The Good News

- The lightest exoplanet ever discovered, with a mass just about twice that of Earth, was detected by a spectrograph at La Silla, Chile.
- An experimental scorpion antivenom helped all eight children who received it recover from nerve poisoning following a sting, according to a study at the University of Arizona.
- Mind wandering is not just a lazy way of tuning out, a University of British Columbia study says. It engages the brain network responsible for solving complex problems.

The Bad News

- More than 1.48 billion wild animals were brought into the U.S. between 2000 and 2006, according to a multi-institution investigation; most were not labeled with a species identification.
- Rather than inspiring us to make better food choices, the presence of healthy options on a menu makes consumers more likely to choose unhealthy ones, says the Journal of Consumer Research.
- A study in an Italian foundry found that exposure to particulate air pollutants can alter DNA in as little as three days.