Consumer Affairs (Jan. 30) -- Researchers from Illinois and Georgia Tech University found that when more people utilize public transportation, obesity rates are lower. “Opting for mass transit over driving creates opportunities for exercise that may otherwise not exist,” says Sheldon H. Jacobson, a professor of computer science at the U. of I. “Instead of just stepping out of the house and into his car, riders need to walk from their home to a bus stop and from their stop to a destination.”