Tamerlan Tsarnaev Is Telling No Tales. The

The Brain Sits Snugly Inside The Skull, But It's Not A Completely Flush Fit - There Is Still A Layer Of Fluid Between Bone And Soft Tissue That Serves As A Natural Shock Absorber. Some Shocks, However, Can't Be Absorbed, And When The Head Gets Clobbered Too Hard, The Brain Can Twist Or Torque Or Rattle Around Inside Its Skeletal Casing.

Kids Whose Puberty Begins Too Soon Face Not Just Psychological Risks, But Physical Ones Too, With An Increased Likelihood Of Cancer, As Well As Skeletal Changes That Could Prevent Them From Attaining Their Full Adult Height.

We Pride Ourselves On Being The Only Species That Understands The Concept Of Risk, Yet We Have A Confounding Habit Of Worrying About Mere Possibilities While Ignoring Probabilities, Building Barricades Against Perceived Dangers While Leaving Ourselves Exposed To Real Ones.

I Was Born In The U.s., My Wife Was Born In Mexico And Emigrated Here When She Was In College, And My Daughters Were Born In New York City. That Makes Them Passport-carrying, Natural-born, Eligible-to-run-for-president Americans. But They're Also Mexicans And They Like That Just Fine.

When You're Your Parents' One Shot At A Genetic Legacy, You May Get To Attend All The Best Schools, Wear All The Best Clothes And Eat All The Best Foods - At Least Relative To Children In Multiple-sibling Households. But You Also Wind Up With An Overweening Sense Of Your Own Importance.