17 May 2007: Morning

Government-financed study finds sarin nerve gas exposure may have caused lasting brain deficits in many Gulf War soldiers.

Anti-war Senators fail to cut funds.

Military says it's holding people "directly linked" to the presumably captured soldiers; as usual, scores of deaths reported in Iraq.

Military likely responsible for torching New Jersey.

Op: Listen not to Tenet or Bauer, or those who say torture works.

Passive-aggressive notes from roommates, neighbors, coworkers, and strangers.

Causes of disasters predicted for Afghanistan: Streams of refugees, fields of poppies.

Bold and unrelenting. Distinctly bitter aftertaste. Pain index provides tasting notes on different stings.

Notes on recent freak weather.

One in 29 people is truly accident-prone.

Today's long read: Examining the evolutionary competition between developing weapons and testes.

The truffle oil you dump on your eggs--i.e., 2,4-dithiapentane--has nothing to do with truffles.

Scientists believe behaving like a Martian will help insomniacs rest.

Happy birthday, Studs Terkel, who seemingly hasn't rested in years.

Now that artists talk about work as often as make it, what role remains for scholars?

Also, will the Quidditch-books industry be killed off by the final Harry Potter, or can it follow a Sherlockian model?

These days: Too much mumbling onstage, too many bionic amputees, too few long shots, too many reverends not selling pencils.

William Langewiesche's steps for building a nuclear bomb in the former Soviet Union.

Rosie O'Donnell, bringing 9/11 conspiracies to a small screen near you.

Blind man claims bias when denied gun permit.