fishy plant: A team of Australian scientists has created a plant that yields the highly beneficial long-chain omega-3 fatty acids usually found in fish oil. Allan Green of CSIRO, an Australian research organisation in Canberra, and his team have developed a type of thale cress (Arabidopsis thaliana) by inserting genes from marine algae. The plant produces oil with omega-3, which is known to reduce the risk of heart disease and arthritis, besides being good for brain development.

shock therapy: Used mainly to treat kidney stones, shock waves may also help heal fractures, claim scientists. Joerg Hausdorf's team at the Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich, Germany, studied the effect of shock waves on bone cells. The scientists say the non-invasive technique may help treat fractures that are otherwise difficult to heal. It could perhaps even reduce the need for hip replacements.

Shock waves