Bytes

simple remedy: Garlic not only keeps the vampires at bay, but also pests such as slugs and snails, which cause millions of dollars worth of damage in countries with cool or temperate climates. Scientists from the uk-based University of Newcastle upon Tyne have found that the pungent herb could act as an ecofriendly pesticide. They assert that garlic adversely affects the creatures' nervous systems. They believe oils in the herb are the active component but they do not know whether they are acidic. The odour is thought to be what repels the pests. But the researchers add it is unlikely that gardens or crops in which the garlic oil is used would end up reeking.

weekend blues: Researchers have found that, in many places, the temperature range between the daily high and low changes on the weekend. And, as with some people, there seems to be a little hangover of this weekend effect on Mondays. Piers Forster and Susan Solomon of the US-based National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration noticed the