Angel >> Stephen Jay Gould One of the few scientists who became a household name, Gould died on Monday, age 60, after a 20-year battle with cancer. Most famous for his writings that modified Darwin’s theory of gradual evolution and for championing the teaching of evolution theory in schools, the Harvard paleontologist and author was best known for his casual and chatty style of writing that engaged audiences in ways other scientists could not. “Paleontology’s public intellectual,” as one colleague called him, explained evolution with patterns of statistical deviation, the same method he used to explain the extinction of dinosaurs and the demise of the .400 hitter in baseball.

Insect >>Federal cuts to mental health budget At a paltry $270,000, Health Canada’s minuscule budget for mental health education and prevention recently took a $20,000 cut, outraging experts, including the Canadian Psychiatric Association. (In comparison, Canada spends some $115-million on diabetes and $42-million on its AIDS strategy every year.) While nearly one in five Canadians suffer from some sort of mental illness, critics say that the federal Liberals are reneging on a promise made to address mental health, and that the new cuts amount to “gross neglect.” A Health Canada spokesperson said the cuts were due to “an internal budget exercise.”