By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Want to live to be 500? You don't even have to get decrepit -- but you do have to tolerate a little genetic tinkering and, oh yes, the removal of your reproductive organs.

Researchers said their tiny roundworms lived for three months or longer, as compared to 18 or 20 days for a normal worm.

"In human terms, these animals would correspond to healthy, active 500-year-olds."

By Jon Herskovitz

DALLAS (Reuters) -

According to a study by a Baylor University toxicologist, fluoxetine -- the active ingredient in the antidepressant Prozac -- is making its way to a lake in the Dallas area and into the tissue of the fresh water blue gill fish

Brooks said the fluoxetine, and a metabolized compound similar to it, most likely made their way into the water systems from the urine of users or through people flushing Prozac down the toilet.

If the blue gills were exposed to enough of the antidepressant, the drug would likely have similar effects in the fish that it does in humans.

According to a news report, a certain private school in Washington recently was faced with a unique problem. A number of 12-year-old girls were beginning to use lipstick and would put it on in the bathroom. That was fine, but after they put on their lipstick they would press their lips to the mirror leaving dozens of little lip prints. Every night, the maintenance man would remove them and the next day, the girls would put them back.

Finally the principal decided that something had to be done. She called all the girls to the bathroom and met them there with the maintenance man. She explained that all these lip prints were causing a major problem for the custodian who had to clean the mirrors every night.

To demonstrate how difficult it had been to clean the mirrors, she asked the maintenance man to show the girls how much effort was required. He took out a long-handled squeegee, dipped it in the toilet, and cleaned the mirror with it. Since then, there have been no lip prints on the mirror.

From Devich

Problems plague tricycle-riding would-be carjacker

By The Associated Press
(10/23/03 - SALEM, OR) —  Police were called after receiving reports that a man on a tricycle had been firing gunshots and had slammed into a car.

"The tricycle pilot picked himself up and demanded to be taken to the hospital." 

"At this point, Valenciano opens the rear car door and hops into the back seat of Mr. Rodriguez's car."

"Valenciano then gets out, mounts his trike and promptly falls over."

A police car arrived, prompting Valenciano to abandon his tricycle and get into the front seat of Rodriguez's car.

"Officers ordered Valenciano out of the car. Instead he puts the car in gear. He fails to notice that the emergency brake is still set."

Valenciano eventually hit a street sign.

apophenia

There is currently a controversial debate concerning whether unusual experiences are symptoms of a mental disorder, if mental disorders are a consequence of such experiences, or if people with mental disorders are especially susceptible to or even looking for these experiences. --Dr. Martina Belz-Merk 

Apophenia is the spontaneous perception of connections and meaningfulness of unrelated phenomena. The term was coined by K. Conrad in 1958 (Brugger).

More at http://skepdic.com/apophenia.html

This semi tractor was the home of four people and 11 dogs sits while parked at a truck stop in Daleville Kurt Hostetler

Authories take children who were living in truck, charge mother

DALEVILLE - A Daleville woman was arrested Wednesday after police found her, her fiance , her two children and 11 dogs living in a semi tractor parked at a Daleville truck stop.

When troopers went to investigate the sleeper cab, they found nine puppies, a rottweiler, a basset hound, bottles of urine, food wrappers, clothes, animal feces and toys.

Ananova:

A South Australian MP has been told not to use the word please in parliament because it is akin to begging, and that the word has been banned for 300 years.

"The word 'please' is to beg, no honourable member in this place needs to beg any minister for anything..."