Belated Woman's Day Wishes

Smallest Woman in The World

Happiness isn't what you are, it's who you are

British and Australian scientists have found that a person's genes can predispose them towards happiness. Reporting in the journal Psychological Science, the researchers found that genes account for 50 per cent of the factors contributing to an individual's satisfaction with life, with external influences such as health, wealth, relationships and career accounting for the other 50 per cent.
The team, from the University of Edinburgh and the Queensland Institute for Medical Research, conducted a study on more than 900 pairs of twins aged from 25 to 75 years old. Happiness was assessed through a questionnaire designed to determine certain personality traits such as a tendency not to worry excessively, or being sociable or conscientious. Previous research has indicated that these traits contribute towards an overall sense of contentment and well-being. By comparing the results from identical twins (who have exactly the same genes) and non-identical, fraternal twins (who share on average 50 per cent of their genes), the researchers were able to estimate how much genes influence certain characteristics compared to nurture and up-bringing. What they found 'was that the identical twins in a family were very similar in personality and in well-being and, by contrast, the fraternal twins were only around half as similar', said Dr Tim Bates, one of the Edinburgh researchers. He concluded: 'that strongly implicates genes'.
Importantly, the study found that with identical twins, the siblings' similar outlook on life did not depend on their current life circumstances. So even if one twin could be perceived as being more successful than the other, or as living a more desirable lifestyle, they would both nonetheless feel similarly contented with their lot. Their shared genetic make-up inclines them towards similar levels of satisfaction, regardless of differing life situations. Dr Bates explained: 'it is a genetic link to
personality, rather than a particular happiness gene...which is partly responsible for our levels of happiness'. The researchers believe that certain genetically-defined characteristics may make a person more or less able to take stressful or difficult times in their stride. Those genetically predisposed towards contentment may find it easier to get through these times and find future happiness. Dr Alexander Weiss, also of the Edinburgh team, summarised: 'although happiness is subject to a wide range of external influences we have found that there is a heritable component of happiness which can be entirely explained by the genetic architecture of personality'. Although these findings are important, other psychologists have emphasised that it does not mean a person's state of mind is set in stone by their genes. Dr Carol Craig of the Centre for Confidence and Wellbeing in
Glasgow told The Scotsman newspaper: 'genes may be significant, but there are things everyone can do to improve their happiness'.

Punjab Da Puttar

At just 2ft 9in, Indian muscleman Aditya 'Romeo' Dev is the world's smallest bodybuilder. Pint-sized Romeo is well-known in his hometown of Phagwara, India - for his ability to lift 1.5kg dumbbells - despite his overall 9kg body weight. Every day, crowds flock to the local gym to the see the mini-muscleman in training.Unlike many dwarfs, Romeo is well proportioned, with a head circumference of 15in and a chest measurement of 20in.
Romeo said: "I've been training as a bodybuilder for the last two years and by now I think I must be the strongest dwarf in the world. "I have always been fit but since I started working out, I have become famous for my strength. "My size has never stopped me. I train with dumbbells and do aerobics and dance. People are always pleased to see me. I have been invited on TV shows and dance on stage."
His trainer Ranjeet Pal spents hours helping his 19-year-old protege build his small muscles to perfection. "Because of his small size, I don't assign him hard exercises. But Romeo trains more or less the same as anyone else and he's much more determined.
"When he first started, I insisted he did a month of basic exercises like aerobics, push-ups and basic gymnastics to prepare his body."After that, I made lightweight dumbbells and taught him basic weight-lifting exercises to shape his biceps and triceps. His size and his weight were taken care of so that he never hurt himself." Determined Romeo is hoping to have an entertainment career after performing in many local TV shows. He said: "I earn good money through my dance and bodybuilding shows but being rich doesn't interest me. "My dream is to travel a lot - I want to perform in London with my idol, Jazzy-B."

Human Infertility May Be Explained By Evolutionary Phenomenon In Mice

Scientists at the University of Liverpool have found that field mice have evolved a unique way of ensuring faster fertilisation, a phenomenon which could explain some cases of infertility in humans.

The team, in collaboration with Charles University, Prague, found that field mice sacrifice some of their immunity protection in favour of a more rapid fertilisation process. This occurs due to the absence of a protein, called CD46. Present in both animals and humans, it helps protect the body's cells from attack by its immune system. Over time, field mice have lost the ability to produce this protein, resulting in instability of a cap-like structure, called the acrosome, present over the head of the sperm.

This instability allows the acrosome to be shed from the sperm head to create a new surface essential for sperm to be capable of fusing with an egg. This is a natural process that can take days to occur in humans, but field mice have developed a way in which this can occur rapidly.

Immunologist, Professor Peter Johnson, explains: "Field mice have traded the production of an immunologically important protein in favour of this faster fertilization process in order to compete with other mice more successfully. Female mice produce multiple eggs and if there are a lot of male mice competing for her, then it is an advantage to an individual mouse for its sperm to react quickly in order to beat other male competitors to fertilisation."

"By improving our understanding of defects in CD46 we may improve treatments for infertility in men. Humans normally produce a single egg each month and there is no evolutionary necessity to develop rapid sperm reaction to egg fertilisation. The process is therefore much slower and so any defect in CD46 could result in sperm being destabilised too early.

"Interestingly the rapid reaction caused in mice is similar to that in IVF treatment in humans where the acronome is artificially expelled from the sperm head before it is introduced to the egg to speed up the fertilisation process. Field mice appear to do this naturally."

The Spam Filter

Contemporary Canada