Today's Globe: pyramids, life span, melanoma, omega-3s, biologic drug copies, connections

MIT students under the direction of professor Linn W. Hobbs (center) are
building a scale model to test a contrarian theory. (Dina Rudick/Globe Staff)

It's a theory that gives indigestion to mainstream archeologists. Namely, that some of the immense blocks of Egypt's Great Pyramids might have been cast from synthetic material - the world's first concrete - not just carved whole from quarries and lugged into place by armies of toilers.

Life expectancy may have reached an all-time high for the United States, but it is declining in many poor counties, especially among women, Harvard researchers reported yesterday.

Melanoma, the most dangerous form of skin cancer, is much deadlier when it appears on the scalp or neck than elsewhere on the body, according to a study published yesterday.

For years, many doctors have extolled the medical benefits of eating oily fish, which are laden with omega-3 fatty acids thought to reduce the risk of heart disease and other conditions. Now Resolvyx Pharmaceuticals Inc., based in Bedford, hopes to use recent scientific research on how omega-3 fatty acids work to develop a powerful new class of drugs to treat inflammatory diseases, ranging from asthma to cardiovascular problems.

In a decision that shows how difficult it is to copy complex, biologic drugs, federal regulators rejected Genzyme Corp.'s request for permission to sell in the United States a version of its Pompe disease drug, called Myozyme, that is made at its Allston manufacturing plant, the company disclosed yesterday afternoon.

Mothers of newborns want to stay wired into the adult world, but concerns arise that the Internet is separating mom and baby.