For the first time, scientists have been able to "freeze in time" a mysterious process by which a critical enzyme metabolizes drugs and chemicals in food. By recreating this process in the lab, a team of researchers has solved a 40-year-old puzzle about changes in a family of enzymes produced by the liver that break down common drugs such as Tylenol, caffeine and opiates, as well as nutrients in many foods. The breakthrough discovery may help future researchers develop a wide range of more efficient and less-expensive drugs, household products and other chemicals. The scientists' findings were published in the journal Science on Nov. 12.

In this white porcelain bowl, I have space. My fingers cup the edges as if I were lifting it up to my face, but I cannot because it is too heavy. So I lean forward, close enough to touch the small pool of water. And in my stomach a raging sea begins a mad rush or bitter waves that soon foam in my mouth. It pours, like a waterfall splashing onto the landscape. Sometimes, it touches my face, but I don't care. Here, no one can see me. No one understands the art I am creating. It is one of the few things in my life that I am proud of.