HealthFebruary 1, 2011
The YouTube Cure: How Social Media Shapes Medical Practice
Popular demand for an unproved surgical treatment for multiple sclerosis shows the growing power of social media to shape medical practice—for good and ill
Stories by Katie Moisse
HealthJuly 9, 2010
Control Group: Patients Take Biomedical Research into Their Own Hands
The Information Age has patients tuned in and geared up to try alternative and off-label therapies on their own terms, forcing doctors and scientists to change the game
EvolutionJune 9, 2010
Back in style: An ancient shoe from 3500 B.C. looks like moccasins worn in the 1950s
June 9, 2010
Plastic Fantastic: Synthetic Antibodies Recognize and Remove Toxins in Mice
June 9, 2010
Silent but Not Deadly: Muting Gene Quashes Ebola Infection
A proof of concept treatment using RNA interference protects monkeys against the deadly virus, even after exposure
June 3, 2010
The 2010 Kavli Prizes honors eight scientists in astrophysics, nanotech and neuroscience
May 28, 2010
A Batty Hypothesis on the Origins of Neurodegenerative Disease Resurfaces
A study suggests bacteria-eating fish in the Baltic Sea might expose humans to dangerous levels of a neurotoxin, but scientists argue over the significance of the finding
HealthMay 26, 2010
Are the Rules That Determine Who Can Donate Blood Outdated?
Policies that ban men who have sex with men from donating blood no longer make sense, researchers say
Public HealthMay 17, 2010
"Google Flu Trends" Found to Be Nearly on Par with CDC Surveillance Data
Searching for flu symptoms online is a reasonable proxy for actually having them
May 11, 2010
Working overtime: Good for the wallet, but bad for the heart
HealthMay 11, 2010
Childhood Obesity Shows Signs of Tapering, but It Remains a Public Health Problem
Defining obesity in children and recalibrating the caloric needs of overweight kids are key steps in shrinking the epidemic, researchers say
HealthMay 7, 2010
A medical classic gets a 21st-century makeover, going online and low-cost
May 5, 2010
Almost winning is just as exciting for problem gamblers
HealthMay 1, 2010
One's Enough: Kidney Donors Live Just as Long as Nondonors
April 29, 2010
Rare Mutation That Causes Mirror Movements Reflects Nervous System's Complexity
The genetic cause of mirror movements reveals how the nervous system is wired during development
MedicineApril 26, 2010
Biomarker Studies Could Realize Goal of More Effective and Personalized Cancer Medicine
Finding individual differences in tumors is key to treating the right patient with the right medicine at the right time, researchers say
April 22, 2010
Good teachers really do make a difference
April 16, 2010
MS treatment has patients seeking surgery--but more testing is needed
HealthApril 13, 2010
Does Stress Feed Cancer?
A new study shows stress hormones make it easier for malignant tumors to grow and spread
April 8, 2010
Counterintuitive Cure: A Nanovaccine That Stops Autoimmune Disease by Boosting the Immune System
A new treatment prevents type 1 diabetes in mice by turning the immune system on itself
The SciencesApril 2, 2010
A Tale of 2 Species: What Do Canine Chromosomes Reveal about Humans?
They say dogs look like their owners. Now scientists are uncovering the genes that give dogs--and humans--their traits
Mind & BrainApril 1, 2010
Communication Breakdown in Brain Caused by a Gene Defect May Contribute to Schizophrenia
15 years after a gene defect was found to increase the risk of schizophrenia 30-fold, scientists have figured out how it might cause the brain disorder's debilitating symptoms
The SciencesMarch 25, 2010
Government 'a Counting: Does the U.S. Census Need a 21st-Century Makeover?
With a 35 percent nonresponse rate in 2000 and a projected cost of $14.5 billion for 2010, some demographers are looking for better ways to collect demographic data
March 23, 2010
A good year for wine collectors: Carbon dating can accurately determine the vintage