The five most-read stories on Scope this week were:
A full workout in just seven minutes? Science says so!: Don't have time to hit the gym? Try this high-intensity, seven-minute workout. As a recent Well blog piece explains findings published in the latest issue of the American College of Sports Medicine’s Health & Fitness Journal show it's a quick and effective way to keep in shape.
How meditation can influence gene activity: Findings recently published in PLoS One suggest that mindful-based therapies, such as meditation, may change practitioners’ gene activity and boost their overall health.
Distinction with a difference: Transgender neurobiologist picked for National Academy of Science membership: The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) recently conferred membership to three Stanford scientists, including Ben Barres, MD, PhD. Chair of Stanford’s neurobiology department, Barres is also among the estimated 0.3 percent of Americans who are transgender. He is believed to be the first transgender scientist admitted to NAS.
Stanford computer scientist shows stem cell researchers the power of big data: In this video, Irving Weissman, MD, director of the Stanford Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, explains how Stanford computer scientist Debashis Sahoo, PhD, was able to use public gene databases and a specially-designed computer algorithm to rapidly conduct research that would have otherwise taken scientists 10 years and $2.5 million to complete.
Brain, heal thyself? Stanford research describes delayed onset of multiple sclerosis in mice: Recent research by Stanford geneticist Anne Brunet, PhD, describes an intriguing way to delay the onset of a multiple-sclerosis-like disease in laboratory mice. The study was published in the latest issue of Nature Cell Biology.