"With myeloma there is no cure, we at best hope for a long plateau phase, but this drug gives us quality of life, " she said.

BBC: NEWS | UK | England | Bradford | Women's legal bid for cancer drug

Actually, the opposite is true: progress gives us a longer life.

NEWYORKER: The Slows

He had a huge appetite for life and I think what he gives to us in his music is what he terms, he called himself a foot solider in the service of music, and I think of him in that sense it would be the foot soldier reporting on the triumphs and tragedies of the world.

NPR: Yo Yo Ma Reflects on Rostropovich

Just as Mars -- a desert planet -- gives us insights into global climate change on Earth, the promise awaits for bringing back to life portions of the Red Planet through the application of Earth Science to its similar chemistry, possibly reawakening its life-bearing potential.

CNN: Commentary: Let's aim for Mars