What You should know more about Sucralose

While sucralose, better known by its brand name, may originate with sugar, the end product is anything but natural. It's processed using chlorine, and researchers are finding that the artificial sweetener is passing through our bodies and winding up in wastewater treatment plants, where it can't be broken down.

Tests in Norway and Sweden found sucralose in surface water released downstream from treatment discharge sites. Scientists worry it could change organisms' feeding habits and interfere with photosynthesis, putting the entire food chain at risk. The chemically derived artificial sweetener acesulfame K was also detected in treated wastewater and tap water.

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Indonesians Seem to be The Most Contented People on The World?

Despite economic woes,wars, conflicts and natural disasters the world is a happier place today than it was four years ago and Indonesians, Indians and Mexicans seem to be the most contented people on the planet.

More than three-quarters of people around the globe who were questioned in an international poll said they were happy with their lives and nearly a quarter described themselves as very happy. “The world is a happier place today and we can actually measure it because we have been tracking it,” said John Wright, senior vice president of Ipsos Global, which has surveyed the happiness of more than 18,000 people in 24 countries since 2007.

Brazil and Turkey rounded out the top five happiest nations, while Hungary, South Korea, Russia, Spain and Italy had the fewest number of happy people. Perhaps proving that money can’t buy happiness, residents of some of the world biggest economic powers, including the United States, Canada and Britain, fell in the middle of the happiness scale.

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China unveils New Super-speed Train

The train, made from plastic materials reinforced with carbon fibre, is designed to resemble an ancient Chinese sword and 'will provide useful reference for current high-speed railway operations', according to train expert Shen Zhiyun.

Earlier this year, the Communist regime unveiled its fastest operational locomotive which was able to cover the 824-mile trip between Beijing and Shanghai in five hours - reaching record-breaking top speed of 200mph and maintaining an average speed of 165mph.

The latest test model has a maximum tractive power of 22,800 kilowatts, compared with 9,600 kilowatts for the Beijing-Shanghai CRH380 trains. But future Chinese trains will not necessarily run at such high speeds. CSR chairman Zhao Xiaogang said: 'We aims to ensure the safety of trains operation.'

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Comet beats death, brushes up to sun and lives

A small comet survived what astronomers figured would be a sure death when it danced uncomfortably close to the broiling sun.

Comet Lovejoy, which was only discovered a couple of weeks ago, was supposed to melt Thursday night when it came close to where temperatures hit several million degrees. Astronomers had tracked 2,000 other sun-grazing comets make the same suicidal trip. None had ever survived.

But astronomers watching live with NASA telescopes first saw the sun's corona wiggle as Lovejoy went close to the sun. They were then shocked when a bright spot emerged on the sun's other side. Lovejoy lived.

"I was delighted when I saw it go into the sun and I was astounded when I saw something re-emerge," said U.S. Navy solar researcher Karl Battams.

Lovejoy didn't exactly come out of its hellish adventure unscathed. Only 10 percent of the comet — which was probably millions of tons — survived the encounter, said W. Dean Pesnell, project scientist for NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, which tracked Lovejoy's death-defying plunge. And the comet lost something pretty important: its tail.

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Facts about Blinking

All creatures great and small blink — except for fish, snakes, and other animals without eyelids. Then there are some special creatures — perhaps most famously hamsters — that wink, blinking only one eye at a time.

In 1927, W.P. Blount published the definitive guide to blinking in the animal kingdom titled “Studies of the Movements of the Eyelids of Animals: Blinking.” Among Blount’s findings: Sudanese monkeys blink like crazy, rats blink when they sneeze and goats blink at intervals of 30 to 60 seconds.

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Jet That Can Fly Anywhere on Earth without Stopping

The bar-tailed Godwit holds the world record for how far a bird can fly without stopping to feed - one of the Australian birds flew to Alaska without stopping to feed, flying for an astonishing 7,256 miles.

So designer William Black took the bird's wings as his inspiration for a 'zero-emission' jet - the Lockheed Stratoliner concept - which would use bird-like wings for extended lift on high-altitude flights.

His idea was a jet that could fly anywhere on Earth - emitting no pollution whatsoever. The idea is still some way off, however. Hydrogen-powered flight has only been demonstrated a few times - and then only in small aircraft.

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The Monkey from Bali Made Her A Global Star

A student has been left feeling a little red-faced after an embarrassing incident with a monkey made her a global star. Charmian Chen, who just happens to be a model, was visiting the Sacred Monkey Forest Ubud in Bali last month when two of the primates decided she was a little overdressed.

The 22-year-old student, from Taiwan, was on holiday on the tropical Indonesian island feeding long-tailed macaques when she was singled out. The two macaques apparently spotted a piece of corn that had fallen down Ms Chen's top and decided they wanted it back. Despite her valiant effors to fend it off, one monkey managed to pull down her top leaving the red-faced model to cover herself as best she could, with her hands.

But what should have been an amusing holiday wardrobe malfunction has ended up catapulting Ms Chen to internet superstardom. Pictures of the incident have made headline news in her native Taiwan, with TV stations asking her to appear and talk about it.

The images have also spread around the globe, appearing on blog sites and forums in the U.S. and Britain. She said: 'I was on holiday and at first the pictures were just funny, but when I got back to Taiwan I had all these people trying to add me as friends on Facebook.

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The Animal Believed to Boost Sexual Prowess Most Illegally Trafficked

A shy and defenseless anteater has become the most illegally trafficked mammal in Asia. Smugglers are vacuuming up the pangolin for use in traditional Chinese medicine. Many believe it can cure an array of ailments and boost sexual prowess.

Conservationists are making what they say is a last-ditch effort to save the scaly anteater by strengthening enforcement of wildlife protection laws. The pangolin was once widespread in Asia. Now it is found only in parts of Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia and India.

Its meat and scales are shipped along Asian smuggling routes similar to those for tigers and other endangered species. The largest market is China. Other destinations include Vietnam and South Korea.

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Jamur Raksasa Ditemukan di China

Jamur terbesar yang pernah didokumentasikan ditemukan tumbuh di permukaan bawah sebuah pohon di China. Demikian BBC memberitakan.

Jamur dari spesies Fomitiporia ellipsoidea itu berusia lebih dari 20 tahun. Tubuh buahnya berukuran panjang 10,85 meter, lebar 82-88 sentimeter, dan ketebalan 4,6-5,5 sentimeter. Berdasarkan tes kepadatan, jamur ini berbobot 400-500 kilogram dan mampu menyimpan 450 juta spora.

Penemuan jamur ini mematahkan rekor jamur terbesar yang sebelumnya ditemukan di Kew Garden, Inggris, pada tahun 2003. Kala itu, peneliti menemukan Rigidoporus ulmarius yang berdiameter 150 sentimeter dengan keliling lingkaran 425 sentimeter.

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Slower but still powerful, Irene hits land in NJ

Barely a hurricane but massive and packed with rain, Irene lumbered onto the New Jersey shore Sunday morning on its way toward pummeling New York, which turned eerily quiet as the city hunkered down.

The National Hurricane Center said the center of the huge storm reached land near Little Egg Inlet, about 85 miles south-southwest of New York, at 5:35 a.m. The eye previously reached land Saturday in North Carolina before returning to the Atlantic, straddling the East Coast as it flooded towns, killed at least eight people and knocked out power to more than 3 million homes and businesses.

Broadway, baseball and most other things were shuttered in New York, where the transit system stopped because of weather for the first time in history. Mayor Michael Bloomberg warned late Saturday that no matter whether residents of low-lying areas heeded his calls to evacuate, "The time for evacuation is over. Everyone should now go inside and stay inside."

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Badai Irene Melemah

Badai Irene diperkirakan telah melemah. Pusat Badai Nasional atau The National Hurricane Center, Minggu (28/8/2011), telah menurunkan potensi bahaya Badai Irene dari kategori dua ke kategori satu.

Namun, badai dengan kecepatan 150 kilometer per jam mengancam kota-kota besar, seperti New York dan Washington DC. Di New York, tak kurang ratusan ribu orang telah dievakuasi. Pemerintah setempat telah mendirikan lebih dari 90 tempat penampungan yang mampu menaungi 70.000 orang.

Wali Kota New York Michael Bloomberg mengatakan, Badai Irene akan menghantam salah satu kota terpadat di Amerika Serikat tersebut. Bloomberg mengatakan, proses evakuasi bagi warga New York telah selesai.

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US: 29,000 Somali children under 5 dead in famine

The drought and famine in Somalia have killed more than 29,000 children under the age of 5, according to U.S. estimates, the first time such a precise death toll has been released related to the Horn of Africa crisis.

The United Nations has said previously that tens of thousands of people have died in the drought, the worst in Somalia in 60 years. The U.N. says 640,000 Somali children are acutely malnourished, a statistic that suggests the death toll of small children will rise.

Nancy Lindborg, an official with the U.S. government aid arm, told a congressional committee in Washington on Wednesday that the U.S. estimates that more than 29,000 children under the age of 5 have died in the last 90 days in southern Somalia. That number is based on nutrition and mortality surveys verified by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The U.N. on Wednesday declared three new regions in Somalia famine zones, bringing the total number to five.

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Evidence That Earth Has been Visited by Aliens?

A mysterious circle on a grainy scan, this is what scientists are claiming is finally evidence that Earth has been visited by aliens. Researchers have claimed the fuzzy outline is a flying saucer that ended up 300ft down on the ocean floor between Sweden and Finland.

They were stunned when sonar scans taken while searching for a century-old wreck showed up the shape against the dirt. The ocean exploration team which found it claims that the earth around the craft has been scarred, suggesting it has tried to move around.

Lead researcher Peter Lindberg also suggested that another explanation could be that it was 'a new Stonehenge'. The 'discovery' has sparked a flurry of speculation by UFO watchers and bloggers.

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The Secret of Russian People's Health

Golden root, or Arctic root (a.k.a. Rhodiola rosea)—an herb that grows at high elevations in the harsh environs of the Arctic region—is a traditional Russian remedy used to treat ailments ranging from infections and altitude sickness to depression and nervous system disorders.

The extremely resilient plant is known to be an adaptogen, meaning it helps the body adapt to stressors; scientific studies indicate that it can indeed boost endurance and mood while lessening stress and fatigue.

The Prescription: Pick up the root at a natural foods store and use it to brew a cup of tea whenever you need to de-stress.

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Seputar Kerusuhan di London

Kerusuhan berlangsung di London, Bristol, Birmingham dan Liverpool. Kerusuhan di Inggris terjadi sejak Senin (8/8) malam di Tottenham, utara London, dan kemudian meluas di seluruh Ibukota dan tiga kota lainnya.

Kerusuhan semakin merajalela di sejumlah wilayah Inggris. Kini tak hanya polisi yang menjadi target, para jurnalis yang sedang bertugas pun ikut menjadi sasaran serangan para perusuh.

Para jurnalis dan fotografer sejumlah media ternama di Inggris seperti CNN, Sky News, BBC, Channel 4 News, yang tengah meliput kerusuhan mengalami tindak kekerasan dari para perusuh. Kendaraan mereka bahkan ikut dirusak oleh para perusuh. Demikian seperti dilansir guardian.co.uk.

Penembakan seorang warga blasteran kulit hitam di Tottenham bernama Mark Duggan (29), disebut sebagai sumber semua kekacauan ini.

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Ular Sanca Serang Warga dari Atap

Bagaimana rasanya kalau tiba-tiba di atap rumah Anda ada seekor ular sanca? Tentu kejadian itu bakal sangat mengerikan. Hal itulah yang terjadi terhadap Neneng Herliani (56), warga Kampun Babakan Sari, Desa Situsaeur, Kecamatan Karangpawitan, Garut, Jawa Barat.

Awalnya, Neneng hendak ke belakang rumah untuk mencuci piring, tiba-tiba terdengar suara mendesis. Ia pun lantas mencari sumber suara tersebut. Alangkah terkejutnya Neneng saat menatap ke atap rumah, seketika itu pula seekor sanca mencoba menyerangnya.

Kontan, Neneng pun berteriak. Teriakan Neneng mampu memanggil seluruh anggota keluarga, yang lantas berhamburan ke arah dirinya. Untung bagi Neneng, sang putra, Dian Andri (33), bersama beberapa orang warga berhasil menangkap sanca tersebut.

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Green Idea: Turn Your Fan Into an Air Conditioner

This is how to do it: Another easy way to cool your home without air conditioning is to place a bowl of ice or a frozen milk jug in front of one or more fans.

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The Health Secret from Japan

The Secret: The Japanese live longer than almost anyone else on the planet—and this may be largely because their country has one of the lowest obesity rates in the world. One of their tricks for calorie control is a cultural practice known as hara hachi bu, which means eating until you feel about 80 percent full. At that point, your stomach is likely 100 percent full; your brain just doesn't know it yet.

Try to chew your food 20 times before you swallow. Slowing the pace of your eating makes it easier to recognize that 80 percent full feeling.

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Google Maps Terbaru Bawa Sejumlah Perbaikan

Versi terbaru Google Maps (5.7.) secara resmi telah dirilis Google untuk perangkat Andoroid. Ada beberapa perubahan pada versi ini, termasuk penyempurnaan ketika digunakan secara offline.

Nah dalam Google Maps 5.7 hal itu makin disempurnakan, Google mengijinkan pengguna untuk mengunduh peta yang bisa digunakan secara offline selama 30 hari. Fitur ini bisa dimanfaatkan melalui opsi Labs, kemudian Download map area.

Google mengklaim setiap area yang diunduh memiliki luas 16KM, termasuk di dalamnya versi 3D bangunan, satelite view, dan beberapa tempat lainnya. Aplikasi ini juga menyediakan navigasi dengan panduan suara, namun masih dalam masa beta.

Google Maps 5.7 mulai tersedia di Android Market dan bisa digunakan pada perangkat Android 2.1 atau di atasnya.

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Hot Air Out, Cool Air In

The most basic thing you can do to keep your house cooler without air conditioning is to keep as much sunlight out as possible and let cooler air in at night.

During the day, keep windows, drapes, blinds, or shades closed, especially on the southern and western sides of your home. If you have a porch, you can put up large plastic or bamboo shades to cut down on sunlight.

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