Washington, Nov 12: New observations from NASA''s Spitzer Space Telescope have indicated that shock waves around dusty, young stars might be creating the raw materials for planets.

The evidence comes in the form of tiny crystals called cristobalite and tridymite, which are known to reside in comets, in volcanic lava flows on Earth, and in some meteorites that land on Earth.

Spitzer detected these crystals, similar in make-up to quartz, around young stars just beginning to form planets.

These crystals require flash heating events, such as shock waves, to form.

Washington - The world leaders meeting this weekend in Washington at an emergency finance summit amidst the worst crisis since the Great Depression have a loose affiliation with each other under the Group of 20, the so-called G20.

The group grew out of the financial crises of the 1990s - like Mexico's - and was founded in 1999 with the aim of including emerging market countries which had been excluded from the "core of global economic discussion and governance," the G20 wrote on its website.

Washington - European leaders have been calling for a new "Bretton Woods" agreement to rescue the world economy from the current crisis in the global finance system.

They hope that this Saturday's summit in Washington of 20 leading economies will lay the basis for a new international finance order, similar to the 1944 agreement in the New Hampshire resort town of Bretton Woods.

Washington, Nov 11 : A species of parasitic nematode worm doesn''t make any sperm when females are not around, according to a new study.

Earlier, scientist believed that sperm production is quite similar to the production of eggs in females, but recently the notion has been challenged in animals that need to produce a lot of sperm or particularly large sperm.

For example, males of some other species of rodents, fish, and insects reduce the sperm count depending on the social circumstances. But they generally don''t go without.

Washington, Nov 11 : Sir Paul McCartney is keen to get his five-year-old daughter sing for the soundtrack of Shrek 4, it has emerged.

According to a British tabloid, McCartney was set to lend his vocals to a new character in the animated film.

And now the former Beatle wants his daughter Beatrice to sing a song her father has penned for one of the characters.

The latest installment of the movie franchise includes stars Mike Myers and Cameron Diaz.

"Paul is really pleased to be part of the next Shrek film because it''s Bea''s favourite movie,” Contactmusic quoted a source, as telling the Daily Express.

Washington, Nov 11: American singer Janet Jackson has revealed that she is looking forward to motherhood.

Jackson, 42, admits that she is set to go ahead with becoming a mother, and that she is looking for the right time to do it, even though her boyfriend Jermaine Dupri has been ready for quite some time.

“At some point it''s coming. When? I have no idea. He (Dupri) has been past ready. He''s just waiting for me; I''m the one holding up the whole thing,” Contactmusic quoted her as having said in an interview with Sister 2 Sister magazine.