fungi

New York City was full of mysteries this week: Who was the idiot that approved the low-flying plane? Does being near the swine flu outbreak in Queens outweigh the benefits of all the delicious ethnic food in that borough? Who misplaced their 60-pound tortoise?

Also in today's links: sadistic spider sex, questionable professional practice and more.

You know that humans have used yeast for thousands of years for baking and brewing, but did you know that it’s also prized for its applications in medical research?

The metabolic processes of yeast cells are similar to mammal cells, and since yeast reproduces quickly, experimental results can be obtained much faster than they would using animals. Yeast’s rapid reaction time has allowed scientists to put all sorts of research in fast-forward, with the aim of efficiently developing new disease treatments.