Friday 14 June 2013

Prince William Is INDIAN ???

Revealed: William's Indian ancestry. DNA tests show future monarch has clear genetic line to the former 'Jewel in the Crown' from Diana's side


Indian King of England: DNA test show Prince William is of Indian descent
Indian King of England: DNA test show Prince William is of Indian descent
DNA testing has revealed that Prince William will become the first British monarch of Indian ancestry.
A clear genetic line has been drawn between the Duke of Cambridge and a half-Indian woman, potentially marking him as the first King whose bloodline is descended from the country.
Analysis of saliva samples on relatives of Prince William revealed the link between the second in line to the throne and a distant relative from his mother’s family. 
The revelation will prompt calls for the 30-year-old prince to make his maiden visit to India, following in the footsteps of his parents who travelled there in 1992.
The genetic link with India is believed to originate from Williams’s great-great-great-great-great grandmother Eliza Kewark.
Although often described as Armenian, DNA analysis has revealed that she was at least half-Indian and is known to have lived in the country’s western region.
Scottish scientists established the link after discovering that Eliza’s descendants carried a rare strand of DNA - known as mitochondrial DNA - which can only be passed on by a mother.
Only people from the Indian subcontinent have been found to carry the particular strand of DNA. It has been recorded in 14 other people - all Indian, apart from one Nepalese native.
The DNA is thought to have passed down to Prince William and his brother Harry, as the scientist behind the research described the genetic link as ‘unassailable’.
The tests were carried out by genetics expert Jim Wilson, from the University of Edinburgh and a group called BritainsDNA, who said that the princes would be unable to pass the DNA to their children.
Enlarge A clear genetic line has been drawn between the Duke of Cambridge and Eliza Kewark, who was at least half-Indian and is known to have lived in the country's western region
A clear genetic line has been drawn between the Duke of Cambridge and Eliza Kewark, who was at least half-Indian and is known to have lived in the country's western region
From mother to son: The DNA has been passed down from Diana's side of the family from Prince William's great-great-great-great-great grandmother Eliza Kewark who was half-Indian
From mother to son: The DNA has been passed down from Diana's side of the family from Prince William's great-great-great-great-great grandmother Eliza Kewark who was half-Indian
It has not been revealed which relations of William supplied the saliva samples to allow the DNA to be tested.
Princess Diana’s maternal aunt Mary Roach told The Times: ‘I always assumed that I was part-Armenian so I am delighted that I also have an Indian background.’

    Kewark was married to Scotsman Theodore Forbes, who left his wife and sent their daughter, Katherine, to live in Britain aged six.
    Letters sent from Kewark to her estranged husband were discovered by researchers in which she begged to be able to see her children again.
    Princess Diana pictured at the Taj Mahal during her visit to India in 1992
    Princess Diana wearing a garland during her visit to the Marie Stopes Clinic, in Agra, India, in 1992
    Princess Diana pictured at the Taj Mahal (left) and wearing a garland (right) during her visit to  India, in 1992 
    First and last: The DNA will not be passed on to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's child as the mitochondrial DNA is linked to the mother's side
    First and last: The DNA will not be passed on to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's child as the mitochondrial DNA is linked to the mother's side
    The communication suggests that Forbes turned his back on his wife, potentially due to her race, referring to her as his ‘housekeeper’ in his will after he died returning to Britain on a ship in 1820.
    He also described her as the ‘purported mother’ of Katherine.

    THE EVE GENE: THE ORIGINS AND MAKE-UP OF MITOCHONDRIAL DNA 

    Mitochondrial DNA, also known as the Eve Gene, is inherited solely from the mother in most species, including humans.
    Tracing the gene has become an important tool in anthropology and field biology as it allows scientists to study links between populations.
    It is believed to have evolved separately from nuclear DNA, deriving from the circular genomes of bacteria engulfed by the early ancestors of the modern-day eukaryotic cells.
    According to the Bradshaw Foundation, it is believed by some molecular biologists that at one stage the mitochondrion was a free-living organism with its own DNA.
    They say it also held the key for generating lots of energy. It then invaded single-celled nucleated organisms and has remained ever since.
    While males cannot pass the DNA on to their children, they do receive and use their mother's mitochondrial DNA.
    If the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge do decide to make a state visit to the country after the expected birth of the couple’s baby in July, the second in line to the throne will hope that their experience is more harmonious than his parents.
    Princess Diana was famously pictured sitting alone outside the Taj Mahal, an Indian landmark regarded as symbol of love, without her husband in sight.
    His direct genetic lineage could be seized upon by Buckingham Palace as a way of boosting the British monarchy’s popularity in the country.
    Alistair Moffat, the founder of BritainsDNA, said: ‘Knowing something about your DNA and its origins in prehistory definitely changes your sense of yourself, and one way that it does that is to make you feel part of a world community.’
    Theodore Forbes arrived in India in 1809 at the age of 21, working as a merchant for the East India Company.
    While posted in the port city of Surat, in western India, he met Kewark through her brother-in-law Aratoon Baldassier, Forbes's agent.
    At the time it was commonplace for British men to have children with Indian women even if they had a family back home.
    This attitude however changed after an increase in the number of British women moved to India.
    Theodore left his wife and two children, Katherine and son Alexander, in Surat so he could start a new job in Bombay with trading company Forbes & Co.
    He eventually decided to send his daughter to his family home in Aberdeenshire. She left for Scotland in 1819, with Theodore deciding to return to Britain the following year.
    He died on board the ship in September 1820.
    Princess Diana was famously pictured sitting alone outside the Taj Mahal, an Indian landmark regarded as symbol of love during the visit to the country
    Princess Diana was famously pictured sitting alone outside the Taj Mahal, an Indian landmark regarded as symbol of love during the visit to the country
    The Prince of Wales receives the traditional southern Indian greeting of a Tilak on the forehead from Mres Sayyavati, mother of the Governor of Andhra Pradesh, as they visit him at the start of the last full day of his and Diana's visit to the country
    The Prince of Wales receives the traditional southern Indian greeting of a Tilak on the forehead from Mres Sayyavati, mother of the Governor of Andhra Pradesh, as they visit him at the start of the last full day of his and Diana's visit to the country

    Tuesday 26 March 2013

    Prince Rupert’s Drop in 130,000-frame-per-second video



    The bulb end can be hit repeatedly and not break, but the thin tail will make the entire tempered glass object disintegrate if it has the slightest graze. 
    This video, filmed at 130,000 frames per second and replayed in slow-motion, reveals exactly how the glass does not merely shatter but actually explodes.  

    Mystery of Prince Rupert's Drop at 130,000 fps
    Explosion: The mystery of the Prince Rupert's Drop is revealed by filming it splinter apart at 130,000 frames per second
    The bulbous end of the teardrop-shaped glass is very sturdy and can withstand high impact
    Hammer blow: The bulbous end of the teardrop-shaped glass is very sturdy and can withstand high impact
    The weak part of the teardrop shape is the thin end, which shatters the whole object quicker than the eye can see
    Tapering tail: While the front end is strong, the weak part of the teardrop shape is the thin end, which shatters the whole object quicker than the eye can see
    The tadpole-shaped glass is tightly compressed inside and explodes because of the strain of different temperatures within. 
    By dropping a blob of molten glass into cold water, and leaving it to cool, the glass hardens at different rates creating that inner tension. 
    When the molten glass cools too rapidly in the water, it creates stress in the middle of the glass, because the middle of the glass is warm while the outside has cooled faster.

    This means that the warmer glass in the middle pushes out against the colder outer edge. 
    Because of all the tension within the glass, when it breaks it explodes into a fine powder rather than shattering into shards like ordinary glass
    Spectacular: Because of all the tension within the glass, when it breaks it explodes into a fine powder rather than shattering into shards like ordinary glass
    All the potential energy within the glass is released from the tiniest fracture when the thin end is scratched
    Tension: All the potential energy within the glass is released from the tiniest fracture when the thin end is scratched
    When the molten glass on the inside does eventually cool, it contracts and creates that inner tension.
    So if the surface of the thin, tail end is scratched, the glass releases all the internal stress with such force that the entire piece shatters into fine powder, from all the potential energy locked inside.
    A crack at the tail end runs all the way through the glass to its bulbous end so fast that it needs to be watched in slow motion to see it at work. 

    The glass has frozen at a different temperature on the outside to that on the inside leaving it with fault lines that create stress running through the middle
    Compressed: The glass has frozen at a different temperature on the outside to that on the inside leaving it with fault lines that create stress running through the middle
    Filming at 130,000 frames per second shows how the glass manages to be so tough and also fragile within the same piece
    Gentle pressure: From the tail to the drop end the slow motion film shows how the glass manages to be so tough and also fragile within the same piece as it explodes down the middle
    Watching in slow motion, the tension pushing out from the middle shows the glass disintegrate into crystalline powder
    Fragile: Watching in slow motion, the tension pushing out from the middle shows the glass disintegrate into crystalline powder
    The whole tear-drop glass disintegrates in a chain reaction travelling at a speed of over 1 mile per second
    Stunning: The whole tear-drop glass disintegrates in a chain reaction travelling at a speed of over 1 mile per second
    The Prince Rupert's Drop can even explode spontaneously because it contains so much tension. 

    HISTORY OF A PHYSICS PUZZLE

    Prince Rupert of Bavaria (1619-1682), grandson of James I, brought the glass teardrops to Charles II as a gift. 
    Demonstrations of the stress of glass were introduced to England as a curious party trick. 
    In 1661, King Charles asked his personal scientific society, which later evolved into the Royal Society, to investigate.
    No one could give Charles Il a satisfactory explanation of the extraordinary behaviour of how the trick worked. 
    One of the scientists investigating was Robert Hooke, who became famous for Hooke's Law.
    It was not until 1994 that scientists at Cambridge University and Purdue University in Indiana solved the puzzle. 
    In the video, you can see how the energy moves through the exploding glass by the filming through the polariscope.
    If you want to avoid these internal stresses that cause the glass to break you would 'anneal' the glass to make it less fragile. 
    The annealing process keeps the whole object at a uniform temperature, so that there is no internal temperature difference.
    Normal glass is strengthened by slow cooling in order to reduce the brittleness.
    When the drop was first introduced to England to Charles II by his nephew Prince Rupert of Bavaria, King Charles would get a subject to hold the bulb end in their hands while he broke the tip, creating an explosion in the unwitting person's hand. 
    However, It was not as dangerous as it sounds because the glass shatters into powder, and not shards like normal glass. 
    Scientists had been trying to work out how the trick worked since the 1640s. It was only in 1994 that the chain reaction within the glass was finally explained
    Mystery solved: Scientists had been trying to work out how the trick worked since the 1640s. It was only in 1994 that the chain reaction within the glass was finally explained

                                      

    Britney Spears shows off the toned figure as she holidays in vegas


    The pop star unveiled her dance honed figure as she lapped up the rays in a blue and white striped bikini.
    Bikini babe: Britney Spears shows off her toned torso as she laps up the sun in a stripey bikini in Malibu
    Bikini babe: Britney Spears shows off her toned torso as she laps up the sun in a stripey bikini in Malibu
    The 31-year-old singer showed off her curves as she pulled her bikini strings down to ensure she didn't get any unsightly tan lines.
    She looked happy and content as she topped up her already bronzed skin, while revealing her hip tattoo and belly piercing.
    Britney looked as toned as ever with her washboard stomach as she stood up to enjoy a cigarette break.
    On form: The pop star showed off her petite waist even more as she hugged her hips while lapping up the rays
    On form: The pop star showed off her petite waist even more as she hugged her hips while lapping up the rays
    Getting bronzed: The already tanned star seemed happy and relaxed as she pulled up her bikini topGetting bronzed: The already tanned star seemed happy and relaxed as she pulled up her bikini top
    Getting bronzed: The already tanned star seemed happy and relaxed as she pulled up her bikini top
    Struggling? To ensure she didn't get any unsightly tan lines, Britney pulled her bikini straps down
    Struggling? To ensure she didn't get any unsightly tan lines, Britney pulled her bikini straps down
    Content: Britney, who has recently found love again with her 'everyday Dave', seemed to be on top form during her sunny day in Malibu
    Content: Britney, who has recently found love again with her 'everyday Dave', seemed to be on top form during her sunny day in Malibu
    Spears completed her relaxed look with her hair tied up in a high ponytail and a pair of sunglasses keeping her locks from falling into her face.
    She emphasised her petite waist even more by clutching the sides of her stomach.
    Although she appeared to be struggling to contain her dignity once again as she continuously had to pull her bikini top up after it started slipping.
    Working on her tan: Spears enjoyed a cigarette break as she lapped up the rays in her friend's houseWorking on her tan: Spears enjoyed a cigarette break as she lapped up the rays in her friend's house
    Working on her tan: Spears enjoyed a cigarette break as she lapped up the rays in her friend's house
    Unwinding: Britney happily flaunted her figure while finishing her look with a loose high up ponytail and sunglasses on her head
    Unwinding: Britney happily flaunted her figure while finishing her look with a loose high up ponytail and sunglasses on her head
    After having enough sun Britney later decided to cover up in a more casual ensemble.
    She threw on a mint coloured baggy cropped T-shirt with loose white jogging bottoms.
    Spears smiled as she walked around chatting and puffing away on more cigarettes.
    Toned: The pop star held her tiny waist as she showed off her belly button piercing
    Toned: The pop star held her tiny waist as she showed off her belly button piercing
    Had enough? After spending hours in the sun Spears finally headed inside to cover herself up once more
    Had enough? After spending hours in the sun Spears finally headed inside to cover herself up once more
    The star appeared children free and without boyfriend Dave on her arm for the sunny outing.
    Only a day earlier the singer went bra-free as she wore a black dress with keyhole detailing.
    And again Britney was clearly having trouble trying to keep her strapless black number from slipping down as she stepped out in Malibu on Monday.
    Puffing away: She later wrapped up in a mint coloured T-shirt and jogging bottoms as she enjoyed yet another nicotine hit
    Puffing away: She later wrapped up in a mint coloured T-shirt and jogging bottoms as she enjoyed yet another nicotine hit
    Chill time: She looked pensive as she enjoyed a day child free and minus new boyfriend DaveChill time: She looked pensive as she enjoyed a day child free and minus new boyfriend Dave
    Chill time: She looked pensive as she enjoyed a day child free and minus new boyfriend Dave
    The 31-year-old singer seemed to find her predicament quite amusing, and she was spotted laughing while trying to pull the dress up. 
    Later, the singer was again spotted attempting to hoist the frock up as she left her car to head to Cafe Havana in the beachside enclave. 
    The star looked casual in the 'mullet style' number which featured a longer back and shorter front. 
    She teamed the dress with flip flops, sunglasses and an oversized bag and seemed in good spirits after leaving a friend's house earlier. 
    Peek-a-boo: Bra less Britney Spears sported a flowing black strapless dress with keyhole feature as she visited a friend in Malibu on Monday
    Peek-a-boo: Bra less Britney Spears sported a flowing black strapless dress with keyhole feature as she visited a friend in Malibu on Monday
    Hoisting it up: Britney later headed out for lunch in Cafe Havana in Malibu
    Hoisting it up: Britney later headed out for lunch in Cafe Havana in Malibu, still tugging on her dress
    Coffee run: The dress looked to be slipping dangerously low as Britney clutched her coffee
    Coffee run: The dress looked to be slipping dangerously low as Britney clutched her coffee
    Slip slip slip away: Britney's dress starts to fall down as she gets out of her sports carSlip slip slip away: Britney's dress starts to fall down as she gets out of her sports car
    Slip slip slip away: Britney's dress starts to fall down as she gets out of her sports car
    Perhaps the star's good mood is due to her new relationship with toyboy Dave Lucado.
    The pair hit Las Vegas on Sunday where they were in the audience at the Cirque du Soleil One Drop show.
    According to Peoplethe couple also enjoyed dinner at Meatball Spot at Town Square on Saturday with Britney's manager Larry Rudolph and several friends. 
    Summer is coming: Britney took advantage of the warm weather in the strapless frock, which she teamed with gold flip flops
    Summer is coming: Britney took advantage of the warm weather in the strapless frock, which she teamed with gold flip flops 
    Flashing the flesh: The dress was in a mullet style, revealing more of Britney's legs at the front than the back Flashing the flesh: The dress was in a mullet style, revealing more of Britney's legs at the front than the back
    Flashing the flesh: The dress was in a mullet style, revealing more of Britney's legs at the front than the back 
    Bedraggled: Britney has spent the last few days with her pal in sunny Malibu taking some time out from her hectic schedule
    Bedraggled: Britney has spent the last few days with her pal in sunny Malibu taking some time out from her hectic schedule
    Easy now: She stepped out of her friend's car in her dressed down summer style with strapless dress
    Easy now: She stepped out of her friend's car in her dressed down summer style with strapless dress
    Habit: The pop star enjoyed some more sun and yet more cigarettes as she walked around in the high temperature
    Habit: The pop star enjoyed some more sun and yet more cigarettes as she walked around in the high temperature
    A witness told the website that the couple 'seemed happy, sitting across from each other and chatting for most of the meal,' a witness told People.
    The group went on to see a Shania Twain show at Caesars Palace.
    And it seems the relationship is going well, with Dave having already been introduced to Britney's sons Jayden James and Sean Preston. 
    Alright for some: Spears seems to have been enjoying herself recently despite splitting from fiance Jason Trawick earlier this year
    Alright for some: Spears seems to have been enjoying herself recently despite splitting from fiance Jason Trawick earlier this year
    Curves on show: Spears showed off her bikini body once more thanks to the low cut strapless sun dress she was sporting
    Curves on show: Spears showed off her bikini body once more thanks to the low cut strapless sun dress she was sporting
    'The boys think of David as a fun play pal,' an insider told People. 'It was a big step, she’s very excited.'
    She split from fiance Jason Trawick earlier this year before swiftly finding love once more with Dave, who she was pictured holding hands with for the first time last week.
    Flashing the flesh: The dress was in a mullet style, revealing more of Britney's legs at the front than the back
    The X Factor: Britney has been relaxing and concentrating on her music career after announcing she would not be returning as a judge on the U.S. show 

    Amanda Knox retrial over the murder of British student Meredith Kercher


    Knox, 25, and her ex-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito, 29, spent four years in jail, but were freed on appeal in 2011 largely on the grounds DNA evidence was flawed.
    On hearing the news today Knox admitted it was 'painful' to receive the decision, but said she was 'confident in the truth.' 
    Knox returned to the U.S. after she was freed in 2011 and she now lives in Seattle - a retrial is likely to take place in absentia, as the U.S. is unlikely to extradite her. 
    Retrial:
    Retrial: Amanda Knox holds hands with her boyfriend James Terrano in downtown Seattle on Sunday. Today she spoken of her anguish after Italy's highest criminal court overturned her acquittal for the murder of British student Meredith Kercher
    British university student Meredith KercherKnox
    Grim: The body of Miss Kercher, right, from Coulsdon, Surrey, was found in November 2007 in her bedroom at the house she shared with Knox, left, and other roommates in Perugia, 
    After six hours of deliberations yesterday, this morning the Court of Cassation in Rome ruled that an appeals court in Florence must re-hear the case against the American as well as her Italian ex-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito.
     
      Prosecutors argued that despite the appellate decision, they still believe Knox and her former boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, are responsible for the death.
      Raffaele Sollecito, pictured in 2009
      Decison: Raffaele Sollecito, pictured in 2009, also faces a retrial
      'We are still convinced that they are the co-authors of Meredith's homicide,' Perugia prosecutor Giovanni Galati said, according to the Italian news agency ANSA.
      In a statement, Miss Knox said: 'It was painful to receive the news that the Italian Supreme Court decided to send my case back for revision when the prosecution's theory of my involvement in Meredith's murder has been repeatedly revealed to be completely unfounded and unfair."
      She added: 'No matter what happens, my family and I will face this continuing legal battle as we always have, confident in the truth and with our heads held high in the face of wrongful accusations and unreasonable adversity.'
      The body of Miss Kercher, from Coulsdon, Surrey, was found in November 2007 in her bedroom at the house she shared with Knox and other roommates in Perugia, an Italian university town where the two women were exchange students.
      Her throat had been slashed.
      Prosecutors alleged that the Leeds University student was the victim of a drug-fuelled sex game gone awry.
      Knox and Sollecito denied wrongdoing, but were convicted of Miss Kercher's murder in December 2009 and sentenced to 26 and 25 years respectively after a trial that grabbed headlines all over the world.
      They were cleared in October 2011 after a fresh hearing uncovered a bungled police investigation. 
      Stephanie Kercher, Meredith's sister, said there were still 'unanswered questions' over her sister's death
      Stephanie Kercher, Meredith's sister, said there were still 'unanswered questions' over her sister's death

      FIVE YEARS OF SCRUTINY: TIMELINE OF EVENTS 

       1 October 2007: Kercher is killed at her apartment in Perugia. Her throat has been slashed. Police find her a day later. Tests show evidence of sexual activity before death
      6 November 2007: Knox is arrested, along with Sollecito and Congolese national Patrick Diya Lumumba. They are held on suspicion of conspiracy to commit manslaughter and sexual violence.
      20 November 2007: Rudy Guede detained in Germany and extradited to Italy. Mr Lumumba released without charge
      28 October 2008: Guede sentenced to 16 years in prison. A judge rules Sollecito and Knox will face a murder trial
      4 December 2009: Knox and Sollecito found guilty of murder and sexual violence, and jailed for 26 and 25 years
      3 October 2011: Knox and Sollecito acquitted
      26 March 2013: Re-run of appeals ordered. Acquittals overturned
      Defence lawyers and experts revealed how evidence had been contaminated or poorly handled by forensic teams and that the conviction should be considered unsafe.
      The appeals court noted that the murder weapon was never found, said that DNA tests were faulty and added that Knox and Sollecito had no motive to kill Kercher. 
      But yesterday prosecutors appealed against that ruling and argued that the acquittals were 'contradictory and illogical.'
      An Ivory Coast man, Rudy Guede, was convicted of the murder in a separate hearing and is serving a 16-year sentence.
      Today Meredith Kercher's said the family had 'lots of unanswered questions' after Italy's highest court ruled she should be retried. 
      Speaking at her family's home in Coulsdon, Surrey, Stephanie Kercher, 29, said she had just heard the news on TV.
      She said: 'I've got no reaction in particular at the moment. I'm trying to find out what it means.
      'I need to talk to our lawyer in Italy to get more information. We don't know the exact reasoning behind this decision. There are lots of unanswered questions.
      'You're welcome to ask me later once I've spoken to our lawyer.'
      Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito were seen kissing in the wake of the murder
      Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito were seen kissing in the wake of the murder
      In today's ruling a panel of judges had to rule whether the Italian legal code was applied correctly and fairly in both trials.
      If the case had been closed, they could have applied for compensation for unlawful imprisonment.
      The hearing, held behind closed doors, only considered paperwork and legal documents with no new witnesses giving evidence.
      Knox and Sollecito have both maintained their innocence, though they said that smoking marijuana the night Miss Kercher was killed had clouded their recollections.
      Their behaviour in the days following the death, including being pictured kissing, raised suspicion.
      Knox is due to be interviewed by ABC next month over her upcoming memoir
      Knox is due to be interviewed by ABC next month over her upcoming memoir
      Prosecutors have alleged that Kercher was the victim of a drug-fuelled sexual assault.
      A young drifter from Ivory Coast, Rudy Guede, was convicted of the slaying in separate proceedings and is serving a 16-year sentence. Ms Kercher's family have resisted theories that Guede acted alone.
      The lawyer for the Kercher family, Francesco Maresca, was at the court today, as was Sollecito's father.
      The court is also hearing Knox's appeal against a slander conviction for having accused Patrick Lumumba, a local pub owner, of carrying out the killing. He was held for two weeks based on her allegations.
      Knox has written a book about her imprisonment and is due to give an interview to Diane Sawyer for American TV station ABC next month ahead of its release.
      Publisher HarperCollins paid a $4million advance for the memoirs
      Sollecito has also written a book and has already given an interview on Italian TV about the case.
      He told interviewers that he and Knox were no longer a couple but they were still in touch. 
      He visited her in the United States at the end of last year and they speak on Skype regularly.
      Sollecito resumed his studies in Verona and his father Francesco told reporters: 'He is calm and serene even if we are all in a state of apprehension.'
      During the investigation and trial, prosecutors said Knox was highly sexual and had manipulated Sollecito but her lawyers dismissed the theory.