NASA discovers 715 new planets

LONDON: Nasa's Kepler mission has found 715 new planets in what is the largest number of planets discovered in a single go. 

Nearly 95% of them are smaller than Neptune which is almost four times the size of Earth. 

These newly-verified worlds orbit 305 stars revealing multiple-planet systems much like our own solar system. 

This discovery marks a significant increase in the number of known small-sized planets akin to Earth than previously identified exoplanets which are planets outside our solar system. It also brings the confirmed count of planets outside our solar system to nearly 1,700. 

Four of these new planets are nearly 2.5 times the size of Earth and orbit in their sun's habitable zone defined as the range of distance from a star where the surface temperature of a planet may be suitable for life. 

Launched in March 2009, Kepler is the first NASA mission to find potentially habitable Earth-size planets. Discoveries include more than 3,600 planet candidates of which 961 have been verified as bona-fide worlds. 

"The Kepler team continues to amaze and excite us with their planet hunting results," said John Grunsfeld from Nasa's Science Mission Directorate. 

"That these new planets and solar systems look somewhat like our own portends a great future when we have the James Webb Space Telescope in space to characterize the new worlds," he added. 

To verify this bounty of planets a research team co-led by Jack Lissauer, planetary scientist at Nasa analyzed stars with more than one potential planet all of which were detected in the first two years of Kepler's observations - May 2009 to March 2011. 

The research team used a technique called verification by multiplicity which relies in part on the logic of probability.

Surprising ways to a healthy heart

You've been told to cut down on junk fare and exercise regularly. But there are surprising ways to ensure your heart and blood vessels function fine

So you're aware of the standard ways of lowering your risk of heart disease and stroke: quit smoking, shed those extra kilos, exercise, lower your blood pressure and cholesterol. But recent studies suggest some possible preventive measures that are not quite common. Here are five surprising ways to keep your heart and blood vessels healthy.

Have dark chocolate 
A number of studies suggest that eating dark chocolate decreases your risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke.

Another study found that those who eat small amounts of dark chocolate, had lower levels of a protein in their blood that is associated with inflammation. Other research suggests chocolate consumption may lower blood pressure, help prevent formation of artery plaque and improve blood flow. The benefits from chocolate may come from flavonoids, compounds in chocolate thought to help protect cells against damage. They are present in higher amounts in dark chocolate. Another study found that dark chocolate helps to inhibit an enzyme known as ACE, which is involved in regulating blood flow.

Stay away from traffic 
According to a recent study that found an association between traffic noise and risk of stroke, the sound of horns, and noisy trucks may take a toll on your blood vessels. Besides, the exposure to loud noise may increase the body's stress hormone levels, and increase blood pressure, which might contribute to the uptick in stroke risk.

Get enough sleep
Getting too little or too much sleep may increase the risk of heart disease and stroke. The results showed that those who slept six or fewer hours per night had a 48 per cent higher risk of developing or dying from heart disease, and a 15 per cent higher risk of developing or dying from stroke, than those who slept seven or eight hours per night. Too little shut eye may increase blood pressure and cholesterol, and put people at risk for obesity and Type 2 diabetes. But the study showed getting too much sleep was bad for the heart as well. Those who slept nine or more hours had a 41 per cent higher risk of developing and dying of heart disease than those who slept seven or eight hours.

Eat blueberries 
Anthocyanins, found in foods such as blueberries, orange juice and eggplant are antioxidants. In a study, those who ate at least one serving of blueberries per week were 10 per cent less likely than those who ate no blueberries to develop high blood pressure. The researchers analysed the diets of 134,000 women and 47,000 men over a 14-year period. They studied to see how much anthocyanin, the subjects consumed.

The study participants who had the highest amount of anthocyanins in their diets had an eight per cent lower risk of high blood pressure than those who ate the least amount of anthocyanins. This does not mean you opt for blueberry cakes.

Beware of the fizz
A recent study found, consuming diet sodas may increase your risk of stroke. The study, found that those who drank diet soda every day had a 48 per cent higher risk of stroke and heart attack than those who did not drink any soda at all. The results held true even after the researchers accounted for factors that might influence heart disease and stroke risks, such as whether or not the patient had metabolic syndrome or a history of heart disease. However, the researchers cautioned, the study only showed an association, and not a cause-effect link.

Want to Boost Brain Power ? Watch Activity videos : Neurologists

NEW YORK: Watching activity videos before carrying simple tasks may boost the brain's plasticity and increase motor skills, shows research. 

Brain plasticity is the brain's ability to flex and adapt, allowing for better learning. 

The brain loses plasticity as it ages. 

"The study lends that even as an adult, your brain is able to better learn skills just by watching the activity take place. With a dramatic increase of videos available through mobile phones, computers, and other newer technology, this topic should be the focus of more research," explained Paolo Preziosa from San Raffaele Hospital in Milan, Italy. 

The results might also contribute to reducing disability and improving quality of those who are impaired or who are undergoing physical rehabilitation. 

The researchers put 36 right-handed healthy adults in 40-minute training sessions five times a week for two weeks. 

Half the group watched videos of a specific task, such as writing with a pen, cutting with scissors or handling coins, then were asked to complete the task themselves. 

The other half watched videos of landscapes and then were asked to complete the same tasks. 

The groups were tested for strength and hand skills and also underwent 3-D MRI brain scans. 

The researchers found that the group who completed the training along with watching the activity videos had 11 times greater improvement of motor skill abilities - mainly in terms of strength - compared to those who watched the landscape videos. 

The detailed study is scheduled to be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 66th Annual Meeting in Philadelphia April 26-May 3.

Female Orgasm: How to Achieve it?

Why is a female orgasm harder to come by? Experts fill you in

The female orgasm has forever been both a complex and an elusive phenomenon. Two recent studies in the US on orgasm rates for men and women in casual hook-ups revisit its mysterious ways. They confer that women aren't climaxing in casual flings nearly as often as they do in serious relationships. In one study, for instance, of 24,000 students across 21 colleges, 40 per cent of women were found to have had an orgasm during their last hook-up involving sex, against 80 per cent of men.

Be it the fact that men's privates are easier to arouse than a woman's, or a woman having to make do with a sexually inept partner, there's no denying that women — despite being blessed with the ability to have multiple orgasms — have a harder, longer road to the big O than a man. We get three experts to explain why there's an orgasm gap between men and women.

Dr Debby Herbenick, PhD, research scientist at Indiana University and author of Sex Made Easy
Vaginal intercourse is the most common sexual behaviour that men and women engage in together, and it's easier for men to have orgasms from intercourse than it is for women to do so. Some women find it easier to orgasm, or they orgasm more quickly, when they receive oral sex or when they or their partner stimulates them with fingers or a vibrator.

Some women feel pressured by their partner to have an orgasm. "Faking" an orgasm can feel easier than explaining to a partner in the heat of the moment that it just isn't going to happen. Some women who fake orgasms, say they do so because they don't want to hurt their partner's feelings or that they want sex to end. As for how an orgasm is worked up and triggered, both women and men have multiple pathways to orgasm, much of which is still poorly understood.

Communication can help both parties learn how to please their partners. It's not that either sex is "inept" but it helps to talk more openly about desire, likes, dislikes, and how we want to be pleasured. Orgasms are important to both women and men, but not necessarily every time they have sex. Intimacy and feeling connected are some of the most important parts of sex for both men and women.

Dr W Minder , sexpert 
Often, a woman doesn't reach an orgasm because the man may be suffering from premature ejaculation or he may be in a tearing hurry to get things done. I feel lack of foreplay plays a big factor in not arousing the woman enough to get her to go all the way. That and a man's indifference towards her need to have an orgasm as well. When it comes to how we are wired, man essentially works on a one-track mind which is focussed on ejaculation. Women however crave for a more wholesome experience, and often, also, a more emotionally involved one. Unlike men, women can have multiple orgasms but there are shortcomings on both sides that lead to the woman not climaxing. In any case, orgasms have only recently been hyped by the media as the be-all and end-all of a sexual encounter. It doesn't have to be that way. In fact, the truly happy couples are those that enjoy their sex lives without bothering about orgasms.

Dr J Anderson, consultant andrologist
For women, it's often harder to reach an orgasm because of various psycho-social issues apart from their partners' sexual ineptness. Anatomically, male and female bodies co-relate to each other and ideally both should be able to have orgasms as easily. With men, sex is more active and obvious. If he is aroused, he gets an erection and if he has an orgasm, he ejaculates. Women though don't have a definite marker for orgasm. That's why women can easily fake it just to go with the flow.

Women need more stimulation and for a longer duration, so it all comes down to technique. While women are capable of having as many orgasms, it's more vulnerable to external factors. Also, our society is male-biased to an extent where a woman's sexuality is considered less important. Somewhere, women too may feel unimportant about having an orgasm, or guilty about bringing up the issue of not having one. Sex and orgasm is still largely suppressed for women, but this is changing now. Though orgasms don't have to be such a big deal, it's hard for couples today to escape the big hype that's spun around the big O.