Death by Fire: Asteroids crashing into Earth have largely been held responsible for the end of the dinosaurs. Now the US' Lincoln Near Earth Asteroid Research (linear) project, which has been identifying and cataloguing near-earth asteroids over a small portion of the sky, reports that there are about 1,200 of these that are more than 1 km in diameter and their path around the sun is more inclined to be elliptical. Worryingly, linear's simulations predict close brushes with some. Perhaps we will be unable to prevent the fate of the dinosaurs from being repeated, but next time we may know which asteroid and when. If that's any comfort.

Bird Brains: Art critics may have competition from pigeons. A study on bird behaviour reported in Animal Cognition says that pigeons can tell Van Goghs from Chagalls. In this avian art appreciation course, initially the birds were shown paintings, including works from Van Gogh's famous Sunflower series. They were rewarded for choosing Van Goghs and discouraged from choosing Chagalls. After nine weeks, the birds could distinguish
previously unseen works by the two painters. The pigeons performed almost as well as a group of humans on a similar course.

CONSUMER FORUM
Zero Interest Schemes
When Nothing Matters

It's the festive season and that means buying sprees. For those whose purses do not match their craving for possessions that spell the good life, a variety of items from snazzy sound systems to snazzier credit cards are now being offered on instalment payments at "zero per cent" interest. "All you pay is a small processing fee" the ad says, making you feel that you would be a fool not to grab the offer. Especially at "zero interest".

The only snag is, "zero" interest turns out to be, in reality, more like 8-10 per cent. The Consumer Education and Research Centre (CERC), Ahmedabad, investigated some of these "zero" interest ads and came up with some interesting findings. If you buy a 14-inch colour TV priced at Rs 10,500, for instance, you actually end up being billed for Rs 10,950 or Rs 450 extra. Because, the salesman explains, "The processing fee is 2 per cent or Rs 450, whichever is higher." Nor is that all-an initial payment of Rs 3,954 is also mandatory. So the "zero" per cent interest actually works out to 8 per cent. That isn't the end of the matter either. The salesman demands another Rs 250 as "dealer's buy-down charge"-that's a special charge payable to dealers so they don't lose in the bargain on this brand.

"Manufacturers learn their maths in a different school," quips consumer magazine Insight (issue dated November-December 2001) published bi-monthly by cerc.

But if you feel enticed by those attractive "interest free offers", remember, you've been warned. If you still decide to go ahead, check the hidden costs before buying, whether it is a need-driven purchase or a luxury "status symbol" item.

-Sakuntala Narasimhan

Mad Dogs and India

It's a distinction India can do without. Eighty per cent of the deaths caused by rabies worldwide occur here. According to the World Health Organisation, 40,000 Indians die of rabies each year, 96 per cent of the victims being infected by dogs.

At a conference on rabies prevention in Delhi recently, Dr S.N. Madhusudana from the National Institute of Medical Health and Neuro-Sciences (nimhans), Bangalore, emphasised that though it is presumed vaccinations protect dogs-and render them harmless, at least as far as rabies goes-there's no guarantee. After inoculation, dogs' blood is seldom tested to check whether they have developed sufficient antibodies. That's a scary thought for pet owners, one that underlines the importance of improving canine vaccines and stepping up efforts to eradicate the rabies virus in the country's enormous stray dog population (responsible for a majority of rabies-infected bites). In the short term, preventive vaccination for humans assumes importance.

The preventive vaccine is the tissue culture vaccine (TCV) made from a human tissue or tissue extracted from a chick embryo, and is recommended by who, says Dr Akhilesh Bhargava of SMS Medical College, Jaipur. Each Indian-made TCV dose costs between Rs 200 and Rs 350.

Earlier, the only treatment was the Sempler vaccine (which who recommends be discontinued), administered in 14 doses in the stomach. TCVs, available in India for more than a decade, are also used for post-bite treatment, along with the Human or Equine Rabies Immunoglobin.

Although only about half the people bitten by a rabid animal-dogs, pigs, monkeys and so on-actually develop the disease, there is no way of knowing whether they will or won't, says Dr B.J. Mahendra from the Kempegowda Institute of Medical Sciences, Bangalore. All victims must approach a doctor as a precautionary measure.

-Charu Khanna