Stories by Christine Gorman

The most hyped science story of the 21st century starts with a cocoa bean

Recently discovered structures in cells could one day lead to new treatments for Alzheimer's disease, gout and other ailments

Nearly half of all cancer patients undergoing next-generation genetic tests could receive misleading results that guide them and their physicians toward improper treatment

Findings could one day lead to more personalized treatment decisions

Innovative steps attempt to reduce the tragic 25-year climb in U.S. maternal death rates 

Ambient light keeps genes in the brain, liver, pancreas and other tissues in sync with one another

Researchers try to prevent bacteria from gumming up the works in industry, medicine and agriculture

Whether it’s oatmeal or kimchee, snap the foods that get you going in the morning

President Obama yesterday asked for $263 million over the next three years to, among other things, equip and train police with body-worn cameras. Scientific American published an Agenda item on body worn cameras in the December issue (currently on news stands).

Mathematical modeling isn't just for physicists any more. Using mathematical equations and computer programs to simulate reality is becoming vitally important to understanding biology as well

The answers to eleven questions help individuals aged 65 years and older determine the risk of a severe to potentially fatal reaction to chemotherapy

Texas health authorities report a second health care worker who treated Thomas Eric Duncan has tested positive for Ebola

All last week CDC officials reiterated their conclusion—based on nearly 40 years worth of successfully containing past outbreaks—that you cannot catch the Ebola virus from people who are infected unless they have already begun suffering a fever or started showing other signs of illnesses.

A 50-year-old discovery revolutionized our view of human evolution 

Doctors can perform plenty of tests to tell you how sick you are. There are certain agreed-on measurements of blood pressure, glucose levels or biomarkers to define illness.

The remote possibility that I might develop mad cow disease as a result has never stopped me from diving into a nice juicy hamburger (preferably with a generous helping of ketchup and relish).

File this under things you never thought to ask: Why are grasshoppers and other insects resistant to so many different infections? Jules Hoffmann asked himself that question nearly fifty years ago and in the process of trying to figure out the answer, he eventually won a share of the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physiology or [...]

For the first time in its 64-year history, a prestigious, invitation-only meeting of young scientists and Nobel Laureates is made up of more women than men.

A lab director has reportedly been reassigned and other heads at the U.S. Center for Disease Control are likely to roll after an incident earlier this month in which at least 75 staff members may have accidentally been exposed to live samples of anthrax being transported from one lab to another.

In the past couple of months, three people have told me that they or someone they love has cancer. Fortunately in each case, the tumors were caught early and some combination of surgery and radiation was all the treatment that was likely to be needed.

Universal biosensors could save lives by spotting disease outbreaks earlier than ever before

Fact #1: With about $2.5 billion in annual funding, aging research is in the top 20 research categories supported by the National Institutes of Health.* That gives me another opportunity to test my contention that taking a couple of seconds to think about where to start searching for medical information instead of automatically calling up [...]

The short item I wrote about cancer immunotherapy quickly went viral on Monday and became the most-read article on Scientific American's website.