Officials in Lo Prado, Chile, a working-class suburb of Santiago, have begun handing out free Viagra to senior residents. About 1,500 men are eligible for the program, which will cost about $20,000 and will run through the end of the year. “An active sexuality improves the overall quality of life,” explained Mayor Gonzalo Navarette Munoz, who pushed for the program. Participants are required to provide a doctor’s certification that they suffer from erectile dysfunction, and that they are healthy enough to handle the drug’s possible side effects. Other mayors in the Santiago area are planning similar programs.
Pierre, a 25-year-old African penguin, was getting so old that he was losing his feathers. He shivered with cold and refused to go near water. But his handlers at the California Academy of Sciences had a novel solution: a custom-made wet suit. Working with Oceanic Worldwide, a supplier of diving gear, academy scientists made Pierre a close-fitting rubber garment with openings for his flippers, tail, and feet. “I would walk behind him,” said biologist Pam Schaller, “and look at where there were any gaps, and cut and refit and cut and refit until it was extremely streamlined.” Since wearing the suit, Pierre has gained weight and is again splashing with his fellow penguins.
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