Largest known planet discovered

PHOENIX -- Scientists have discovered the universe's largest known planet, a giant ball made of mostly hydrogen that is 20 times larger than Earth and circling a star 1,400 light years away. Scientists believe the planet is 1.7 times the diameter of Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, and has a temperature of 2,300-degrees. Scientists first spotted the new planet, called TrES-4, and a smaller one in spring 2006. Scientists at Caltech, Harvard University, and the W.M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii later confirmed the discovery. (AP)

Washington, D.C.

The number of US beaches declared unsafe for swimming reached a record last year, with more than 25,000 cases where shorelines were closed or prompted health advisories, an environmental group reported yesterday. The Natural Resources Defense Council, which compiled the report from US Environmental Protection Agency data, said the probable culprit was sewage and contaminated runoff from water treatment systems. "Aging and poorly designed sewage and storm water systems hold much of the blame for beach water pollution," the group said in a statement. The problem was compounded by record rainfall. (Reuters)

WASHINGTON -- Terminally ill patients do not have a constitutional right to be treated with experimental drugs, even if they will probably be dead before the medicine is approved, a federal appeals court said yesterday. The ruling by the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit overturned last year's decision by a smaller panel of the same court, which held that terminally ill patients may not be denied access to potentially lifesaving drugs. The full court disagreed, saying in an 8 to 2 ruling that it would not create a constitutional right for patients to assume "any level of risk" without regard to medical testing.

New York

NEW YORK -- A nutrient found in red meat, eggs, poultry, and dairy products may raise women's risk of colorectal polyps that can lead to cancer, scientists in the US said. The substance, called choline, is used by the body to make the barrier that surrounds cells, including those that are malignant. Of the almost 40,000 women in a study, those who ate diets rich in choline were as much as 45 percent more likely to develop colon cancer, according to a study released today by the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Folate, a B vitamin found in leafy green vegetables, lessened the likelihood of colon cancer, according to previous research. (Bloomberg)