A little more deserving than, say, Krugman. None of this is news, exactly, but it might make for some stimulating discussion. And if you’ve only read about it in AP reports, this entire article is worth reading: When historians chronicle the stem cell research wars, Shinya Yamanaka will likely go down as a peacemaker. The Japanese scientist has helped send the field on a surprising end run around the moral

I Stumbled upon this. I’d read this years ago, but with the popularity of Twilight and related vampiremania in pop-culture, I thought it worth posting: Rabies causes hypersensitivity to strong stimuli, as well, so patients are often repelled by light, by bright things — such as mirrors, and by strong odors — including the smell of garlic. Rabies victims may vomit blood, Gomez-Alonso explains. And since the disease causes hydrophobia,

Pride and Prejudice goes to Facebook.

Scientists make bold preliminary diagnosis: A baby boy with eight toes on each foot was discharged from a hospital in Leizhou, southeast Guangdong province on November 5, 2008. The baby has five fingers on each hand but doesn’t have thumbs. Doctor said this might have something to do with genetics or environment pollution. And this little piggy said, holy shit, look at all these piggies! In England, man given three

Bettie Page, one of the most notable models of the 20th century, is hospitalized in intensive care after suffering a heart attack in Los Angeles. From all accounts, she’s a pretty nice gal. Some time ago, I mentioned I liked the movie about her, The Notorious Bette Page.

Via Hot Air Headlines: Men of higher intelligence tend to produce better quality sperm, UK research suggests.

conducting elaborate social engineering project: A white social studies teacher attempted to enliven a seventh-grade discussion of slavery by binding the hands and feet of two black girls, prompting outrage from one girl’s mother and the local chapter of the NAACP. After the mother complained to Haverstraw Middle School, the superintendent said he was having “conversations with our staff on how to deliver effective lessons.” “If a student was upset,

Godspeed.

Oh, wait. It’s some shmuck in Colorado: FORT COLLINS, Colo. — A man accused of making unflattering online comments about his former lover and her attorney on Craigslist has been charged with two counts of criminal libel. “It’s not a charge you see a lot of,” Larimer County District Attorney Larry Abrahamson said of the 1800s-era state law that can put people in jail for the content of their speech