The olive tree is native to the Mediterranean basin. Wild olives were collected by Neolithic peoples as early as the eighth millennium BCE and Homer, dobbed olive oil 'liquid gold'. Today, more than 750 million olive trees are cultivated worldwide, 95 percent of them in the Mediterranean region.

Olives contain the largest percentage of squalane, although tiny amounts do exist in wheat germ oil, rice bran oil and yeast. Olive squalane is widely used as an emollient, skin conditioner and carrier oil in cosmetic applications and hair care, found in everything from face and eye creams to lip treatments. Squalane oil has even been marketed for its reported effects on cancer. Soft, silky and instantly absorbed, olive squalane is brilliant for clearing difficult skin problems when nothing else seems to do the trick. Topical squalane treatments also work well with oral supplementation, grabbing hold of lipid soluble toxins and enabling them to be excreted from the body.

Have you ever bowed out of a situation the moment you sensed a whiff of competition – from colleagues, friends, enemies, other people? Research has shown that women and girls are more likely to 'opt out' when rivalry comes into the arena, while men and boys will up their game.

One theory is that women have been raised to feel that competitiveness is 'unfeminine'. But the truth is that most of us avoid competition for one reason only – fear of failure. 'It's about thinking, 'what happens if I lose?' Instead of 'What happens if I win?'.

Pregnant women really bring out the interfering worry-mongers in people. If you so much as lift a ham sandwich or a boiled egg or a tuna salad to your lips, someone is ready to snatch it away, shouting about mercury, salmonella or listeria. What? Sure, you must keep yourself and your baby safe, and that does mean you should avoid some foods, and eat others in moderation. But there's also a lot of misinformation. Therefore I will give you the real down-low on dietary nonsense while you're pregnant.

Food-borne bacteria and parasites are a worry for pregnant women because they (as well as older or sick people and newborns) are most at risk of infection because their immune systems are weakest. However, additionally, infections from bacteria such as salmonella and listeria, and parasites such as toxoplasma, can cross the placenta and harm the foetus too.

To avoid all kinds of bad bugs, make sure all your fruit and vegetables are well washed or peeled before eating them. Raw and undercooked meat is a no-no while you are pregnant, so order your steak well done, and yes, unfortunately this means you should also avoid sushi. Sorry! Steer clear of sprouts completely, as they are harder to wash and may carry germs. Don't eat food past its sell-by date, and keep your fridge, utensils and kitchen counters extra clean while you're pregnant.

Women in their early 20s are increasingly travelling to locations including Thailand in groups organised by agents to access cheaper cosmetic procedures, a NSW researcher says.

Overwhelmingly, those surveyed by Dr Meredith Jones from Sydney's University of Technology were happy with the results.

Although the cost, which can be up to half the price of the same surgery in Australia, was a motivating factor for many participants, Dr Jones said the quality of surgery was also behind many decisions.

"Most people are attracted to it because it is cheap overseas but the agents are beginning to tell us that they are servicing people who are choosing to go overseas because they think they will get better work done," Dr Jones told reporters.

Even people who think they do a good job of taking care of their contact lenses often have bad habits that put them at risk for rare but potentially blinding eye infections. That's what researchers found when they questioned more than 400 contact lens wearers.

For example, many knew it was important to clean their case but not that it needed to replaced regularly. “Bacteria form a film that is resistant to germ-killing solutions,” says a doctor we interviewed. Also, people often underestimate the danger of water, which can transfer harmful microorganisms to contact lenses.