Icelandic musician Björk combined art and science with her 2011 album Biophilia - it was released with a series of iPad apps featuring biological images such …
Author: Marissa Fessenden
Patients' own stem cells may protect against toxins of chemotherapy
Chemotherapy saves lives, but it also kills healthy tissue like bone marrow. According to a new study involving three patients with glioblastoma, a deadly cancer …
Researchers pinpoint key signals for immune cells
When you fall ill or have an allergic reaction, special immune cells churn out antibodies to identify invaders such as bacteria (or allergens like pollen). …
Study finds huge genetic diversity in cancer cells
Cancer tumors shed cells that circulate through the blood steam. And, according to a Stanford study published today in PLoS ONE, those mobile cells have …
Your secret mind: A Stanford psychiatrist discusses tapping the motivational unconscious
Sigmund Freud popularized the idea that desires and motivations bubble in our unconscious mind and influence our behavior in the early 1900s. Since then, neurologists …
Image of the Week: Healing henna art
The swirls of a design on her head are echoed in the paisley pattern of this woman's skirts. She is wearing a henna crown, freshly …
What does nanotechnology bring to medicine?
A lot of buzz surrounds the promise of nanotechnology. By tweaking atoms and molecules, the technology can be used to create new materials and exert …
Debating the placebo as treatment
The strange powers of the placebo effect are intriguing and getting stronger. And more research is examining this neurological quirk. Placebos play an important role in …
Study shows weight loss may reduce inflammation
After losing at least five percent of their body weight, postmenopausal women who are overweight or obese had lower levels of inflammation markers, according to …
Study calls for increased awareness for minorities and gay men following prostate cancer treatment
A better awareness of ethnic and sexual preference-related factors is needed to improve quality of life for gay men and minorities treated for prostate cancer, …
Image of the Week: Malaria developing
This incredible scanning electron micrograph shows the reproductive cells, called oocytes, of a malaria parasite developing on a mosquito's intestinal wall. Malaria parasites are protists …
Study shows women may overestimate the effectiveness of common contraceptives
New research suggests women may not fully understand the effectiveness of the most popular forms of birth control: the Pill and condoms. The study found …
New project will help people donate their data to research
Genomics and electronic medical records hold a wealth of information for health researchers. But privacy concerns and ethical issues of data ownership prevent scientists from …
Assessing progress in malaria control
We have the tools to prevent and cure malaria (distribution of mosquito nets, antimalarial treatment and insecticides has knocked malaria deaths down by more than …
Image of the Week: Monet's lilies in UV light
Earlier this week I came across an interesting story about Claude Monet's unique eyesight. Carl Zimmer writes: Late in his life, Claude Monet developed cataracts. …
Report shows continuing health disparities for racial and ethnic minorities
Health-care access continues to be a challenge for racial and ethnic minorities, according to two reports released today from the federal Agency for Healthcare Research …