The study, published by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), a think tank, found that retirement results in a “drastic decline in health” in the medium and long term. (BBC)

The villain in “Inferno,” Brown’s sixth novel, follows a movement called transhumanism. Brown, 48, who spent more than two years in Florence researching the book, has been interested in the controversial concept of transhumanism for years. (Today)

The Academy Award-nominated movie “Amour” is sparking much-needed conversations about aging, the illness of a longtime companion and dying with dignity. (The Sun Sentinel)

When hit songwriter and former American Idol judge Kara DioGuardi and husband Mike McCuddy welcomed son Greyson James Carroll via gestational surrogate in January, it was a dream come true for the couple following five years of heartbreaking fertility issues. But that’s only part of her story. Two years ago, the music publisher learned she was a carrier for the BRCA2 gene mutation, which is linked to hereditary breast and ovarian cancer. (People)

Having children improves your quality of life, even if you are a step-parent or have adopted a child, a new study has concluded. (The Telegraph)

Google has always been an artificial intelligence company, so it really shouldn’t have been a surprise that Ray Kurzweil, one of the leading scientists in the field, joined the search giant late last year. Nonetheless, the hiring raised some eyebrows, since Kurzweil is perhaps the most prominent proselytizer of “hard AI,” which argues that it is possible to create consciousness in an artificial being. (Wired)

Happy National DNA Day! April 25 marks the 60th anniversary of scientists’ discovery of the double helix. It’s also the 10th anniversary of the completion of the Human Genome Project, which set out to sequence the more than 3 billion letters in our genetic code. (CNN)

As donors and surrogates make things potentially more complicated to explain, picture books remain eloquent ways of helping kids understand where they came from. (The Atlantic)

Since 1995, when the first full week of April was declared National Public Health Week (NPHW), communities across the United States have observed NPHW as a time to recognize the contributions of public health and highlight issues that are important to improving our nation. (NPHW)

It is characteristic of the American condition that we want to save the world. This may be seen economically, politically, in terms of human rights, consumption of resources, education or healthcare - any way one chooses. (The Yemen Times)

From the Vatican to Buenos Aires, Catholics worldwide rejoiced when Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio became the new pope. (CNN)

Unless you’re the product of a feral childhood or a member of a hunter-gathering tribe from the third world, there’s a really good chance that you’re familiar with the comic-book legend of Superman. Even 74 years after he made his debut on the front page of Action Comics, he remains a powerful force in the American cultural landscape. In fact, the only thing that can match the power he exudes on pop culture is his godlike supernatural physical abilities. (Yahoo Sports)

For a film in which a husband murders his wife, Amour has been shown a lot of love. It was nominated for five Oscars, including best actress for Emmanuelle Riva, and best foreign language film, which it won. (The Guardian)

In this interview given the day before a seminar for the creation of a National Bioethics Committee in Trinidad and Tobago, held in Port-of-Spain on 28 February and 1 March 2013, Dr D. Simeon, Director of the Caribbean Health Research Council (CHRC), expresses his hope that the creation of such a structure will contribute to a better comprehension of the relation between bioethical challenges and development issues, especially in Small Island Developing States. (UNESCO)

A new issue of Journal of Public Health (Vol 35, No 1, March 2013) is now available online and in print.

An editorial “What should public health be doing for disabled people, and why aren’t we?” by Anita Houghton is of interest.

There is also a Perspectives debate opened by “Social inequality in health, responsibility and egalitarian justice” by M Marchman Andersen, et al. with responses by Gabriel Scally and Jasper Littmann.

Also note “Appealing to altruism: an alternative strategy to address the health workforce crisis in developing countries?” by Richard Smith, Mylene Lagarde, et al.

Scientists and gamers alike can now play disease detective, through “Solve the Outbreak,” a new iPad app from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

In the past, good science has been used for unethical purposes, like eugenics. The concept of culture can protect genetics from a similar fate, an anthropologist argues. (Futurity)

Services such as LivesOn and DeadSocial plan to keep your friends and family updated on your Twitter and Facebook pages, even after you have passed away. (The Guardian )

The pair behind a new Channel 4 show about a ‘bioinic’ man, say that a future where living flesh and computer chips become one will arrive “sooner” than we expect. (Yahoo News, UK)

Facebook has encompassed many things in its nine-year run. From a subtler version of a dating site to a gaming platform and a messaging hub. We’ve seen Facebook and its billion-plus users play a part in influencing politics, the form advertising takes, and how retail happens. Now we’re starting to see Facebook begin to impact science and public health, and it could be Facebook’s biggest industry-changing opportunity yet. (Wired)

FRANCE’S plans to legalise gay marriage have unexpectedly exposed the country’s unease with assisted reproduction. (news.com.au)