Corpses can wait
Bodies piling up in Haiti pose a minimal disease risk and don鈥檛 need to be instantly buried or disinfected, the World Health Organization says. Instead, resources should be focused on the living. In a natural disaster, where most people were healthy up to their death, the WHO considers survivors more likely to spread disease than corpses.
IPCC checks its facts
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The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is reviewing its claim that Himalayan glaciers could disappear by 2035. The claim, published in its 2007 report, was traced back to a statement in a New 杏吧原创 article. The panel has been severely criticised for citing a non-peer-reviewed source.
Magnetic mirror
A mysterious 鈥渞ibbon鈥� of particles at the edge of the solar system has been explained. The ribbon, spotted by NASA鈥檚 Interstellar Boundary Explorer spacecraft last year, is the reflection of the solar wind in a giant magnetic field in the interstellar space next to the solar system ().
Treat MS with a pill
A pill taken for just eight to 20 days of the year has reduced relapse rates and slowed disease progression in people with multiple sclerosis (The New England Journal of Medicine, ). Current treatments for MS require regular injections or transfusions.
U-turn on baby bottles
A suspect ingredient in some plastic food containers and baby bottles may come under stricter regulation. In a reversal of its position, the US Food and Drug Administration now concedes that small doses of bisphenol A could be linked to cancer and heart disease. The FDA is recommending limiting exposure to it and reassessing potential harm.