Saving athletes from a watery grave DRINK as much water as possible – that's the mantra athletes such as marathon runners have been following for decades. But the advice can be positively dangerous. Plummeting blood sodium levels from an excessive intake of water during exercise have resulted in seven deaths and more than 250 casualties since the 1960s. Athletes should simply … 51¶¯Âþ
Humans Washington diary SOME accuse President George Bush of being beholden to the oil tycoons of Texas. But Bush appears to be broadening his horizons, and last year he announced a $1.2-billion research project to develop hydrogen as a fuel. Touted as the world's cleanest fuel, hydrogen is one of the darlings of alternative energy enthusiasts. It turns … Opinion
Reality cheque THEY might not sound very appealing, but the Boots of Flowing Slime can mean the difference between life and death. Not only does this enchanted footware raise its owner's resistance to curses, it boosts health and energy too. No wonder they're changing hands for $86. The boots, of course, don't actually exist. They are part … Features
Beware the death worm Mysterious Creatures by George M. Eberhart, ABC-CLIO, $185, ISBN 1576072835 Reviewed by John Bonner IT'S a small world, but there are still some undiscovered corners. No fewer than 431 vertebrate species, and new taxonomic groups of insects and other invertebrates, have been discovered in the past century. So there is a reasonable chance that at … Books & Arts
Feedback IS the Central Intelligence Agency still worried about possible terrorist acts by a shadowy "organisation of uncertain make-up, using the name 'Group of the Martyr Ebenezer Scrooge'"? The group first surfaced in the CIA's records on 17 December 1974 as part of the Weekly Situation Report on International Terrorism submitted to then-president Gerald Ford. Twenty-five … Regulars