 As part of the investigative unit, Thorne has also reported on prescription anti-biotics being sold illegally at Manhattan bodegas, the disturbing discovery of "toxic backyards" containing Benzene and other hazardous chemicals in a Staten Island neighborhood, Iraq war veterans facing homelessness as they struggled to re-adjust to life in New York City, senior citizens battling drug addiction in their golden years, the trail of blood diamonds from African mines to the streets of New York, and cutting-edge research in the hunt for a bird flu vaccine.Thorne has received many journalism awards for his reporting including