News Scan

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Genius

  • The FDA approved biotech drug Benlysta to treat lupus, the first new treatment for the autoimmune disease in 50 years. It is also the first drug ever developed specifically to target the debilitating affliction. Call your broker.

  • A study in rats showed that poor nutrition during pregnancy caused a higher risk of disease for offspring in later life. An apple a day could keep the doctor away 50 years from now.

  • The last flight of shuttle Discovery marked the beginning of the end of the 30-year-old “space bus” program. After June’s final Atlantis mission, the U.S. will have to depend on Russia to get astronauts to the International Space Station. Holy Sputnik.

  • Gamblers beware: sleep deprivation may increase a sense of optimism, causing people to take bigger risks. No wonder casinos hand out free cigarettes and hide the clocks.

  • Self-proclaimed tiger-blooded, Adonis-DNAed warlock Charlie Sheen was labeled bipolar by “experts” who have never met him.

Folly

Scientific American Magazine Vol 304 Issue 5This article was published with the title “News Scan” in Scientific American Magazine Vol. 304 No. 5 (), p. 31
doi:10.1038/scientificamerican0511-31

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