Hamburg - When the Ford Model T went into production in 1908, it marked the beginning of an era when motoring became affordable to the masses and an end to the horse and cart age.

Thousands of enthusiasts the world over are this week celebrating the centenary of the car affectionately known as "Tin Lizzie" in Richmond, Indiana in the United States.

It is just one of several events leading up to the October 1 anniversary when the first Model T drove off the assembly line.

The Model T was a dream come true for Henry Ford who wanted to make transportation by motor car affordable by introducing assembly line production.

Hamburg - Checking the oil level in a car often ends in frustration in a bid to find the oil stick and getting your hands all dirty.

Instead, why not just press a button in the car with a display indicating the exact oil level?

Several new cars already have such a comfortable feature which car parts supplier Hella has made available to several manufacturers over the past two years.

Now engineers at Hella have developed a more advanced Ultrasonic Level Sensor (Puls) that not only puts an end to all the hassle of opening the bonnet for the regular oil check but monitors the quality of the oil, telling the driver exactly when he should go for an oil change.

Hamburg  - We all started out as diamonds in the rough - literally - according to German scientists who say crystalline interfacial water layers played a fundamental role in biology and evolution on planet Earth.

These primordial pools of microscopic hydrogenated diamonds in the rough were the original soup from which all life sprang billions of years ago, say the scientists from the Institute of Micro and Nanomaterials at Ulm University in Germany.

Hamburg - We all started out as diamonds in the rough - literally - according to German scientists who say crystalline interfacial water layers played a fundamental role in biology and evolution on planet Earth.

These primordial pools of microscopic hydrogenated diamonds in the rough were the original soup from which all life sprang billions of years ago, say the scientists from the Institute of Micro and Nanomaterials at Ulm University in Germany.

Hamburg - Next time you kiss your car when it starts on a cold day, or you curse your computer when it crashes - you may be relieved to know that it is only human nature to regard inanimate objects as sentient beings like yourself.

Scientists in Germany say our minds are hard-wired to interact with other human beings to such a degree that our minds just work better when we subconsciously think of objects in our environment as having human minds of their own.

Hamburg - Apple's new iPhone 3G has been on the market for just a few days, but some reviewers have had access to it for weeks and have already aired their views on the phone. Most have praised its ease of use although it is by no means perfect.

The iPhone 3G supports the third generation of mobile phone standards (UMTS/HSDPA) and GPS navigation. Matthias Kremp, of the news website Spiegel Online, says users will see the biggest benefit in the iPhone's internet access speed.