DOUGLAS QUENQUA

Maybe you heard about the Massachusetts family that got so lost in a corn maze they called 911 for help? And maybe you wondered whether this is the sort of thing that happens once in a while. After all, mazes are designed to confuse people, and who can’t picture himself getting a little panicky after the 2nd hour of turning blind corners? But corn mazes are complex structures meant to challenge people, not to put them in mortal jeopardy, say those who design them. (Tip: Next time, just walk through the damn corn.)

Filed under: 2011, Douglas Quenqua, New York Times

 I recently flew to San Diego to spend a day with Dr. Kim Janda, an organic chemist who has been trying for almost 30 years to develop vaccines against heroin, cocaine, tobacco, methamphetamine, even the date rape drug. It’s a novel use for vaccines that could seriously alter the way people are treated for drug addiction–if only they could make one that works. Dr. Janda is close, but then again, he’s been close for a long time. In todays Science Times, An Addiction Vaccine, Tantalizingly Close.

Filed under: 2011, Douglas Quenqua, New York Times