London, Oct 31: A new research has pinpointed some of the genetic changes that allowed vampire bats to evolve to subsist on a diet of pure blood.

According to a report in New Scientist, key among those changes is a knack for keeping their meals from coagulating, which they do with the help of a gene found in other animals – plasminogen activator.

In humans, the gene protects against heart attack by producing proteins that bust up blood clots and clear vessels.

Previous research had shown that vampire bats activate the gene in their saliva, too.

London, Oct 31: The Communists in USSR have accused new Bond girl Olga Kurylenko of ‘betraying'' the Soviet people in the new 007 flick ‘Quantum of Solace’.

The Communist Party of St Petersburg has condemned the Ukrainian actress, who plays Bond''s sidekick in the latest Bond adventure, for aiding “the killer of hundreds of Soviet people and their allies”.

London, Oct 31: UK physicists are constructing a new gamma-ray detector that will help to uncover the structure of the atomic nucleus, as well as in the advancement of medical gamma-ray technology, used in hospital scans.

Named as the Advanced Gamma Tracking Array (AGATA), it will be a thousand times more sensitive than previous detectors.

Atomic nuclei make up most of the visible matter in the Universe, including ourselves. So, unlocking their structures is of great significance in not only understanding how the forces of nature work but also how the elements were created. 

London, Oct 31 : Little amount of alcohol during pregnancy does not increase kids'' risk of behavioural problems, in fact, it can improve babies'' behaviour and vocabulary, suggests a new study by University College London researchers.

The boffins have defined "light" drinking as up to two drinks a week throughout pregnancy.

The study of 12,500 three-year-olds even found a lower risk of some problems in children of such drinkers.

London, Oct 31 : An archaeologist in Israel has said that five lines of ancient script on a shard of pottery could be the oldest example of Hebrew writing ever discovered.

According to a report by BBC News, a teenage volunteer found the shard during a dig about 20km (12 miles) south-west of Jerusalem.

Experts at Hebrew University said that dating showed it was written 3,000 years ago - about 1,000 years earlier than the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Other scientists cautioned that further study was needed to understand it.

London, Oct 31 : Rare first edition of Playboy magazine, which featured Marilyn Monroe on the cover, has fetched 2,000 pounds at an auction in London.