Rules for Genetically Engineered AnimalsAfter years of anticipation, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration released in September preliminary guidelines for genetically engineered animals [see “Does the World Need GM Foods?”; SciAm, April 2001]. The agency, which deemed that cloned meat poses no extra risk, wants to regulate engineered animals as it does drugs. Producers would have to substantiate claims and demonstrate safety.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Research from Italy provides new evidence that exposure to the industrial solvent benzene increases a person's risk of developing multiple myeloma.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Drugs used to control diabetes may lower the risk of prostate cancer, investigators at the University of Tampere in Finland report.

John Nichols In hopes of preserving his loyalty to the caucus, Senate Democrats opted not to punish Joe Lieberman for backing John McCain. Will the risk pay off?

When Irina Sergeeva first ventured outside her native Russia, she was struck by the contrast between gay culture at home and in Western cities like New York. There aren't a lot of places for gays in Russia beyond bars and clubs that dot its big cities, she says: "If you don't want to drink beer or alcohol, there's nowhere to go." For years, Sergeeva, along with Ksenia Zemskaya and Manny de Guerre, tried to think of ways to enrich the lives of gay people in Russia. Finally, in 2007, they decided to organize a film festival -- though they had no experience with organizing.

Editor’s Note: This piece was part of a larger feature first published in our May 2002 issue. We are posting it because of news from the JUPITER trial, which is alluded to here.

Cholesterol-lowering statin drugs reduce levels of a blood marker for prostate cancer, but it's not clear they actually lower the risk of developing the disease. [More]