The five most-read stories this month on Scope were: Stanford neurosurgeon/cancer patient Paul Kalanithi: “I can’t go on. I will go on.”: Paul Kalanithi, MD, …
Month: March 2015
Complex procedure helps teen with rare congenital heart defect
People don't usually associate teenagers with heart problems, but congenital heart defects are more common than you might think. A recent Healthier, Happy Lives Blog …
Alzheimer’s forum with Rep. Jackie Speier spurs conversation, activism
What happens when you bring together a woman with Alzheimer's, a congresswoman, a policy expert and two doctors? No, this isn't a joke - but …
Using ants to teach high-schoolers about science
Now this is fun: Stanford biologist Deborah M. Gordon, PhD, has developed a "citizen science" lesson plan that gets high-school students to study ants. Yes, …
“Cancer will always be in our midst:” A conversation with physician-writer Siddhartha Mukherjee
Tonight PBS television airs its new documentary Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies. The six-hour feature (shown over three nights) is an in-depth look at …
Physicians advocate for “more educated and deliberative decision making” about dialysis
Maternal interaction helps pre-term infants grow, study shows
It's not surprising that interaction with their mothers is helpful to babies who are born prematurely - but new research spotlights some of the specific …
Rape prevention program in Kenya attracting media attention, funding
I've written previously about No Means No Worldwide, a non-profit that has partnered with several Stanford researchers to document the success of their self-defense programs …
Countdown to Childx: Global health expert Gary Darmstadt on improving newborn survival
Each year, around the world, almost 3 million babies die in the first month of life. But it doesn't have to be that way: For …
An inside look at drug development
How are drugs born? If you're really curious about this, you'd be fascinated by the weekly meetings of industry experts and academic researchers taking part …
After work, a Stanford surgeon brings stones to life
Classrooms, research, grant writing, faculty meetings... It can be easy to forget that professors have a life outside of the classroom, perhaps with surprising hobbies …
Study explores how cultural differences can shape the way we respond to suffering
Our emotions may be a deeply personal experience, but the way we perceive and express our feelings may not be as unique - or random …
A key bacteria from hunter gatherers’ guts is missing in industrial societies, study shows
Trends like the paleo diet and probiotic supplements attest to the popular idea that in industrial societies, our digestion has taken a turn for the …
A sanitation solution: Stanford students introduce dry toilets in Haiti
In the United States, we often take for granted the relationship between health and sanitation. Not so in Haiti, where some people dispose of their …
From finches to cancer: A Stanford researcher explores the role of evolution in disease
Welcome to Biomed Bites, a feature that appears each Thursday and introduces readers to some of Stanford’s most innovative researchers. My parents just returned from …
Following the heart and the mind in biodesign
This post is part of the Biodesign’s Jugaad series following a group of Stanford Biodesign fellows from India. (Jugaad is a Hindi word that means an inexpensive, innovative solution.) The fellows …