A new study suggests that poverty afflicts children’s brain. Researchers from University of California, Berkeley, have shown that the brains of poor children work differently from the brains of wealthy children, affecting language development and ‘executive function’ or the ability to plan. The Scientists reported that normal 9- and 10- year’s old children, differing only in socioeconomic status have detectable differences in the response of their prefrontal cortex, the brain’s part that is critical for problem solving and creativity.

It has been discovered through an Australian study that looked into the sexual history of 185 students at the University of Sydney, that the students who are least likely to have had sexual intercourse are the science "nerd" males.

On the other hand, the female art students ranked as the most sexually active.

"Males in the study were less likely to have had sex as a group, compared to the group of females in the sample," said the study of 16 to 25-year-olds, published in the journal, Sexual Health.

It added, "Science students were also less likely to have had sex compared to their counterparts in other faculties."

Recent research has shown that intelligent men produce better quality sperm. The research was carried out to asses the idea that intelligence is favored by natural selection.

Research team at King's College London analysed data from 4,462 former US soldiers who had served during the Vietnam War. The soldiers took several intelligence tests and underwent a detailed medical examination. Semen samples were also provided by 425 soldiers. Data analysis showed small but statistically significant correlation between intelligence and three measures of sperm quality.

The World Health Organisation said that the number of deaths caused by measles dropped 74% in the past seven years worldwide, thanks to dramatic progress in Africa and nations including Afghanistan and Pakistan, The number of deaths dropped by half a million between 2000 and 2007, from an estimated 750,000 to 197,000.

There has been 89% drop in measles deaths in Africa which is two-thirds of the global reduction. There was 90% decrease in deaths caused by measles in the eastern Mediterranean region, which includes Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia and Sudan from 96,000 to 10,000.

Recent study revealed that deadly lung disease idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) makes patients three times more prone to severe cardiac events such as a heart attack.

Research team analysed data from the computerised records of the Britain's Health Improvement Network for 920 patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and
3,593 control subjects without IPF for diagnoses of coronary events and disease incidence.

Bird Flu virus has spread to two more regions including Barpeta and Nalbari in lower Assam.

The fresh outbreak prompted the State Veterinary department to start the culling of thousands of chickens in these regions.

The samples, which were sent to laboratories in Bhopal, have tested positive for H5N1 avian influenza.

The State Government has ordered culling operations and Rapid Response Teams (RRT)s have already begun going from house-to-house asking the habitants to give away their poultry birds to them.