In case you missed it

Monday's Health and Science

Scientists have long wondered how people decide, even after a brief interaction, whether or not to trust a person. What subtle cues are telegraphed in a handshake, a facial twitch, or a simple change in posture? Now, to shed light on that age-old question, Boston-area scientists are turning to Nexi, a moonfaced robot with expressive eyebrows, dexterous mechanical hands, and a face that can flick from boredom to happiness.

Marjorie Vietor Kittredge, considered an international pioneer in the field of the therapeutic benefit of riding, died of cancer on June 23 in the home of one of her daughters in Roxbury, Vt. She was 86, and had lived in Boxford since 1950.

Older Americans aren’t settling for the rocking chair. They’re on the ski slopes, tennis courts, and in swimming pools. And they’re demanding that their doctors treat their sports injuries.

Are laser hair removal treatments effective and safe?

Dr. Kevin S. Hughes, co-director of the Avon Comprehensive Breast Evaluation Center at Massachusetts General Hospital and a surgeon at Newton-Wellesley Hospital, recently completed a study on breast cancer treatment for women over 70.

Family-centered rounds that include parents in discussions of care for hospitalized children are the most common form of rounds.

A new study that surveyed elderly women about their exercise habits has found an association between early activity and later mental sharpness (second item).

New projects at the influential Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Laboratory, which has doubled its space with the opening of a new building in March, now connect digital technology to the “real’’ world of medical offices, retail spaces, homes, and pants pockets.

No one can turn the clock back to the days before the Tylenol killer laced bottles of the pain reliever with cyanide and changed drug packaging forever. But computer scientists and a prominent Boston cardiologist warn that medical devices may also be vulnerable to the kind of attacks that once seemed inconceivable.

Why is the sea salty and rivers and lakes aren’t?

In the Sunday Globe

The state’s ambitious, first-in-the-nation plan to transform how hospitals and doctors are paid is on hold, at least for this year, largely because of disagreements among key officials, legislators, and providers over how best to control health care spending.

The number of people visiting hospital emergency rooms has climbed in Massachusetts, despite the enactment of nearly universal health insurance that some hoped would reduce expensive emergency department use.

In Saturday's Globe

Harvard Pilgrim Health Care has struck a deal with state regulators to voluntarily limit its insurance rate increases for individuals and small businesses, a move the Patrick administration held up as evidence its bold campaign to hold down health costs is working.

Grim warnings about underage drinking typically go out around prom and graduation season, but a new government report finds that the Fourth of July weekend also packs a potent mix of youth and booze.