10 MAY 2014

Ø  A life-size bronze statue of Mahatma Gandhi would be installed in Irving in Texas. A 7-foot tall and 30-inch wide bronze statue of Gandhi, which was cast in Andhra Pradesh, would be installed on a 6-foot tall pedestal.

Ø  Polar bears are the most fat-obsessed beasts but have healthy hearts and this may hold the genetic key for humans to avoid heart disease, promising new research has found. Up to half of the body weight of polar bears consists of fat and their blood cholesterol levels are high enough to cause cardiovascular disease in humans.

Ø  With as many as 597 million people practising open defecation, India still has the largest number of people defecating in open in the world, according to a new UN report. Despite having some of the highest numbers of open defecators, India does not feature among the countries making great strides in reducing open defecation. In contrast, India’s immediate neighbour Bangladesh and Vietnam, are among the top 10 countries that have achieved the highest reduction in open defecation since 1990. Vietnam, Bangladesh and Peru have reduced open defecation prevalence to single digits, according to the report.

Ø  Soon, an implantable device will reduce blood pressure by sending electrical signals to the brain. In a first, German researchers have successfully reduced the blood pressure in rats by 40 percent with this device without any major side effects.

Ø  Pranab Mukherjee will join the long list of Presidents who have chosen not to cast their vote and remain “neutral.”