Tyler R. Sutton, 18, pleaded guilty this morning in Tippecanoe Superior Court 2 to three counts of operating a vehicle with a controlled substance causing death and feticide, all Class C felonies.

If Judge Thomas Busch accepts Sutton’s plea with the Tippecanoe County prosecutor’s office, at least two of those counts would have to be served concurrently – meaning the former North Montgomery High School student could spend 16 or more years in prison. [Journal & Courier]

The Times Higher Education, a London-based higher-education magazine, recently ranked Penn the 11th-best university in the world, a three-place improvement over last year.

The rankings are based on peer and employee review as well as data on the school’s research output, teaching, and international orientation.

The survey ranked 200 schools in 32 countries.

[Daily Pennsylvanian]

Princeton University Professor Paul Krugman, known as much for his criticism of George W. Bush’s policies as for his academic work, won the Nobel Prize in economics for his theories on world trade.

Krugman, 55, was honored “for his analysis of trade patterns and location of economic activity,” said the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, which selects the winners. His work showed how economies of scale influence trade and urbanization. [Bloomberg]

Beer Pong, the favorite past time of American college students, has faced ever increasing heat from concerned parents, colleges and the US government. The battle has become so mainstream it made the front page news section of Yahoo.com today.

The Nintendo Wii game formally titled “Beer Pong” has taken most of the heat as the software maker JV Games received letters from angry parents and Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal who were concerned that this new form of digital binge drinking could lead to dorm room deaths. As expected JV Games copped out changing the name to “Pong Toss” and switching the cups of beer to water – what could have been a million dollar idea is now a Teen Rated waste of time. (more…)

Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania believe they have found a way to pass on immunity to HIV/AIDS–a rare genetic anomaly possessed by an extremely lucky few–by altering your genes.

Essentially, HIV infects the body by “pulling itself into” T-cells, which fight off infection, rendering the body unable to protect itself from disease and other viruses, says Wired.com. To do this, HIV latches on to a protein on the cell called CCR5. By altering the genetic make-up of a person’s T-cells and reinserting them into the body, HIV has no way to destroy their immune system. (more…)