Dude!

OK, so I'm shamelessly ripping off Allahpundit with the headline. But this one just begs for it.

It's not easy being a preteen "wolf boy" - but scientists at Columbia University are confident they've finally found the silver bullet that can cure one.

Pruthviraj Patil, 11, suffers from a rare genetic disorder known as hypertrichosis - or "werewolf syndrome" - which causes a thick coat of hair to grow over every inch of his body except his palms and feet.

When he was born in a village near Mumbai, his mother was told she had given birth to a god, but in school, there have been more bullies than believers.

An episode of the TLC series "My Shocking Story" chronicled the efforts of a group of Columbia scientists, including dermatologist Angela Christiano, to develop a cure for Pruthviraj's disorder, which is estimated to afflict fewer than 50 people on the planet.

Pruthviraj's family has tried every imaginable treatment, from homeopathy to laser surgery to a trip to the local barber, but the hair always grows back.

"I just want to be like everyone else," Pruthviraj says in the episode.