The mouse hath seen the light

Light passing through the body and into the womb has an important role in the developing eye, US researchers have discovered. A study, published in the journal Nature, showed that mice spending pregnancy in complete darkness had babies with altered eye development. It indicated tiny quantities of light were needed to control blood vessel growth in the eye. The researchers hope the findings will aid understanding of eye disorders. Speaking of disorders, a Mexican athlete who won a silver medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics has died two weeks after being shot in the head in a bar. Noe Hernandez, who came second in the 20km walk, died on the way to hospital, after apparently suffering a heart attack at home. The 34-year-old athlete was in a bar in Mexico state on 30 December when a row broke out at a nearby table. A man opened fire, killing two people and wounding Hernandez and another man. Whoever fired the shots should have instead fired at Lance Armstrong, who admitted earlier this week that he did in fact use drugs to win seven consecutive Tours. He has let down all of his fans and he deserved to be banned for life. Using performance-enhancing drugs is not on.