Anti-stupidity pill: "A German scientist has been testing an "anti-stupidity" pill with encouraging results on mice and fruit flies, Bild newspaper reported today. It said Hans-Hilger Ropers, director at Max-Planck-Institute for Molecular Genetics in Berlin, has tested a pill thwarting hyperactivity in certain brain nerve cells, helping stabilise short-term memory and improve attentiveness. "With mice and fruit flies we were able to eliminate the loss of short-term memory," Ropers, 62, is quoted saying in the German newspaper, which has dubbed it the 'world's first anti-stupidity pill''."




Dangerous shoes: "Women are paying the price for fashion in the form of broken bones and sprained ankles, a doctor has warned. The warm weather has led to a spate of injuries caused by women falling from their high-heeled sandals. Rupert Evans, an accident and emergency doctor at University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff said injuries could lead to long-term problems. Women should stick to shoes with heels less than 4cm (1.5in) if they wanted to avoid a trip to hospital, he advised. Dr Evans said he has seen an increase in the number of women being admitted to hospital with injuries caused by the fashionable footwear. Injuries ranged from sprained ankles to broken bones and dislocations - and in some cases caused permanent damage. He estimated that up to half a dozen women were now being admitted to his department with shoe-related injuries on weekend evenings. Drinking alcohol added to the problem, he said."