Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes would have liked to give Matthew and Lady Mary Crawley a happier ending, but wasn't able to because Dan Stevens bailed so unceremoniously.

A woman, whom the medical journal Current Biology simply calls SM, has a rare from of brain damage, and literally can not feel fear. But researchers sure had a good time trying to scare her!

Scientists have managed to take females out of the reproduction equation by getting two male mice to reproduce together, opening up the possibility for future human male/male reproduction (with a female surrogate to carry). No one tell Christine O'Donnell.

Today in Lessons We Don't Necessarily Need To Learn: a Kansas State professor shed 26.2 pounds while feeding primarily on Twinkies, Doritos, doughnuts, and other treats high in saturated fats for 10 weeks. Oh, and his cholesterol went down, too.

On December 8, President Obama will appear on Mythbusters in an effort to highlight science education. Obama will help determine whether Archimedes really set fire to a Roman fleet using mirrors, though this was already "busted" in a previous episode.

This print from Modern Toss (click to enlarge) provides a handy guide to British curses. That said, Americans may need a translation for "stink like a piss ceefax" and "acting like a cock snake on plant food."

The scientific explanation for morning breath: Billions of bacteria live in your mouth and create waste, using your mouth like a toilet bowl. When you brush your teeth and eat breakfast, they're killed by the acids in your stomach. [WaPo]

This article, titled "Beautiful women can be bad for your health," would be better if it read: "Men stressed after being left alone with 'attractive' woman while playing Sudoku." Because that's the real problem here. Seriously.

"Males have more pronounced personalities than females across a range of species — from humans to house sparrows — according to new research." (NB: "Personality" is defined as "consistent, predictable behaviours.") [ScienceDaily]

Doctors are hopeful that new stem cell technology will allow women to regrow breasts within the next three years. The technique - which involves injecting fat tissue into a biodegradable chamber - has already proved successful in pigs. [Telegraph]

Score one for Family Values. Or at least another talking point for the rabid, ongoing, totally theoretical kids/no kids! war!

At the link: A musing about the state of science in children's lives; chemistry sets have given way to "boogerology" kits, emphasizing gross stuff in an effort to lure kids. But click through for the anvil launch video! [Retro Thing]

Filmmaker John Hughes passed away today at 59. Though he was responsible for such classics as Vacation, Mr. Mom, and Home Alone, it's probably his teen movies—which continue to resonate with each generation—that he'll really be remembered for.

The director, producer and writer responsible for hugely popular movies like National Lampoon's Vacation, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Weird Science, The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles and Pretty in Pink died today in New York. More to come. [TMZ, Wikipedia]

According to Dr. Sara Lewis, most of the flashing lights we see in the summer are the mating calls of male fireflies, who converse nightly with the females waiting in the grass for the male with the largest "gift." [NYT]

A Brazilian designer generates 3-D plaster models of fetuses from ultrasounds. It's a cool option for blind women — but will it become, as London Times commenters fear, another weapon in the fight against abortion? [TimesOnline]

Scientists have begun mapping the 1,000 species of bacteria living on the human skin in efforts to better understand healthy epidermis. Apparently, the forearm is teeming with an average of 44 different types of bacteria, while the armpit is a "lush rain forest" of microscopic life. [NationalGeographic & ScienceNow]

The stereotype of the "mad" scientist is deserved. [BoingBoing]