Music and Language Development: A new study out of Northwestern University concludes that early music training may be more effective than learning phonics at building verbal skills. The multi-sensory processing the brain uses during music training appears to involve the same circuitry used in speaking and reading. The researchers believe music training could be effective at combating literacy disorders. (Via Autism Vox.)

Beef Recall: Topps Meat Company of Elizabeth, N.J. is recalling 21.7 million pounds of ground beef products because of 25 cases of illness that appear to be due to E. coli bacteria. The recall… covers a wide range of frozen hamburger patties and other products manufactured over the last year and bearing a “sell by” date or “best used by” date between last Tuesday and Sept. 25, 2008, along with the United States Department of Agriculture designation EST 9748.

Wow! A Siberian woman got a surprise when she welcomed her 12th child - all 17.1 pounds of her. “We were all simply in shock,” said Nadia’s mother, Tatyana Barabanova, 43. “What did the father say? He couldn’t say a thing — he just stood there blinking.” The newcomer was born via C-section.