The Malaysian Insider :: Features

Fish oil supplements may cut diabetes risk

Fri, 24 May 2013 23:12:10 GMT

LONDON, May 25 — On the heels of a recent study that finds fish oil can reverse the negative effects of junk food on the brain comes more good news: fish oil supplements could also help reduce the risk for type 2 diabetes, a new Harvard University study has found. Fish oil supplements, also called omega-3 fatty acid capsules, raise levels of the ...

Adidas launches ‘revolutionary’ Nitrocharge soccer cleat

Fri, 24 May 2013 15:45:04 GMT

LONDON, May 24 — Adidas has launched a new football cleat (or football boot if you prefer) that the company claims will revolutionise your game, increase agility, protect you from injury and give you more energy, all while tracking your fitness stats. The Adidas Nitrocharge features a yellow strip on the forefoot, dubbed Energysling, which is a ...

Most gymgoers wash their clothes once every third workout

Fri, 24 May 2013 15:41:26 GMT

LONDON, May 24 — When it comes to keeping gym clothes clean, a new survey finds that most people wash their clothes only after every third workout. Women are the worst offenders, the survey said, with just 21 per cent washing their gym clothes after each and every workout. A poll of 1,456 British fitness fans revealed that the top excuses included ...

Researcher admits mistakes in stem cell study

Fri, 24 May 2013 14:37:13 GMT

WASHINGTON, May 24 — A blockbuster study in which US researchers reported that they had turned human skin cells into embryonic stem cells contained errors, its lead author has acknowledged. Shoukhrat Mitalipov nevertheless adamantly stood by the conclusions of the study published last week in journal Cell, which reported that human stem cell lines ...

Churchill and Stalin in all-night wartime drinking session

Fri, 24 May 2013 01:40:10 GMT

LONDON, May 24 — Soviet dictator Josef Stalin and Britain’s wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill enjoyed an alcohol-fuelled all-nighter in Moscow as World War Two was in full swing, previously secret files have revealed. Relations between the two leaders were stiff until Churchill arranged a tete-a-tete with Stalin, with the help of ...

Spreading the word that Latin lives, a monk comes to New York

Fri, 24 May 2013 00:24:44 GMT

NEW YORK, May 24 — “Quomodo dicis latine life-jacket?” quipped one of the Latin-speaking passengers on a tour boat circumnavigating Manhattan on a rainy Sunday morning in May, just after the captain’s safety announcement. “How do you say life-jacket in Latin?” Luckily, one of the greatest living experts in spoken Latin was on hand with the answer, ...

Swiss researchers take a step to unlocking mystery of ageing

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:09:19 GMT

GENEVA, May 23 – Swiss researchers said yesterday that they had taken a step closer to unlocking the mystery of ageing after discovering the impact of a longevity gene in mice and then managing to extend the life-span of worms by 60 per cent thanks to a basic antibiotic treatment. “They were not only living longer, but were also more fit,” said ...

China urbanisation plan hits roadblock over spending fears

Thu, 23 May 2013 11:26:49 GMT

BEIJING, May 23 – China’s plan to spend US$6.5 trillion (RM19.74 trillion) on urbanisation to bolster the economy is running into snags, sources close to the government said, as top leaders fear another spending binge could push up local debt levels and inflate a property bubble. Premier Li Keqiang has rejected an urbanisation proposal drafted by ...

Men find relaxed women more attractive, study suggests

Thu, 23 May 2013 03:55:24 GMT

NEW YORK, May 22 ― Researchers found that women who have higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol are rated as having less attractive faces by men than their more relaxed counterparts. Since stress can suppress fertility, study researcher Markus Rantala, a professor of biology at the University of Turku in Finland, told LiveScience, it’s no ...

Porn star’s calligraphy sparks art debate in China

Thu, 23 May 2013 03:22:18 GMT

SHANGHAI, May 23 — Calligraphy by Japanese porn star Sola Aoi has sparked a culture war in China, where she has a huge fan base, with purists dismissing the work as “unskilled” after it was reportedly auctioned for US$95,000 (RM285,000). Eight Chinese characters the actress wrote with brush and ink at a theme park in the eastern city of Ningbo ...

Oxytocin: The love hormone

Wed, 22 May 2013 23:23:42 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, May 23 ― How do we form bonds and social connections? What makes people fall in love and what happens in our body’s biochemical processes during sex? Why are some people more loving than others? Recent developments in anti-ageing medicine have recently begun to shed light on these questions, revealing that an amino acid known as ...

French split over English at universities

Wed, 22 May 2013 23:10:35 GMT

PARIS, May 23 — Defenders of the French language are furious at plans to introduce courses taught in English at public universities, arguing that France must protect itself against linguistic encroachment or risk losing its cultural identity. Parliament started to debate the issue on Tuesday as part of a bill on a broader reform of higher ...

When it comes to deadly viruses, what’s in a name?

Wed, 22 May 2013 14:52:42 GMT

LONDON, May 22 — For a pathogen with such a short history, the mysterious new virus killing people in the Middle East and Europe has already had an amazing array of names. It first surfaced last year as “human betacoronavirus 2c EMC”, but the suffixes “2c England-Qatar, “2C Jordan-N3”, “England 1” have also appeared and many scientists have ...

Study: High heels don’t cause bunions

Wed, 22 May 2013 07:29:40 GMT

BOSTON, May 22 — High-heeled shoes are known to shorten calf muscles, cause pain, and even trigger migraines, but according to new research, they won’t lead to bunions. For that, you can thank your parents. The study, led Dr. Marian Hannan from Hebrew SeniorLife and Harvard Medical School in Boston, included 1,370 participants enrolled in the ...

Kids using ‘study drugs’ but parents not paying attention, say researchers

Wed, 22 May 2013 06:18:12 GMT

LANSING, May 22 — A dangerous trend on the rise among teenagers in the US is the use of “study drugs” — a prescription stimulant or amphetamine — to cram for exams. But a new study released May 20 shows that most parents aren’t paying attention. Researchers from the University of Michigan in the US surveyed 710 parents of teens between the ages of ...

High-tech fabric ‘sucks sweat’ from your body

Wed, 22 May 2013 04:51:26 GMT

LOS ANGELES, May 22 — While fitness fans have a range of technical moisture-wicking fabrics to choose from, scientists are creating something altogether different: a fabric that can “suck sweat” from the body and release it in the form of droplets, keeping you completely dry during your workouts. Developed at the University of California, Davis, ...

Hong Kong hails the return of the duck

Wed, 22 May 2013 03:27:09 GMT

HONG KONG, May 22 — Hong Kong yesterday joyfully welcomed the return of a giant inflatable rubber duck, which drew tens of thousands of visitors before it was abruptly deflated for maintenance for almost a week. The southern Chinese city has taken the 16.5-metre-tall yellow inflatable duck, conceived by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman, to its heart ...

Accidental find shows Vitamin C kills tuberculosis

Wed, 22 May 2013 02:54:47 GMT

NEW YORK, May 22 — Scientists said yesterday they had managed to kill lab-grown tuberculosis (TB) bacteria with good old Vitamin C — an “unexpected” discovery they hope will lead to better, cheaper drugs. A team from Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York made the accidental find while researching how TB bacteria become resistant to the ...

Options and opportunities at Methodist College Kuala Lumpur

Wed, 22 May 2013 01:18:33 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, May 22 — Looking at Ali Mustafa Hamid today, you would never have guessed that he spent his early years in war-torn Iraq. Wearing a confident smile, this 20-year-old looks like any other student at Methodist College Kuala Lumpur (MCKL), where he scored 3A*s and 1A for his A-Levels. “Life was hard in Iraq. I was born in 1993 when ...

Study: Morning workouts could help you get better quality sleep

Tue, 21 May 2013 23:50:10 GMT

RALEIGH, May 22 — If you want to sleep well, exercise in the morning, a new study suggests. Researchers from Appalachian State University in North Carolina recruited 20 adults on separate days to perform a moderate, 30-minute workout at 7 am, 1 pm, or 7 pm, reports Runner’s World on Monday. Researchers monitored the subjects’ sleep each ...

Dove ‘Sketches’ most-watched online ad

Tue, 21 May 2013 14:45:40 GMT

NEW YORK, May 21 — Unilever claimed bragging rights yesterday to the most-watched Internet commercial of all time — a three-minute study of women’s self-perception that stars a forensic artist. The Anglo-Dutch consumer products giant said its “Dove Real Beauty Sketches” has been seen more than 114 million times on YouTube and other video platforms ...

The ABCDEs of spotting melanoma

Tue, 21 May 2013 14:35:12 GMT

SYDNEY, May 21 — As Melanoma Awareness Month, May marks a good time to keep a close eye on your skin for melanoma, all while slathering on the sunscreen. The World Health Organization cites a rise in deadly melanoma throughout the Western world, especially in countries where skin is typically fair or where tanning is the norm, such as in Northern ...

Kora Organics by Miranda Kerr arrives on Net-à-Porter

Tue, 21 May 2013 11:23:23 GMT

SYDNEY, May 21 — Organic beauty fans will be pleased to hear that the Australian supermodel’s range of skincare is now available via the Net-à-Porter online shop. Organic beauty brand Kora Organics has released an exclusive Revitalizing Body Pack containing Enriched Body Lotion (jojoba, noni extract and cocoa butter), Energising Citrus Mist ...

Your mobile phone use may reveal your ‘dominant brain’

Tue, 21 May 2013 10:47:40 GMT

A new study suggests that people with left-brain dominance tend to listen to their mobile phones with their right ear, and vice-versa. According to a report in HealthDay News on Friday, 95 per cent of the human population is left-brain dominant, and those people tend to be right-handed. The dominant side of your brain is where your speech and ...

More poor people now live in US suburbs than cities

Tue, 21 May 2013 10:29:26 GMT

WASHINGTON, May 21 — The number of people living in poverty in US suburbs surpassed the number of poor in cities over the past decade, driven by strong growth in overall suburban populations, according to an analysis released yesterday. The change is posing a challenge to some traditional US approaches to fighting poverty, which were aimed ...

In the Hamptons, catering to the rich (and their dogs) is good business

Tue, 21 May 2013 05:04:09 GMT

HAMPTON, May 21 — Judging by early demand for everything from doggie daycare to Ferrari rentals and fine art, rich Americans are going to make this a strong summer in one of their favorite playgrounds - the beach towns on the eastern end of Long Island collectively known as the Hamptons. With stock prices surging, home prices recovering, and ...

Man climbs onto dome of St Peter’s to protest Italian politics

Tue, 21 May 2013 01:40:00 GMT

VATICAN CITY, May 21 — A man climbed onto a ledge on the dome of St Peter’s Basilica yesterday and unfurled a banner protesting against a “political horror show”, an apparent reference to Italy’s embattled coalition struggling with recession and high unemployment. Identified by police as Marcello Di Finizio, the man unfurled a white banner ...

Illinois Senate approves marijuana for medical uses

Tue, 21 May 2013 01:27:50 GMT

ILIINOIS, May 21 — The Illinois Senate last week voted to approve the use of marijuana for medical purposes, which if signed into law would make it the second-most-populous state in the nation after California to allow the drug’s use for medical purposes. The bill, approved by the Illinois House in April, now moves to Governor Pat Quinn’s desk to ...

Marijuana waste helps turn pot-eating pigs into tasty pork

Tue, 21 May 2013 01:22:31 GMT

WASHINGTON, May 21 — With Washington state about to embark on a first-of-its-kind legal market for recreational marijuana, the budding ranks of new cannabis growers face a quandary over what to do with the excess stems, roots and leaves from their plants. Susannah Gross, who owns a five-acre farm north of Seattle, is part of a group experimenting ...

What’s in a name? US starts using Myanmar as well as Burma

Tue, 21 May 2013 01:10:46 GMT

WASHINGTON, May 21 — The Southeast Asian nation formerly known as Burma received further backing from the White House yesterday in its campaign to be called Myanmar. Successive US governments have refused to acknowledge the name change made in the late 1980s by the country’s military rulers. The United States for years deliberately referred to ...

A gnome grows in Chelsea — at the flower show, that is

Tue, 21 May 2013 01:02:18 GMT

LONDON, May 21 — Some spectators at London’s Chelsea Flower Show wouldn’t be caught dead with one in the boot of their Bentley, but garden gnomes have turned up at the show’s 100th edition this year, for charity. The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), which runs Chelsea in the grounds of the Christopher Wren-built Royal Hospital Chelsea, has ...

Putting group fitness classes in the proper light

Tue, 21 May 2013 00:30:11 GMT

LONDON, May 21 — Fitness experts are shining a new light on group classes from Zumba to yoga because they believe the right lighting can transform the four walls of a fitness studio from a dance party to a meditation space, and back again. “Because of the theatrical nature of group fitness classes, lighting is key to differentiate programming,” ...

Don’t wear socks, hot Pakistanis told amid power crisis

Tue, 21 May 2013 00:11:45 GMT

ISLAMABAD, May 21 — Pakistan has told civil servants not to wear socks as the country turns off air-conditioners amid a chronic power crisis and soaring temperatures. The government has turned off all air-conditioning in its offices as the country endures blackouts of up to 20 hours a day in some places. “There shall be no more use of ...

Tom Bachik: Nails are the it accessory right now

Mon, 20 May 2013 23:40:49 GMT

CANNES, May 21 — L’Oréal Paris global nail artist Tom Bachik is in Cannes for the famous film festival. We caught up with the former graphic artist and skater turned nail art magician to the stars. Cannes celebrity red carpet looks “Because it’s red carpet we’re keeping things very classic, chic and elegant.” According to Bachik this means ...

Video fitness game can help keep kids fit

Mon, 20 May 2013 23:28:18 GMT

LONDON, May 21 — If your kids are fans of exergames such as Kinect Sports and Wii Fit, good news: research finds that they can help keep kids moving and off the couch. Dr. Louise Naylor and researchers from the University of Western Australia, Liverpool John Moores University, and Swansea University evaluated 15 children, between nine to 11 years ...

Tips for safely using eyelash extensions for lash lovers

Mon, 20 May 2013 23:15:55 GMT

LONDON, May 21 — For those wanting lush, fluttery lashes, cosmetic eyelash extensions – individual synthetic fibers glued onto the natural lashes one by one – can give you the Bambi effect. But eye experts warn that adhesive cosmetics can cause health problems, a topic that has been hot in the media in recent days. The American Academy of ...

Green Carpet Challenge hits Cannes

Mon, 20 May 2013 23:01:46 GMT

CANNES, May 21 — The luxury jeweller Chopard has teamed up with Livia Firth, creative director of EcoAge and founder of the Green Carpet Challenge, to create some environmentally friendly pieces for the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival. Caroline Scheufele, the artistic director and co-president of Chopard, was in Cannes with Livia and Colin ...

Roy Calne: The art in medicine

Mon, 20 May 2013 08:27:31 GMT

PETALING JAYA, May 20 – The disciplines of medicine and art have historically had a long and distinguished connection. Both are concerned with form, processes of observation, and require precise visual and manual skills. Ever since the Renaissance, when Da Vinci’s skilful anatomical drawings and the illustrations of revolutionary anatomist Andreas ...

Our emotions match music to colours

Mon, 20 May 2013 07:29:19 GMT

NEW YORK, May 20 — A new study finds that our brains are wired to make music-colour connections depending on how the melodies make us feel. Mozart’s jaunty “Flute Concerto No. 1 in G major” is most often associated with bright yellow and orange, whereas his somber “Requiem in D minor” is linked to bluish gray, the findings revealed. US researchers ...

Crisis not all bad for doting Greek mothers

Mon, 20 May 2013 05:06:37 GMT

ATHENS, May 20 — In a society where family ties traditionally play a prominent role, Greece’s deep economic crisis apparently offers a few Greek mothers a reason to be happy. While financial hardship may have forced many to seek their fortune abroad, it has also obliged an increasing number of young people to return to the family nest, where they ...

Swimmers get a HUD data-tracking device of their own

Mon, 20 May 2013 03:59:45 GMT

SAN DIAGO, May 20 — Google has Glass and Recon Instruments just unveiled its HUD (heads up display) sport sunglasses for runners and cyclists, but now swimmers can also get into the data-tracking action. Instabeat is a HUD unit that you can attach to a pair of swimming goggles to monitor your heart rate, calories burned, laps, and turns during ...

Coca-Cola ‘recipe’ finds teen buyer — at RM45m

Mon, 20 May 2013 02:43:31 GMT

WASHINGTON, May 20 — What could be a World War II era recipe for Coca-Cola’s secret formula found a buyer last Wednesday on eBay — a 15-year-old who now has three days to come up with US$15 million (RM45 million) to pay for it. Georgia antiques dealer Cliff Kluge listed the yellowing typewritten document—found among papers at a Tennessee estate ...

Parking meter ‘Robin Hoods’ provoke New Hampshire city’s ire

Mon, 20 May 2013 02:09:30 GMT

LITTLETON (New Hampshire), May 20 — In December James Cleaveland made an unusual New Year’s resolution: to do all he could to keep police in the city of Keene, New Hampshire, from issuing parking tickets. Cleaveland and a group of friends took to the streets with pocketfuls of change and began shadowing the city’s three parking enforcement ...

Greying China taps rural elderly to care for those even older

Mon, 20 May 2013 01:49:58 GMT

QIATUN, May 20 — Two years short of 70, Zhang Guosheng spends his days caring for an 81-year-old fellow villager - washing his clothes, bringing meals to his bed, and keeping him company - a routine he’ll keep up until he himself needs the type of care he is now giving. “Living here is better than staying at home alone. We help each other and ...

Germans blame euro zone crisis for Eurovision debacle

Mon, 20 May 2013 01:42:52 GMT

BERLIN, May 20 — Germans lamented their unexpectedly poor showing at the Eurovision Song Contest, blaming Chancellor Angela Merkel’s tough stance in the euro zone crisis for their failure to win any points from 34 of the 39 countries voting. Denmark’s Emmelie de Forest won the event, watched by around 125 million people across Europe, with 281 ...

Bentley launches a home decor collection

Mon, 20 May 2013 00:24:54 GMT

LONDON, May 20 — Luxury carmaker Bentley enters the world of home decoration and design with the new Bentley Home collection, designed in collaboration with Luxury Living Group. “For more than 90 years Bentley has produced the world’s finest hand-crafted car interiors—now we are making our approach to luxury available to people’s homes and ...

Peru cracks down on junk food in schools

Sun, 19 May 2013 23:44:53 GMT

LIMA, May 20 — Peru’s president signed a new law last week designed to reduce child obesity by encouraging healthier eating habits in schools. The law regulates advertising for fatty foods and fizzy soft drinks in schools, the first step in a plan to ban some junk food altogether. Business groups, worried about their revenue, have reacted angrily ...

Road trips good for relationships

Sun, 19 May 2013 23:31:37 GMT

NEW YORK, May 20 — A survey reveals that taking a road trip can be good for strengthening a couple’s relationship. So claim 90 per cent of respondents when asked if taking a road trip with their partner had proved beneficial, with 77 per cent of couples saying they actively look forward to time spent driving together. The “Love on the Road” ...

Max Factor launches ‘72-hour’ mascara

Sun, 19 May 2013 23:18:32 GMT

LONDON, May 20 — Ever wished your mascara could be completely sleepproof? Fans of clean pillows everywhere will be excited to hear that Max Factor has come to the rescue with a new mascara it says works like a long-lasting lash tint. The Lashfinity 3 Day Mascara is completely waterproof, meaning it won’t come off in the shower or in the sea (good ...

Amid frenzy over map apps, new focus on 16th century world view

Sat, 18 May 2013 23:24:05 GMT

WASHINGTON, May 19 — As online titans compete to deliver instant maps to smartphones, the Library of Congress in Washington is focusing attention on an antique “cosmology” printed in 1507 that serves as America’s birth certificate. The black-and-white map created by Martin Waldseemuller, a French cleric, was the first time the name America had ...