  We use the local curvature to investigate the possible existence of
non-Gaussianity/asymmetry in the WMAP data. Considering the full sky we find
results which are consistent with the Gaussian assumption. However, strong
non-Gaussian features emerge when considering the northern and southern
galactic hemisphere separately, particularly on scales between 1 and 5 degrees.
Quite interestingly, the maximum non-Gaussianity is found for hemispheres
centered near the ecliptic poles, which might suggest the presence of some
systematic effect. The direction of the asymmetry seems consistent with the
findings by Eriksen et al. 2004.
