A German company has devised a way to beat smoking bans in pubs -- it's put nicotine in its beer. \nNicoShot is currently being tested in Germany and might be approved in upcoming months. Nautilus, its German manufacturer, said the beer is designed to help smokers kick their habit rather than making the beer more addictive. \nEach beer will have a 6.3 percent alcohol reading and will contain three milligrams of nicotine. \nThe beer has been likened to the nicotine patch because, in theory, the use of NicoShot can be reduced, then ceased. \n"While NicoShot can lessen cravings, it is not a 'cure' for smoking," Nautilus said. "But it can help you make changes in your lifestyle without having to walk out of the bar for a quick smoke to deal with sudden withdrawal symptoms."
Brain freeze, bikini wax, chick flick now defined
Springfield, Mass. -- What do a chick flick, bikini wax and a brain freeze have in common? \nThey're all new additions to Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. In the first rewrite since 2003, 18 new entries were added.\nFor example, the dictionary describes brain freeze as the shooting pain you sometimes get when wolfing down ice cream.
Rare rocks \nshowcased in Geology Building
Housed in a glowing display case at the IU Department of Geological Sciences is a series of fossils, or Brachiopods, which IU paleontology students discovered in the early 1900s just west of Hartsville, Ind. These marine animals, whose fossils resemble clamshells, are being featured as October's Rock of the Month. \nRoughly one-and-a-half years ago, Dr. Donald Hattin of the IU Department of Geological Sciences created the Rock of the Month display to call attention to the many rock types that can be found in different parts of the country. Hattin said it's been a hit with students. \n"I see students stopping there daily," Hattin said. "One of the secretaries says if the display isn't changed immediately when the month expires she hears students start talking."\nHattin gets items for display from various faculty members and geology students who contribute specimens they've discovered. Each month, he tries to show a rock much different from the previous month's display. \nHe's already chosen November's rock: a piece of raccoon-tailed fluorite from southern Illinois.\n"That will be a really interesting specimen because it's a beautiful purple color and it has a striped appearance like the tail of a raccoon," he said.
