Alcohol gene

Scientists from the University of California at San Francisco and University of W?rzburg in Germany have found a ‘hangover’ gene in fruitflies responsible for developing tolerance to drinking alcohol and its stressful effects. According to them, a similar pathway linking alcohol tolerance and stress probably functions in humans. This may explain why stressed-up people drink more to feel tipsy and become more addicted to it, says the study published in Nature.

Unique triplet

Using Yepun, one of the telescopes in the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope array, astronomers at the University of California at Berkeley have discovered a unique set of triplets: a 280-kilometre-wide asteroid, 87 Sylvia, with two moons orbiting it, reports Nature. The rare combination is the first of its kind ever observed.

Thought reader

Scientists at the University College London and University of California have monitored people’s thoughts via scanning of electrical activity in the brain cells. This told them what kind of images people were looking at or sounds they were listening to. Such research may act as a stepping stone to build a mind-reading machine or help paralysed people to communicate with others in future.

Rice secret

Scientists from 10 countries have unscrambled the complete genetic structure of rice. This can lead to its new varieties, increasing the yields by 30 per cent over the next 20 years, reports Nature. The scientists have revealed how 400 million of ‘letters’, or information carriers, are arranged on the rice DNA.