By BERNADETTE TANSEY, San Francisco Chronicle

Researchers have discovered a new mechanism of nerve-cell death that might play a role in Alzheimer's disease, opening the door to a fresh array of possible tactics to battle the devastating neurodegenerative illness.

Call it the "intelligent pill" -- an amazing capsule that understands when your body needs medicine.The Dutch electronics company Philips, a maker of Webcams and cordless phones, has invented a battery-powered, programmable drug capsule it calls the "iPill."

SAN FRANCISCO -- Drug companies shower medical school faculty members with pricey dinners, free samples and other inducements to influence their prescribing patterns, an organization of U.S. medical students says.Med students are trying to change that.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Stanford University doctors are trying a new tool to fight cancer. It's a test that, by focusing on genetic analysis, could help doctors better understand a patient's treatment needs.

Biotechnology has introduced many wonders to the world. New drugs to treat deadly diseases. Microbes that digest oil spills. Fluorescent fish. Remarkable inventions all.But what has biotech ever done for bald people?

Less than a dozen years after Dolly the sheep became the world's first cloned mammal, grocers and restaurateurs are digesting the fact that milk and meat from cloned animals could soon filter into their supply chains.