London, Nov 5 : An original drawing of favourite AA Milne character Winnie the Pooh, featuring Tigger and Piglet, has fetched 31,200 pounds at an auction.

The oval pencil sketch by E. H. Shepard, one of children''s literature''s most famous illustrators, shows Pooh dipping his paw into a pot of honey while sitting at a table as Piglet and Tigger look on, reports Times Online.

Auctioneer Bonhams said the successful telephone bidder was from Germany and bought the picture for his wife, a long-time Pooh fan.

Another work by Shepard, a first sketch for The Wind in the Willows, sold for 7,440pounds.

London, Nov 5 : A team of US engineers has developed artificial hairs like those used by fish to sense water flow around them to avoid predators or take the most efficient path through complex turbulence, a move which could help improve robotic submarine maneuverability.

It''s a well known fact that fish rely on more than just their eyes to navigate.

A prominent example is the cave-dwelling Mexican fish that has lost its eyes altogether, but can expertly navigate its environment using only an unusually sensitive lateral line - the sense organ that runs lengthwise down each side of a fish''s body.

The lateral line consists of many sense organs called neuromasts, each with a number of microscopic hairs with a mucus cap, or cupula.

London, Nov 5 : Scientists have developed a new drug that mimics the effects of an ingredient in red wine, which may be a powerful weapon in the fight against obesity and diabetes.

While testing the compound, called SRT1720, researchers found that it protected mice from weight-gain and insulin disorders – even when they ate a high-fat diet.

They also found that the drug appears to increase energy levels when exercising.

A study conducted by British researchers on 2645 pregnant women, with average age 30 and with low risk pregnancies revealed that even low amount of caffeine could lead to low weight babies. 

It was found that the average caffeine intake during pregnancy was 159 milligrams a day which is much lower than the 300 mg/day recommended by the U.K.'s Food Standards Agency. Tea was the main source of caffeine (62 %), followed by coffee (14%), cola (12%), chocolate (8%) and soft drinks (2%).

According to a British study conducted on more than 22,000 adults, including 517 with diabetes, it was revealed that eating fish twice a week can reduce the risk of kidney damage in diabetics.

The subjects answered questionnaires about their diet habits. This also included how much fish they ate in a week. The urine samples of the participants in the survey were analyzed for the presence of a protein called albumin. Presence of albumin in urine is an indicator of kidney damage.

The latest James Bond flick, 'Quantum Of Solace', has smashed box office records on its opening weekend in the UK - taking £15.5m in three days. According to industry journal Screen Daily, Hollywood actor Daniel Craig's latest outing as James Bond took a further £14.2m in France and Sweden.