Stewart restores sanity, showering daily is so last year, and scientists grow a mini liver

If it seems to you like lately American politics are a bit of a joke, Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert's Rally to Restore Sanity this past weekend likely did little to remedy the situation. The Comedy Central mock-news anchors hosted the Washington D.C. rally this past Saturday in an effort to restore some sanity to the American political system and the media that covers it. The event was part comedy shtick, part rock concert, and part serious bipartisan plea for reason in the face of the extremist ideologies that are dividing the country. Various news sources estimated the crowd at around 200,000, thought Colbert was more generous, claiming via Twitter that it was somewhere in the ballpark of “six billion.” Check out an amazing gallery of the many creative and hilarious homemade rally signs here. 

 How often do you shower? Use shampoo? Wear deodorant? An article in the New York Times questions whether our culture's current standard of cleanliness is really necessary. Some experts say your hair, skin and health in general will actually benefit if you abstain from washing everyday, as cleaning can strip away good bacteria and moisturizing oils from the skin and hair. 

 Should polygamy be allowed on television? Apparently 2.7 million viewers think so, and so does TLC. The network ordered a second season of “Sister Wives,” the reality show that chronicles the adventures of the polygamist Brown family: one husband and four wives. The network is hungry for more, despite the fact that the entire Brown flock is currently under investigation by Utah police for bigamy charges. 

A team of scientists has managed to grow a miniature liver in the lab, an achievement that may lead to the eventual manufacturing of livers for human transplant. Researchers used stem cells to generate the small-scale liver. The demand for transplantable livers greatly exceeds the supply, and though scientists say the generation of full-sized functioning livers is still a ways off, they're excited that “this is no longer just the stuff of science fiction." 

 Another volcano is erupting in Indonesia, less than a week after Mount Murapi, the country's most active volcano, began spewing smoke, dust and ash. The second volcano is called Anak Krakatau, and residents in the area are being warned to stay at least two kilometres away from the peak. All this is in addition to the tsunami that last week claimed 449 lives along the Indonesian coast.