BITS AND PIECES...

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LONG-LIVED JAPANESE: A United Nations study shows that the life expectancy of Japanese men has lengthened by 16.5 years, and that of the nation's women by 18.4 years, since 1950 . . . the largest such increases recorded among U.N. member nations. Furthermore, a Japanese study predicts that the country will have the highest proportion of elderly of any nation in the world by the year 2025 . . . when 23.8% of the population will be 65 or older.

FEET FACTS: Two intriguing reports came out of the annual meeting of the American Podiatry Association this past summer. One study concluded that flat feet are advantageous to basketball players, since athletes with normal or high arches often feel strain and pain from running up and down on hard surfaces. The other identified a new podiatric ill, "video foot", which is affecting devotees of electronic games. The symptoms-considerable foot pain and lower-back strain-can be avoided if marathon video gamesters walk around occasionally and wear shoes with thick crepe or rubber soles.

BIOLOGICAL WARFARE ON MOSQUITOES: Scientists at the University of California at Riverside have developed a biological insecticide, Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (BTI), that has proved effective against mosquitoes (the insectsas you likely know-carry malaria, encephalitis, and canine heartworm). The species-specific bacteria will not kill most other insects, fish, spiders, or birds . . . and are effective on mosquitoes only during their larval stage.

The U.S. Committee for Refugees reports that THE WORLDWIDE TOTAL OF PERSONS RECOGNIZED AS REF UGEES ROSE to around 10,000,000 during 1982, an increase of almost 800,000 from the 1981 total .... A new public health study contradicts existing research on the link between BIRTH CONTROL PILLS AND CANCER IN WOMEN , indicating that women who have used oral contraceptives are approximately half as likely to develop ovarian and endometrial cancer as are women who have never used them. The report also said contraceptive use does not appear to increase a woman's risk of developing breast cancer .... The John Muir Institute of Napa, California—which includes the Center for the Integration of Applied Science headed by Bill and Helga Olkowski (see their article on controlling garden pests in issue 76, page 166)—has been awarded a $131,500 grant from the Mott Foundation for third-year support of A PROGRAM TO DEMONSTRATE URBAN USE OF INTEGRATED PEST- AND WASTE-MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS .... A new National Academy of Sciences report suggests that (surprise!) there is a LINK BETWEEN WHAT PEOPLE EAT AND THEIR CHANCES OF GETTING CANCER. The study contradicts a 1980 version by the agency, which concluded that "healthy people" need not worry about fat and cholesterol.

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