Man with History!

Less then nine months into taking oath as the President of the United States, Barack Obama was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace. The prize was awarded for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between people. The President himself said that he was surprised and deeply humbled by the decision of the Norwegian Nobel Committee to award him the Nobel. Riding on wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, we feel that the honour was too early for Obama as he hasn't done anything significant to usher peace. Barack Obama remains in the news-for good or not so good.

10 Space Finds of 2009

At number 10 is the finding that a new computer model has suggested that the outer crusts of so-called neutron stars are ten billion times stronger than steel, and are in fact, the strongest known material in the universe.

The number 9 top space discovery of the year is that Jupiter's moon Europa may harbor fish-sized life in its oceans.
A provocative new research suggested that the amount of oxygen in the ocean would be enough to support more than just microscopic life-forms, with at least three million tons of fishlike creatures theoretically living and breathing on Europa.

At number 8 is the discovery of 32 new planets outside our solar system, bringing the massive haul of new worlds to more than 400.

The number 7 top space discovery of the year is that pictures taken in Summer 2008 showed strange globs on the leg of the Phoenix Mars lander that seemed to behave like liquid water, which could be the first proof that modern Mars hosts liquid water
This substance is probably saline mud that splashed up as the craft landed, study leader and Phoenix co-investigator Nilton Renno of the University of Michigan had told National Geographic News.
Salt in the mud then absorbed water vapor from the atmosphere, forming the watery drops, according to Renno.

At number 6 is the finding that Gliese 581d, the most Earthlike planet yet found, may have liquid oceans.

At number 5 is the discovery that the oldest of the subatomic particles called neutrinos might each encompass a space larger than thousands of galaxies.

The number 4 top space discovery of the year is that high-resolution pictures of a Martian valley revealed three-billion-year-old shorelines along what was once a body of water about the size of Lake Champlain, which is the first proof of ancient Mars lakeshores.

At number 3 is the finding of water on the Moon, when NASA crashed a two-ton rocket into a permanently shadowed crater on the moon's south pole in October.

At number 2 is the finding of a green 'two-tailed' comet that buzzed by Earth on a one-time visit in late February.

The number 1 space discovery of the year is that the Sun's oddly quiet phase might be indicative of the next 'little ice age'

Medical Miracles!!(India)

1. MATTERS OF THE HEART
First coronary artery graft, 1975

The first successful coronary artery graft was done in 1975 at the Southern Railway Hospital, Perambur, in Chennai by Dr K.M. Cherian. Twenty years later in 1995, aided by the most advanced technology, cardiac care and surgical skills, he performed the first heart transplant at his International Centre for Cardio-thoracic and Vascular Diseases, Chennai. This was made possible only after the legislation for brain death and the law permitting transplantation of human organs was passed in the country. With phenomenal experience and far-sightedness, he also conducted the first bilateral lung transplant, the first paediatric heart transplant as well as the first heart and lung transplant.

2. PRODUCT OF LABOUR
First test tube baby

The first test tube baby in India was born in Kolkata on October 3, 1978. Dr Subhash Mukhopadhyay claimed the child was the first through vitrofertilisation.

Ridiculed by the scientific community, the physiologist is heading back to anonymity (

Tragically, he hung himself on June 19, 1981, while his contribution was finally recognised in 2005.

3. SWEET MEDICINE
First genetically-engineered vaccine

In 1997, Shantha Biotechnics, Hyderabad, founded by electronics engineer K.I. Varaprasad Reddy, launched India's first genetically engineered vaccine for Hepatitis-B, at half the price charged by the MNCs in India.

4. LIFE GUARD
Organ transplant

The first successful liver transplant was performed on twoyear-old Sanjay Kandaswamy at the Indraprastha Apollo in Delhi in 1998.

The transplantation of solid human organs was undoubtedly one of the greatest medical breakthroughs of this century.

But still, the shortage of donors and organs has impeded the necessary thrust that is required to save more lives.

In the West there is a 20 per cent acceptance rate of those agreeing to donate organs

5. LINE OF SIGHT
Eye Transplant, 1998

Eye specialists Virendra Sangwan and Geeta Vemuganti at the L.V. Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad, grew corneas in a petridish in 1998 using adult stem cells extracted from the oral mucosa of a patient and transplanted it to restore sight.

The pathfinding work promises to save huge sums incurred on immunosuppressants that patients have to take after the transplant.

6. TECH BEATS
Catheterisation Lab, 2002

The development of the indigenous cardiac catheterisation laboratory (Cath Lab) in 2002 to undertake a coronary angiogram and perform an angioplasty has cut back the cost of setting up such a facility as well as the fee that the patient pays for cardiac risk assessment and treatment.

With continuous technological advancements, the Cath Lab is becoming more flexible and offering a variety of features not just for imaging the heart but also for other areas of the human body.

7. SUSTAINING LIFE
Coronary Bypass Surgery, 2002

A team of surgeons at the Wockhardt Hospital and Heart Institute, Bangalore, led by Vivek Jawali, performed the first minimal invasive coronary bypass surgery in 2002 without putting the patient under general anaesthesia or ventilator support. The 78-year-old patient, a smoker, had multiple complications including diabetes, renal problem and blockages in the carotid arteries supplying blood to the brain. His lungs were unable to tolerate general anaesthesia and the multiorgan dysfunction made him unfit for the heart lung machine.

8. FIGHTING THE ODDS
Response Modifier Therapy, 2003

The therapy was introduced to boost or restore the ability of the immune system to fight cancer, infections and other diseases. It is also being used to lessen certain sideeffects that may be caused by some cancer treatments. Agents used in the therapy include monoclonal antibodies, growth factor and vaccines.

9. FUTURE PERFECT
Stem Cell Banking, 2004

Stem cell banking came of age in 2004 with the launch of the first family cord blood bank in India to usher in the revolutionary breakthrough of umbilical cord stem cell banking.

LifeCell in Chennai was opened with a tie-up with Cryo-Cell International, USA, the world's biggest cord blood bank. The cells are banked for 21 years for a fee. It doesn't present an ethical dilemma unlike the umbilical cord which has always been discarded as biomedical waste.

10. CALL FOR HELP
Ambulance Service, 2004

The introduction of the well-equipped ambulance service in 2004 by the Emergency Management Research Institute, founded by B.Ramalinga Raju of Satyam Computers, is changing the paradigm in emergency care.

Access to the unique service is through the common number 108 in 12 states.The public-private partnership model of ownership and management makes it a sustainable system that is poised to outstrip similar services abroad. The service has 652 ambulances taking victims to 3,300 registered hospitals.