Beer, popular though the ages, is one of the world's oldest beverages with a history dating back to the 6th millennium BC. It is mentioned in the written history of ancient Egypt and in the earliest Sumerian writings. The Finnish epic poem, Kalevala, devotes more lines to the origin of beer and brewing than it does to the origin of mankind.

Discovery.com reports that students at Rice University have created a beer that could extend your life; protect against diabetes, cancer and Alzheimer's:

BioBeer, as it's called, has three genes spliced into special brewer's yeast that produce resveratrol, the chemical in red wine that is thought to protect against diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer's and other age-related conditions.

The only problem, from the students' perspective, is that many of them aren't old enough to legally consume their creation.

Read the entire article here.

Thinking about tongues and the Tower of Babel
Originally published in Poems Niederngasse
Annette Marie Hyder

Poetry

is a language to be likened
to that which was spoken
before tongues were mixed like cocktails
and watered down like well drinks.

A toast:

Let us drink together.
Let us mingle our tongues.
Let them be liquid
but crusted with honey
like mead.

Let there be the sound of ice tinkling
and the sight of coarse salt glinting on the rims.
Let them be served up
in extravagantly expensive crystal
or paper cups.

Let these tongues flow
in the many colors of gold, claret and wine.
Let us not be stinting.
Let us drink stoutly
with beer hoisted high.

Another toast:

Let us have more tongues than we need
and the wit to employ every one
in wagging, in teasing and poking.
If I stick mine out at you
take it not as an insult
but rather
a salute.

Cheers!