Many physicians fail to report incompetent or incapacitated colleagues
An intoxicated co-worker in many workplaces might be more of a nuisance than a threat. But an impaired or incompetent physician can present a real risk to patients.
Stories by Katherine Harmon
Worts and All
False claims still pervade the supplements industry
A whale of a fossil is named in honor of Herman Melville
The large leviathan that was the bane of Ahab's existence in Herman Melville's Moby Dick has a new ancient relative that might have lived up to the fictional beast's monstrosity.
The grandmother factor: Why do only humans and whales live long past menopause?
Most mammals don't live long past their reproductive years, failing to serve much evolutionary purpose after they can stop passing on their genes to offspring.
Genome Sequencing for the Rest of Us
Even as scans get faster and cheaper, many diseases still have unknown or sketchy genetic correlates. How much stock should consumers put in personal genome sequencing?
Hard chairs drive hard bargains: Physical sensations translate to social perceptions
Had a hard day? It might not be your abstract experiences that are causing you to think that way, but rather the physical surfaces you're touching.
A new study lends credence to many of the common physical metaphors we use to describe the subjectivity of our daily lives...
Full genome sequence shows body lice have lousy sense of smell
The body louse, a plague to humans and our ancestors for millions of years, subsists exclusively on our unwitting hospitality. Scientists have now parsed the modern human body louse's ( Pediculus humanus humanus ) genome, revealing a deep evolutionary dependence on humans and "remarkable completeness," despite being the shortest yet decoded in the insect group, the researchers wrote in a study published online June 21 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ...
Lost? Evidence That Sense of Direction Is Innate
Two new studies show how spatial parts of the brain are already functioning in infancy, revealing that not everything we understand about our surroundings is learned
Antiretroviral regimens drastically reduce breast milk HIV transmission between mothers and babies
HIV infects an estimated 430,000 infants and children worldwide each year. Although many of those cases are contracted from an HIV-positive mother during pregnancy or birth, some 40 percent of infected children get the disease through breast-feeding...
White rice raises risk of type 2 diabetes
White rice joins the growing list of refined carbohydrates with links to increased risks for diabetes, according to a new large study that quantified odds for consumers of white rice—as well as brown rice...
The brain thinks hands are wider and stubbier than they actually are
To function well in the world, people need a good sense of where their body is in space and how it's postured. This "position sense" helps us coordinate high-fives, boot a soccer ball or pick up the remote...
Watching grass grow gets exciting: New videos show plants' cellular development
Throughout their growth cycle, plants sprout all kinds of intricate and complex structures that range from scarcely apparent to invisible in the seedling stage.
Were some gigantic Jurassic sea creatures warm-blooded?
In ancient Mesozoic seas, the biggest predators might not have been entirely cold-blooded killers. Rather, a new study suggests some of these rapacious reptiles might have been able to regulate their own body temperature, thereby expanding their hunting ranges.
Some modern aquatic reptiles, including leatherback turtles, as well as some sharks and tuna are able to keep their body temperatures relatively stable compared to the fluctuating water temperatures around them...
Vitamin D deficiency linked to genetic polymorphisms
At least half of adults in developed countries have deficient levels of vitamin D, and low levels of this vitamin have been linked to bone fragility, cancer, heart disease and immune system problems...
Large-Scale Autism Study Reveals Disorder's Genetic Complexity
Although unique genetic variations in children with autism are nearly as rare as they are in the general population, comprehensive studies are starting to find patterns in disrupted genes and pathways...
Babies born early--even by a week--are more likely to have special education needs
Premature infants have a known higher risk for poor neurological development, often leading to developmental and educational issues. However, these babies, born before 37 weeks, make up a small number of any generation, and new research shows that the 40 percent of babies born any more than a week before a full 40-week term are also at higher risk for having special education needs during childhood...
New evidence for a neuronal link between insulin-related diseases and schizophrenia
When the body does not properly manage insulin levels, diabetes and other metabolic disorders are familiar outcomes. That hormonal imbalance, however, has also been linked to a higher risk for psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia...
One in 10 veterans returns from combat in Iraq reporting serious mental health issues
Veterans of war have been known to suffer from high incidence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and traumatic brain injury in addition to any physical wounds.
Did CIA doctors perform torture research on detainees?
Doctors and other health professionals working for the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) might have been illegally performing research on detainees after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, according to a new report issued by the advocacy group Physicians for Human Rights...
Mind over mass: Cholesterol levels might be controlled by brain circuitry
When your stomach growls and you have the urge to reach for the nearest snack, it is, in a way, your tummy talking. Those signals are in part sparked by the gut-based hunger hormone ghrelin, which blocks certain receptors in the brain, telling your body when it is time to eat...
