An advance in prosthetic arms allows people to move them more automatically than ever.

The American Society for Reproductive Medicine says it is investigating whether fertility treatment guidelines were broken in the case of a Southern California woman who gave birth to octuplets last month. The society said in a statement that it had asked the woman, Nadya Suleman, and the doctor for more details about her latest pregnancy. Ms. Suleman’s six other children were also conceived through in vitro procedures. The voluntary, nonprofit group has guidelines for the number of embryos that should be implanted to prevent multiple births, but it cannot stop doctors from practicing.

The Food and Drug Administration says the weight-loss capsules StarCaps contain a potent pharmaceutical drug called bumetanide, which can have serious side effects.

The list of politically incorrect terms to describe the elderly — er, persons of age — has just grown longer.