There is a shortage of brains being donated to medical science. This shortage lengthens the time it will take to learn all there is to know about the hundred billion nerve cells in our brain.

This summer there was progress in what is to become the Rocket Racing League (RRL). Granger Whitelaw, a man who had a team racing cars in Indianapolis, and Dr. Peter Diamandis, a man who knows rockets, are creating a new form of racing. The vehicle they are creating is called the Rocket Racer.

Since 1780 an island in Alaska named Rat Island had been overrun by rats since the sinking of a Japanese whale ship. In the 229 years that the rats had lived on the Aleutian island they had a negative impact on the environment there. Now they are gone.

It is debate time for the 2008 presidential election. At least three 90-minute debates are scheduled for the major party candidates. Over 40 million people are expected to watch the debates on television. Let’s look back at the origins of the presidential debate.

Scientists have found and taken pictures of a planet possibly orbiting a star nearly 500 light years away from Earth. What is really special about this is that it is just that, a planet orbiting a star like our planet orbits our sun.

In 1951 Paul Harvey had his radio show called “Paul Harvey News and Comment” broadcast nationally. He was in the business of news so long that if you are reading this article today and ask any of your older generation relatives, they will tell you that they remember him well.

Scientists in New Zealand report that obesity is not the direct result of “bad genes.” While many have been led to believe that weight problems had much to do with a genetic pre-disposition, it is more possible that our bodies are sent messages as early as in the womb telling us how to eat.

It seems to be a busy week for some space news. Two favorite topics for many are the Hubble Space Telescope and the discussion of life on Mars. Both of our news stories come from data being transmitted from outer space.

This July a notice was sent out by a group called the International Earth Rotation and Reference System Service (IERS) to announce the addition of a leap second. Adding the leap second to the end of 2008 makes it the longest year since 1992. Find out why.

It was in 1926 when 19 year old Gertrude Caroline Ederle became the first woman to swim the English Channel. She is quoted as saying, “People said women couldn’t swim the Channel but I proved they could.” Perhaps a few people said the same about Jennifer Figge and she proved them wrong as well.