Will Fast Suits Sink Swimmers? The international swimming federation has banned 146 types of high-performance racing suits from amateur competition: 10 suits were rejected outright, while 136, if modified within 30 days, will be reconsidered for approval. The suits improve buoyancy and reduce drag, leading to faster times - times that some officials think give competitors an unfair advantage. "There are some athletes that probably have fooled themselves that they are swimming faster, that it’s their own abilities, but technically there is so much evidence that it was the technology of the suits that has brought on a lot of these improvements," says one swim coach quoted in the New York Times. On the one hand, apparel can only do so much - were I to wear one of the illegal suits, I still wouldn't be breaking any world records. But in races that are often determined by fractions of a second, teams that can afford expensive high-tech suits (Speedo's LAZR suit, which made the approved list, can cost up to $550) take the sport out of competing against countries with less extravagant budgets (or sponsorship deals). (NY Times)

Epidemic Equations Why, wonders Slate's Jordan Ellenberg, if "36,000 Americans die of ordinary strains of flu every year...did we get so agitated over a bug whose victims worldwide, as of this writing, number just 65?" He's talking, of course, about swine flu. The 36,000 body count attributed to "regular" flu is based on a complex calculation; the 65 bodies counted as swine flu victims were the result of an actual body count.  Similar complex calculations as those applied to the standard-issue flu will probably prove that H1N1-caused influenza is more deadly than originally reported. While I continue to believe swine flu is not worth panicking over any more than any other virus, he ends his piece with this ominous little kicker:  "If you want to keep that face mask close at hand a few months longer, you've got my mathematical blessing." (Slate)

Stem Cell Success Scientists from the University College London have manipulated stem cells to kill cancer. In a treatment that's proven effective on mice, the researchers showed that adult stem cells could be altered to attack only cancerous tissue, leaving healthy tissue behind. Calling it a "seek and destroy" approach, the treatment eliminated tumors 38 percent of the time. Human trials may begin in two to three years (MSNBC)

Comedy or Commentary?  The trailer is up for HBO's newest comedy, "Hung". The show focuses on the exploits of a well-endowed man trying to make the most out of his gift - where "the most" means "the most money" and "gift" means "penis": our protagonist is a reluctant sex worker. The fact that he's a high school teacher looking to bulk up his income with an illegal revenue stream makes it sound like AMC's "Breaking Bad," but minus the terminal cancer (and thus the darkly comic edge) and plus a lot of anatomy jokes. Is it a commentary on American masculinity that the network of Tony Soprano is now all about manwhoring? Or is a sitcom about male prostitutes sometimes just a sitcom about male prostitutes? Double X discusses. (Double X)