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It wasn’t the kind of call a grocery store gets every day. A customer with a thick Eastern European accent was on the phone saying he wanted to buy several thousand cans of Red Bull. Could the store have them in stock in a few days? Also, did they have equipment to move all those stacks of energy drinks into the parking lot, where two minivans would be waiting? (Hager, 10/13)

Since the days of Dr. Alzheimer himself, there has been a dream that severe senility might have an explanation — and a cure. The search for both has never been more urgent. (Kolker, 10/10)

SpudCells may one day produce new medicines and materials. But first scientists have to improve them — and make sure they aren’t misused. (Zimmer, 10/14)

Jonathan is blind, but the 194-year-old giant tortoise knows it’s time to eat when he hears Joe Hollins call his name. Jonathan chomps at the air, expecting Hollins to feed him pears, cucumbers or carrots. But a few times in recent years, Hollins, a veterinarian, tricked Jonathan and slid a cotton swab into the giant tortoise’s mouth to get a saliva sample. He said he hoped that the saliva of the world’s oldest living land animal would serve a great purpose. “Maybe a medicine or medication will come out of this,” Hollins said. (Melnick, 10/13)

Living longer and healthier is important. But don’t believe everything you hear. (Wenner Moyer, 10/13)