sounds of laughter are generally higher pitched than a person's normal voice-the frequencies match those of the high 'C' of the soprano singer. And whirlpools of air near the larynx could cause the distinctive "nervous" laugh.

Attractiveness Effect: Ever been told that you light up the room you enter? It really happens-if you're good-looking, that is. Nature reports that when a person sees an attractive face, a region of the brain called the ventral striatum lights up. Unattractive faces have no effect. The same region is activated in drug addicts and gamblers when they are about to indulge in their habit. Scientists came to this conclusion after scanning the brains of eight men and eight women while they looked at 160 photos of faces and rated them on attractiveness.

Jet-setting Particles: The dust on your table could be an inter-continental traveller. Studies by the US Geological Survey have shown that dust travels widely and has an impact far away from its origin. Dust particles from the Sahara desert in Africa, for example, have been found to pollute Miami, Florida, by forming half the breathable particles in the city (100 micrograms per cubic metre are African particles). Emerging data also show that dirt from one continent could contribute to agricultural losses and human disease in another as bacteria and fungi ride with the dust.

DRUG ALERT

Attacking Arthritis: Arava, India's first oral medicine specifically designed against rheumatoid arthritis, was launched to mark World Arthritis Day on October 12. Rheumatoid arthritis is an auto-immune disease that affects 10 million Indians, according to the Indian Rheumatology Association. More prevalent in women, the disease damages the joints and is also known to shorten lifespan.

Pigs With Wings: Xenotransplantation, the transplanting of an organ from one species to another, came a step closer to reality with the birth of a litter of pigs in the US. These pigs carry selected genetic traits of jellyfish. Eventually it should be possible to change the genetic make-up of cells to grow organs that can be used for humans.

The Unisex Pill: The ultimate contraceptive pill-one equally effective in men and women-is almost within sight. Scientists at Harvard Medical School have found that sperm starved of calcium are too weak to break into an egg. So a drug that temporarily blocks calcium, and functions locally, may be the key to cheap, effective contraception.

HEALTH

CANCER
Relief From Painful Jabs

Cancer victims are unfairly hit with a double whammy-harsh, long-drawn chemotherapy causes almost as much suffering as the disease itself. That could now be avoided through ports, a new technology for delivering drugs that is increasingly being used in India.

During chemotherapy, the patient is frequently injected with drugs over a period stretching from several weeks to several months. Repeated jabbing of the arms causes pain, swelling, increases risk of infection, and sometimes makes the vein difficult to find. port provides an alternative. It is a titanium-and-plastic device placed surgically below the skin in the chest and connected to the blood supply. It has a chamber that can hold the drug, which is then delivered to the body at regular intervals. The device costs between Rs 4,000 and Rs 14,000, and depending on its quality, can last from a year to a lifetime. It is designed not to cause any immunological reaction within the body. "The risk is no greater than that of any minor surgery," says Sameer Kaul, senior consultant surgical oncologist at Delhi's Indraprashtha Apollo Hospital. Kaul has implanted the device in more than 200 patients.

"With ports, one can undergo chemotherapy and still go to work regularly, and even travel," says Kaul. In Europe, although 80 per cent of users are cancer patients, the device also helps thalassemics, who require frequent blood transfusion, and those who need long-term intravenous nourishment. port allows patients the hope of leading a normal life.

—Supriya Bezbaruah

MetroScape

Looking Glass

Kolkata Restaurant: Tangerine

Delhi Yoga: Morarji Desai National Yoga Institute

Delhi Cultural Festival : Qutab Festival