Presidential Politics and the Heroin Epidemic, and The Biology of Desire

New Hampshire has experienced a huge increase in heroin and prescription drug addiction over the last decade. And because New Hampshire is one of the all-important early primary states, the presidential candidates are spending time there and have had to confront a lot of questions about this issue. And, most medical experts say that addiction is a disease—whether that addiction is to drugs, alcohol, or cigarettes. That ever-expanding list is one reason why neuroscientist Marc Lewis takes issue with the addiction-is-a-disease model. Then, two days after a renowned scholar was killed in Syria, experts are wondering what will become of the ancient ruins of Palmyra. Khaled al-As'ad was beheaded by the so-called Islamic State after he refused to reveal where many of the heritage site’s artifacts were hidden. Finally, one story has dominated the internet this week: the hack and data dump of the infidelity dating website Ashley Madison.