The five most-read stories on Scope this week were:
Humor as a mate selection strategy for women?: A Stanford-led study suggests that humor may play an important role in how women choose their mates. Here, the study's lead author, Pascal Vrticka, PhD, of Stanford’s Center for Interdisciplinary Brain Sciences Research, discusses the appeal of humor and some of the possible reasons why so many women seem to seek this trait in their partners.
The mystery surrounding lung-transplant survival rates: An October article in the San Francisco Chronicle offered a look at the challenges facing lung transplant patients and explored why a significant number don’t live beyond the five-year mark, despite improvements in survival rates.
No bribery necessary: Children eat more vegetables when they understand how food affects their bodies: Stanford psychologists Sarah Gripshover and Ellen Markman, PhD, found that children are more likely to voluntarily consume vegetables when they understand how food affects their bodies. Their findings, published in the journal Psychological Science, highlight the importance of educating children early and often about healthy eating habits.
The “transformative experience” of working in a Stanford stem-cell lab: Here we share the experiences and insights of Jeffrey Yu, a high school student working the the lab of Michael Clarke, MD, as part of the Stanford Institutes of Medicine Summer Research Program. Yu writes about his adventures as an intern and how it's reshaping his perceptions about science on the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine's blog.
Fibromyalgia – living with a controversial chronic disease: Inspire contributor Marijke Vroomen Durning, RN, shares her experience of what it’s like to live with fibromyalgia – a disease that’s been slow to gain acceptance as a chronic illness.
