It is fitting that we reflect carefully on Abe Lincoln's insights and strong words, not just because this is the time of year we celebrate his remarkable life and momentous presidency.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Treacherous "Agitation"

In Roman times the average life span was just 22 (mainly because of the appalling rate of infant mortality), by 1800 it was 40 years, 1900 around the late 40s and today it hovers around the mid-to-late 70s.

BBC: NEWS | UK | Magazine | The 100+ club

Doctors caution that no patient should just stop taking any cholesterol drug, because the life-saving benefits of the pills have been proven in large, well-designed studies.

FORBES: Study Questions Crestor Safety

It is, in fact, a powerful lens with which to study a society because it offers a view, not just into intimate life, but also of the bigger picture: politics and economics, religion and tradition, gender and generations that shape sexual attitudes and behaviors.

CNN: Why Arab world must learn to talk about sex

It wasn't because we were leaving, just because she was overwhelmed that we'd paid her almost the exact equivalent of her life savings for three days work.

BBC: The closed city of Norilsk

Of course, just because a planet is the right distance from its star does not imply that it will host life.

ECONOMIST: Extra-terrestrial life