the otters shall inherit the earth

Scientists are not sure why being overweight is causing such a dramatic effect in the demographics of H1N1 fatalities, but it is.

"An unexpected characteristic has emerged among many swine flu victims who become severely ill: They are fat. ... Scientists don’t yet know whether extremely overweight people get sicker because of associated conditions like heart disease and asthma, or whether the excess fat itself makes them more vulnerable. Both may be to blame. "
- http://bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601202&sid=aM.7Dg3Z_msI

In semi-related news, researchers have finally confirmed that calorie restriction leads to increased lifespan in primates. They've known for years that it worked that way for rats, but a new study shows that the same thing happens to Rhesus monkeys.
 

" 'We observed that caloric restriction reduced the risk of developing an age-related disease by a factor of three and increased survival.' During the 20-year course of the study, half of the animals permitted to eat freely have survived, while 80 percent of the monkeys given the same diet, but with 30 percent fewer calories, are still alive."
- http://www.physorg.com/news166355977.html

This news is important for anyone on high-calorie diets.  Whether those excessive calories come from fat (as most Bears tend to eat) or protein (which we see from the Musclebear phenomenon) is probably irrelevant.  Lower calorie consumption reduces age-related decline in both body and brain.

The otters shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peas with raspberry vinaigrette.

(For the confused, terminology may be deciphered here.)