Talk of the Nation

A medical study published in Science finds that an FDA-approved skin cancer drug can reduce Alzheimer's-like symptoms in mice. It is unclear if the drug, marketed as Targretin, will have the same effect on humans. Some researchers want to begin testing the drug for its efficacy in treating Alzheimer's patients.

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NEAL CONAN, HOST:

The achievement gap between black and white students has narrowed significantly over the past 50 years. The gulf between rich and poor students, however, has widened dramatically. Several studies suggest that family income serves as a better predictor of school success.

In an op-ed in The Washington Post, Georgetown professor Daniel Byman says U.S. policy focuses too much on removing the dictator and not on filling the void left behind. He says that to help in Syria, the U.S. and its allies should train the rebels and use "tough love to cajole and reward the opposition."

Egypt is set to start rewriting its constitution in March, a year after the fall of president Hosni Mubarak in February 2011. During a visit to Egypt, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said she "would not look to the U.S. Constitution if I were drafting a constitution in the year 2012."