The five most-read stories this week on Scope were:
Stanford bioengineer develops a 50-cent paper microscope: Manu Prakash, PhD, assistant professor of bioengineering, has developed an ultra-low-cost paper microscope to aid disease diagnosis in developing regions. The device is further described in a technical paper.
Music box inspires a chemistry set for kids and scientists in developing countries: Manu Prakash has also developed a chemistry set that can be built with materials costing about $5. The device won a contest from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and the Society for Science & the Public to “Reimagine the chemistry set for the 21st century.”
Blood will tell: In Stanford study, tiny bits of circulating tumor DNA betray hidden cancers: A blood sample may one day be enough to diagnose many types of solid cancers, or to monitor the amount of solid cancer in a patient's body, researchers in the labs of Stanford radiation oncologist Maximilian Diehn, MD, PhD, and hematologist and oncologist Ash Alizadeh, MD, PhD, have shown.
Art and anatomy: Decades-old collaboration brings augmented reality into the hands of Rodin: Stanford's Cantor Arts Center launched a first-of-its-kind exhibit, “Inside Rodin’s Hands: Art, Technology, and Surgery," which uses 21st Century technology to look inside the works of Rodin’s 19th Century sculptures.
Bad news for pill poppers? Little clear evidence for Vitamin D efficacy, says Stanford’s John Ioannidis: A large study of vitamin D led by John Ioannidis, MD, DSc, found that more well-designed studies and trials are necessary before firm conclusions can be drawn about its efficacy.
And still going strong – the most popular post from the past:
What are the consequences of sleep deprivation?: Brandon Peters, MD, an adjunct clinical faculty member at the Stanford Center for Sleep Sciences and Medicine, explains how lack of sleep can negatively affect a person’s well-being in this Huffington Post piece.
