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Do Nicotine Patches And Gum Help Smokers Quit?

Credit Patrik Stollarz / AFP/Getty Images

There are new questions about the value of nicotine patches and gum in helping people quit smoking.

By Ted Burnham

Nicotine patches and gums have been helping smokers quit for decades. Right?

Even President Obama, once the Smoker in Chief, has kicked the habit with the help of nicotine replacement therapy, according to his doctor's latest report.

2:04 pm

Wed January 11, 2012

Death Of Iranian Nuclear Expert Adds To Tensions

Credit Sajad Safari / AFP/Getty Images

Iranian security forces inspect the site where a magnetic bomb attached to a car by a motorcyclist exploded outside a university in Tehran on Jan. 11, 2012, killing nuclear scientist Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan.

By Peter Kenyon

An explosion in Tehran Wednesday killed an Iranian nuclear scientist while he was driving his car. It's the fifth such death in five years, and Iranian officials immediately blamed Israel. The attack is the latest manifestation of escalating tensions between Iran and the West.

1:59 pm

Wed January 11, 2012

Pope To Visit Cuba To Endorse Church's Growing Role

Credit Osservatore Romano / AP

Pope Benedict XVI will travel in March to Cuba, where he's expected to endorse the growing dialogue between the church and the state. In this photo on Wednesday, an employee from the Rome's Bio Park Zoo holds a rare Cuban crocodile as he meets the pontiff at the Vatican. The crocodile will be returned to Cuba around the time the pope visits the island.

By Nick Miroff

When Pope Benedict XVI goes to Latin America in March, Mexico is an obvious choice with nearly 100 million Catholics.

But communist-run Cuba is also on his itinerary. The 84-year-old pontiff does not travel often, and this leg of his trip will be a strong show of support for Cuba's church leaders and their growing role in pushing President Raul Castro's government for change.

More than anywhere else in Cuba, the Santa Rita church in Havana's Miramar district is the place where religion and politics intersect.

1:51 pm

Wed January 11, 2012

Election 2012 Moves On, And America Yawns

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Credit Andrew Burton / Getty Images

A man walks past campaign workers touting their candidates during voting in the New Hampshire primary, at Webster Elementary School in Manchester on Tuesday.

Credit Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

Susan Gayhart stations herself outside the polls at a fire station in Canaan, N.H., on the morning of the primary.

By Scott Neuman

Tuesday was an exciting night for Mitt Romney in New Hampshire. In mid-Ohio, not so much.

By about 9 a.m. Wednesday, the bankruptcy of a local barbecue restaurant chain was one of several stories ranked higher in the "most popular stories" list on The Columbus Dispatch's website than anything coming out of the GOP primary.

For many people, the election so far just hasn't been that interesting — and it might be even less so if Romney again rakes in the chips in South Carolina next week, adding to the perception that his nomination is virtually a done deal.

1:48 pm

Wed January 11, 2012

Man And Machines: Beyond Touch

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Credit oblong.com

A demonstration of Oblong's g‑speak SOE (spatial operating environment), technology that was featured in the film Minority Report.

Credit Ethan Miller / Getty Images

Attendees try a prototype 3M Touch Systems projected capacitive display at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Analysts say the way we interact with computers and other devices will be radically different in a few decades.

Credit Nest

Nest's thermostat observes patterns in your house, then programs itself.

By Steve Henn

Computer chips and technology are invading all sorts of previously dumb devices. Phones are now smart. Cars are becoming connected computers on wheels. Call it the computerization of everything. But how we interact with these machines is bound to evolve.

At this year's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, touch pads are everywhere — in phones, in tablets and laptop screens. And Brad Feld has had enough.

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2:05 pm

Wed January 11, 2012