On the Record

“If evolution is true, why are there still monkeys?”

Popular US talk-show host Larry King interrogates philosopher Barbara Forrest on intelligent design.

“This deals a serious blow to the idea that the placebo effect is a purely psychological phenomenon.”

Jon-Kar Zubieta of the University of Michigan on his research that shows placebos can trigger the release of natural painkillers in the brain.

Sources: CNN, Scientific American

Scorecard

Iraqi marshes

The United Nations finds that Iraq's devastated marshlands are making a “phenomenal” recovery. Being bogged down in Iraq is, in this case, a good thing.

Hot beverages

Forget fruit and vegetables — the number one source of antioxidants in the US diet is coffee. And if that's not to your taste, black tea came steaming in at number two, beating bananas and dry beans.

Hairdressing

The sprays, solvents and dyes used by hairdressers may be doing more than fashioning the latest styles for their clients. An occupational study reveals that members of the profession in the United States are among the most likely to develop Alzheimer's or motor-neuron diseases.

Number Crunch

20 comets were discovered by Charles Messier, the eighteenth-century astronomer dubbed the “comet ferret” by King Louis XV of France.

32 comets were discovered by Carolyn Shoemaker, the world's most prolific comet-hunter using ground-based telescopes.

1,000 comets have been discovered by the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory spacecraft so far.