Washington, Feb 12 : A new study has suggested that the genome of the evolutionary ancestor of humans and present-day apes underwent a burst of activity in duplicating segments of DNA.

"The new study shows big differences in the genomes of humans and great apes within duplicated sequences containing rapidly evolving genes. Most of these differences occurred at a time just prior to the speciation of chimpanzees, gorillas, and humans," said University of Washington (UW) researchers Tomas Marques-Bonet and Jeffrey M. Kidd who headed the study.

Washington, Feb 12: Engineers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in the US have developed viscosity-enhancing nanomaterials that are expected to double the service life of concrete.

The nano-sized additive slows down penetration of chloride and sulfate ions from road salt, seawater and soils into the concrete.

A reduction in ion transport translates to reductions in both maintenance costs and the catastrophic failure of concrete structures.

The new technology could save billions of dollars and many lives.

The American Society of Civil Engineers estimates that Americans spend 54 billion dollars each year to repair damages caused by poor road conditions.

Washington, Feb. 12 : Republicans have zeroed into Indian American Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal to give their official response to President Obama''s February 24 address to a joint session of Congress.

"Governor Jindal embodies what I have long said: the Republican Party must not be simply the party of ''opposition,'' but the party of better solutions," the Washington Times quoted House Minority Leader John A. Boehner (Ohio Republican) as saying while announcing the party's decision.

Washington, Feb 12: Ever wondered why some people are addicted to gambling? Well, researchers from University of Cambridge claim to have found the answer for you.

They have found that `near-misses' triggers the win-related neural circuitry within the brain, thereby enhancing the motivation to gamble again.

The study showed that that near-misses (such as two cherries on the slot machine) and a sense of control over the game (such as the chance to throw the dice) promote gambling tendencies and may be associated with the addictiveness of gambling.

The researchers sought to determine the brain mechanisms involved in promoting gambling tendencies.

London, Feb 12 : Women''s personality traits are written all over their faces, while men's are closed books, claims a new study.

According to the New Scientist study, simply by looking at females' faces one can tell if they're lucky, religious or trustworthy.

However, studying men''s faces gives no hint as to their character, the study found.

To reach the conclusion, researchers asked 1,000 people to send in photographs of themselves and fill in a detailed questionnaire about their personality and beliefs.

Then, the research team isolated those who described themselves as strongly in one camp or another on four key aspects of their character and conflated the photographs into composite faces.

Washington  - US President Barack Obama intends to work toward Middle East peace regardless of who forms Israel's new government, the White House said Wednesday, following Tuesday's elections.

"President Obama looks forward to working with whoever makes up that next Israeli government in a search for lasting and durable peace in the region," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said.

Elections Tuesday in Israel failed to produce a clear winner. Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni of the Kadima party and Likud's Benjamin Netanyahu both declared victory, with 99 per cent of ballot counted.