California stem-cell research aficionados are of course familiar with the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, or CIRM. The state stem-cell agency has handed out over …
Month: January 2012
Fantastic voyage: Stanford researcher offers a virtual flight through the brain
"A single human brain has more switches than all the computers, routers and Internet connections on Earth," said Stephen J. Smith, PhD, a Stanford professor of …
Making kids laugh for science: Study shows how humor activates children's brains
Back in my grad-student days, stressed out by studying for midterms, I went with two friends to see a silly movie – Austin Powers in …
Should the lack of access to good food be blamed for America's poor eating habits?
From redesigning food labels to eliminating urban "food deserts," researchers and policy-makers have proposed a number of solutions aimed at encouraging Americans to eat healthier. But …
Our species' twisted family tree
In second grade I got influenza and was bedridden for a week. On the advice of Mrs. Pils, our school librarian, my mom brought home a …
Study shows musical training may preserve memory and hearing as we age
Musical training, even late in life, may slow hearing, memory loss and other age-related delays in neural timing, according to findings recently published in Neurobiology …
Using fMRI for lie detection
Can a sophisticated imaging technique be used to determine whether someone is lying? That's the intriguing question explored in a Scienceline piece yesterday. And for …
An afternoon with bedheads and Deadheads
Yes, it might seem like sleep researcher William Dement, MD, PhD, and the late Jerry Garcia would make very strange bedfellows. But, that wasn’t the case at a Stanford event …
Big medicine for small patients: Developing kid-sized tools for the OR
The challenges facing pediatric surgeons was the focus of a recent segment on KQED-FM's QUEST. During the show, Sanjeev Dutta, MD, described such challenges as “plumbing …
The end of iPS? Stanford scientists directly convert mouse skin cells to neural precursors
I was excited last week to learn about the recent work of stem cell scientist Marius Wernig, MD, published today (direct link to come) in …
Either you're a woman or you know one: Help spread the message of women's heart health
If you're not a woman, I bet you know a few who you love. Heart disease, although typically viewed as a man's disease, happens to …
Boosting willpower and breaking bad habits
Raise your hand if you're having trouble keeping your New Year's resolution. Not to worry; you're in good company. Recent data shows that four out …
Thanks, Jerry: Honoring pioneering Stanford sleep research
As the writer who has long covered the sleep "beat" for our office, I'm quite familiar with Stanford's rich history of sleep research. For those in …
Image of the Week: Felted anatomy
Earlier this week, I came across a set of photos showing an incredibly clever interpretation of the classic human anatomy illustration. The project is called …
Grand Roundup: Top posts for the week of Jan. 22
The five most-read stories on Scope this week were: Can yoga help women suffering from fibromyalgia?: A study recently published in the Journal of Pain Research shows …
Stanford sleep expert Rafael Pelayo featured on KGO
Stanford professor Rafael Pelayo, MD, was the guest on KGO's Ronn Owens Show yesterday. During the hour-long interview, Pelayo discussed and took listeners' questions on …