The story of the man who re-grew a finger using “pixie-dust” has captured the imagination of many this week.

But a number of scientists have cast cold-water over the claims - and said it may have been a “natural” miracle. (BBC)

On the House floor on Thursday, Democrats and Republicans alike cited anecdotes and polls illustrating that people feel they should not be penalized because they happened to be born at higher risk for a given disease. (New York Times)

Your toothpaste may be a pesticide. So might your electric razor, your computer keyboard, and your child’s teddy bear. These products, and scores of others, combine one of the world’s oldest disinfectants–silver–with one of its hottest new industries: nanotechnology. The manufacturers of these products boast that they fight bacteria, molds, and fungus. Therefore, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), these products may be pesticides. Though this may sound like a Rush Limbaugh story line about paranoid eco-Nazis, the reality is that we’re lacing ordinary household goods with known toxins. And until scientific testing and federal laws catch up with this new technology, we may be exposing the environment–and our own bodies–to untold harm. (The New Republic)