London, Oct 16 : They say that long distances often help revive romance in a relationship, as lovers can’t stand the stress of being parted. Now, the notion has been backed by a scientific study, which suggests that grief is nature''s way of keeping couples together.

While working with one of nature’s only monogamous mammals, the prairie vole, as a model for human attachment, Larry Young from the Emory University School of Medicine in Georgia and Oliver Bosch from the University of Regensburg, Germany, examined the role of stress, which is plays a significant role in the grieving process.

Washington, Oct 16 : Researchers from NYU Langone Medical Centre have discovered that specific types of bacteria in the intestine trigger the production of pro-inflammatory immune cells, a finding that can lead to new therapies for inflammatory bowel disease.

In the study conducted using mouse model, the researchers found that

cytophaga-flavobacter-bacteroidetes (CFB) bacteria were associated with the creation of Th17 cells.

The bacteria play a crucial role in digestion and protect against pathogens by outcompeting harmful bacteria.

“It’s not the amount of microbial flora but the kind of microbial flora that seems to count,” said Dr. Dan Littman, NYU School of Medicine.

London, Oct 16 : In a breakthrough study, European physicists have developed a unique computer circuit that can build itself - a development that can lead to self-assembling computers.

A team of European physicists has developed an integrated circuit that can build itself. The work, appearing in this week''s Nature1, is an important step towards its ultimate goal - a self-assembling computer.

Currently, computer chips are made by etching patterns onto semiconducting wafers using a combination of light and photosensitive chemicals.

London, Oct 16 : The Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft, which is India’s first mission to the moon, will carry a sophisticated X-ray camera on board, when it is launched into space on October 22nd.

Chandrayaan-1 is the first lunar mission from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). It is designed to orbit the Moon and carries radar and particle detectors as well as instruments that will make observations in the visible, near infrared and X-ray part of the electromagnetic spectrum.

Brussels - The European Union approved its own financial rescue package at a summit that saw British Prime Minister Gordon Brown steal the limelight Wednesday in Brussels by proposing new rules for global capitalism.

The 2-trillion-euro (2.7-trillion-dollar) package, initially approved by eurozone leaders at a Sunday meeting in Paris, includes measures to safeguard private savers, guarantee interbank lending and partly nationalize shaky financial insitutions.