Search Results

Phoney-baloney outrage. Black-hat, white-hat exaggeration. Every day, I get emails some activist organization or other, suggesting that the nation hangs by a thread, about to drop into a bottomless pit […]

Screening for prostate cancer does more harm than good confirms a followup study to the eye-opening 2009 report that said longevity benefits associated with screening come at a high risk.

Though marketed as a miracle health product, the benefits of antioxidants have been greatly overestimated, say researchers. In some cases, they have been shown to aggravate health problems.

What is the Big Idea? Attention foie gras lovers: your favorite French delicacy will now be made in China. The world’s largest goose farm and foie gras factory will open […]

The space agency’s Biosciences Division has created a medical tool for astronauts that stands to benefit millions of Earth-bound patients by improving a wide range of treatments.

     As I have written here before, many of us are more worried about some environmental risks than the evidence suggests we need to be – mercury, bisphenol a, nuclear […]

The most powerful tools for stopping cancer may be those of the computer scientist rather than the physician. Genome sequencing algorithms may provide for personalized cancer treatment. 

Christopher Hitchens and Steve Jobs were among the first patients to benefit from very new technology using DNA sequencing to pick the cancer drugs likely to be most effective. 

Researchers who study the effects of sugar on the body say it should become a controlled substance. Biologically, it interacts with our body in ways similar to alcohol and tobacco.

Imagine if Rip Van Winkle fell asleep in 1992 and woke up yesterday. He would probably be amazed at the extent to which our national conversation on reproductive health has […]

If Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus shown above seems a bit off, you’re right. In this version of “Venus on the Half-Shell,” the goddess is almost half her self, thanks […]

What is the Big Idea? While the folks in Congress duke it out over birth control, International Women’s Day served as a good reason to create new dialogue on other […]

So the Susan G. Komen Foundation has withdrawn its financial support of Planned Parenthood. Wailing and gnashing, wailing and gnashing. Erica Greider, my colleague at The Economist, offers an evenhanded […]

As we approach Earth Day, I’ve had some interesting thoughts about the science vs. religion, materialism vs. spirituality debate. Being a spiritual teacher myself, I generally tend to feel more […]

The Food and Drug Administration has banned a popular treatment for breast cancer, in use since 2008. Some patients claim the drug works; the FDA says the harms outweigh the benefits.

Today as I meditate on Arum and Roksa’s much-discussed study, “Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses,” my thoughts turn to academic life at the institution where I teach. This week […]

Not everything at the Consumer Electronics Show is a quirky gadget. The announcement of new genome sequencing technology edges toward a medical benchmark: the $1,000 genome.

Deep in the heart of the cell, your DNA may be undergoing subtle changes that could lead to a devastating disease several years down the line. Scientists want to detect those changes.

A new experimental cancer vaccine that targets the immune system has shown some early progress in improving survival in women with metastatic breast or ovarian cancer.

            To most journalists, a good story is defined in large measure by how much attention it will get. A story that makes page one, or leads the newscast, is […]

While it’s tempting to mock the hollow chants of health care law critics as Jon Stewart did last Thursday — “what do we want? freedom! when do we want it? now!” — […]

      The battle over Bisphenol A (BPA) rages on, and continues to teach lessons far beyond the particulars of the issue itself. Environmentalists argue that BPA (the supposedly dangerous chemical […]

     Want something else to worry about? Worry about worrying too much. The evidence is building that chronically elevated stress shrinks your brain!      A study in press at the […]

After advancements in treating colon and breast cancers using personalized medical regiments based on an individual’s genetic code, researchers are looking to tackle diabetes.

A computer program has been trained to grade breast cancer, predicting which tumors are associated with worse outcomes and, therefore, deserve more aggressive treatment.

–Guest post by Brittany Noble, American University graduate student. The digital age continues to change news media and the way the public receives information. As a leading example, Americans are […]

There are so many advances going on right now in biotechnology that really have a wow factor,” says Arrison. “Gene therapy to cure cancer and tissue engineering, growing brand new […]

–Guest post by Andrea Garvue, American University graduate student. In 2004, Rescue Me on the FX Network provided the United States with its first taste of the entertainment industry’s take […]

The fierce moralist and political writer has died of oesophageal cancer and the outpouring of remorse at his loss is as varied as the arguments he made during his life. A fond farewell, Hitch.

As use of mobile phones has spiked over the last 20 years, the health risks they present have been much debated. New research rejects a link between phone use and brain cancer.