1.)     Here’s a surprising result from a new study of nearly 3 million people – while being obese is likely to take years off your life, people who are just a bit overweight actually appear to have a lower risk of premature death than those at a normal weight.       Experts say the apparent survival edge of the overweight could come down to many factors—extra reserves of fat during illness, more padding to protect elderly bones from falls, or perhaps the fact that the overweight are likelier to suffer medical conditions that bring them in regular contact with doctors.

2.)     Beginning today, Starbucks will look to help cut down on paper throw-aways by selling reusable plastic cups for a dollar.     If you purchase one of the reusable cups, you’ll get a 10 cent discount on coffee, so the plastic cup pays for itself in 10 visits.     Stores will offer a boiled-water rinse before refilling.      Starbucks is rolling out the option nationwide today after a successful test-market in the Northwest—the number of reusable cups increased by 26% over a month at the stores in the experiment.

3.)     When first put into use during World War II, Penicillin was a “wonder drug.”     Now, the newest medication that could help in our fight against drug-resistant superbugs could be “pandacillin.”     Researchers in China have discovered giant pandas have a powerful antibiotic in their blood that can destroy fungi and bacteria faster than conventional antibiotics.        The antibiotic is thought to be released by the bear’s immune system to protect from infections when they are living in the wild.   The compound was discovered after analyzing the panda’s DNA and continues to be studied.