Hurrah for moles
"The secret of supermodel Cindy Crawford's ageless allure may be out," The Sunday Times of London reports. "British scientists have discovered that people with lots of moles are genetically protected from many of the ravages of time. New research suggests they may not only develop fewer wrinkles in old age, but also have stronger bones and tauter muscles." Moles can appear on children as young as four, but usually vanish from the age of 40. "In some people, however, they continue to spread as they grow older, producing a smooth and wrinkle-free complexion that can make a woman look at least seven years younger than her real age." The study was performed by a team from King's College London.
Still feelin' groovy?
"The best-fed, best-educated, wealthiest generation in U.S. history seems to be turning into the most medicated and intoxicated one," The Philadelphia Daily News reports. "Data from numerous studies and surveys suggest that, as a group, baby boomers are surprisingly unhealthy as they sidle up to old age, despite - or because of - their liberal use of drugs. … Hospital admissions for substance abuse and drug misuse have risen among 45- to 64-year-olds as boomers have swelled this demographic niche. Since 1997, such admissions have grown from 108,000 to 196,000, driven by drug-induced delirium, painkiller overdoses, narcotic withdrawal and alcohol-related disorders, the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality reported [in October] About a third of boomers were obese by middle age, nearly twice the prevalence in the two preceding generations, according to a 2005 study in the American Journal of Public Health. Boomers also have been fatter much longer - which is one reason they had 20 million prescriptions for the diabetes drug metformin last year."
A creepy crawly cure?
"Could a worm a day keep the doctor away? Swallowing the eggs of parasitic worms may seem the polar opposite of modern medicine. A growing body of research, however, is examining the stomach-turning possibility that parasites affect the immune system in a way that may protect against multiple sclerosis, inflammatory bowel disease and other modern-day disorders," The Boston Globe reports. "Certain parasites have dwelled in people's guts through much of human history. Clinical trials are beginning to test whether intestinal worms have an effect on conditions such as food allergies and Crohn's disease - problems blamed on a haywire immune response. And researchers are trying to unravel exactly what worms do in the gut, in the hope that drugs could be developed to mimic the beneficial effects."
She looked cold
"A bid to slow down traffic by installing life-sized cardboard cut-outs of miniskirted policewomen has backfired," Orange.co.uk/news reports. "The scheme, in the Czech Republic, has actually doubled accident rates by distracting male motorists. The cardboard cut-outs were installed at busy junctions throughout the country to save cash on installing new traffic lights. … Motorist Petr Lederer - who complained to the country's Interior Ministry after driving his car off the road - said: 'The cut-outs are distracting. I mean, miniskirts? In this weather?' "
Salvaging the day
"A New York woman whose wedding was cancelled says she turned her intended reception into a soup-kitchen fundraiser, bringing in $10,000 [U.S.]" United Press International reports. "Robin Rogers, 40, said she and ex-fiancé George Overholser, 50, had already paid $3,500 to hold their Sept. 25 reception at a restaurant, The Dressler, when they called off the engagement in February, the New York Daily News reported. Rogers said she did not want to let the reservation go to waste so she organized a $100-per-person event at the restaurant to benefit the Greenpoint Reformed Church's soup kitchen. … 'I feel great,' Rogers said. 'When something doesn't work out it's sad, but I'm really glad we got something good out of it.' "
Thought du jour
"I've seen a look in dogs' eyes, a quickly vanishing look of amazed contempt, and I am convinced that basically dogs think humans are nuts."
John Steinbeck (1902-68), writer and Nobel laureate