Stanford bioengineer Christina Smolke, PhD, and colleagues have built biological "devices" capable of sensing disease states in cultured human cells and fine-tuning their own functions …
Month: November 2010
Measuring device alert for over-the-counter liquid meds
In the runny-nosed winters of my childhood, one of the highlights of getting sick was being dosed with a soup spoon of grape-flavored Dimetapp. When …
"Rock Star of Science" calls for a strengthening of U.S. investment in research
Like our own Frank Longo, MD, PhD, Susan Blumenthal, MD, MPA, former U.S. assistant surgeon general, is featured in this year's Rock Stars of Science …
Doctors develop first standard-of-care guidelines for congenital muscular dystrophy
Four-year-old Sophie Kim of Sunnyvale, Calif. has a form of muscular dystrophy so rare that an experienced pediatric neurologist might see her diagnosis only once …
Being big-hearted may yield big psychological benefits
Street corners across the nation will soon be filled with volunteers ringing hand bells near bright red kettles as they collect donations for Salvation Army. …
Sequencing the genome of the rare albino redwood tree
An illusive and fragile genetic mutation of the Coast Redwood is spurring scientific study at Stanford and UC Santa Cruz. Known as "Albino Redwoods," the …
An early life lesson for siblings of ill or disabled kids
One of my favorite parts of the TV show Parenthood is the relationship between two young siblings: high-schooler Haddie and her younger brother Max, who …
Molecular biology graduate student on health concerns over X-ray body scanners
Over the Thanksgiving weekend, the "opt-out day" meme died in a cacophony of self-satisfied headlines. That conversation appeared to focus less on assessing the safety …
Grand Roundup: Our most popular posts this year
As the Thanksgiving holiday draws to a close, we would like to express our thanks to you, our readers, for joining the conversation here on …
Happy Thanksgiving
We are signing off for the Thanksgiving holiday. Other than our regularly scheduled weekend posts (our Image of the Week and a special edition of …
How social ties can influence our health, happiness
Relationships with friends and family enrich our lives and provide companionship, but they may also help us live a longer and happier life. In a …
Wherein we justify eating more cranberry sauce tomorrow
One more Thanksgiving post before you sit down to dinner: As you pile your plate high with turkey, sweet potatoes and green beans, you might …
Pope, plus science, offer great news on AIDS prevention
Two monumental pieces of news on AIDS hit the front pages of the New York Times today - both relating to prevention but in very …
Lawmakers ask IRS to recognize breastfeeding as a medical expense
Faithful readers know my strong feelings about the IRS' refusal to recognize breastfeeding as a medical expense. Imagine my happiness, then, when I learned that …
UNAIDS leader: Don't abandon AIDS patients in the name of financial crisis
Yesterday's Shots featured an interesting conversation with Richard Knox and Michel Sibidé, the head of UNAIDS. In the Q&A, Sibidé talks about the almost-30-year-old AIDS …
A guide to your Thanksgiving dinner's DNA
Talk about food for thought: A web gallery posted yesterday on Discover details what researchers have learned from sequencing the genomes of turkeys, corn, potatoes, …