Medicine
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Buddhism and the Brain
March 09, 2011
Many of Buddhism’s core tenets significantly overlap with findings from modern neurology and neuroscience. So how did Buddhism come close to getting the brain right?
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On Curing Everything
March 02, 2011
Nobel Prize-winning chemist Kary Mullis offers a radical new way to treat infectious diseases as the effectiveness of our current antibiotics wanes.
biotechnology, disease, global reset, health, medicine, research
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Five Centuries of Influenza
January 12, 2011
Historical records show that flu pandemics have been occurring for at least 500 years. Researchers are now studying these historical pandemics to help prevent future disease.
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Disposable Heroes
January 11, 2011
If scientific evidence suggests that even mild blows to the head in full-contact sports can in time be neurologically debilitating, why isn’t more being done to reduce the risks to athletes?
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On Delivering Vaccines
December 30, 2010
Vaccine deployment is a challenge in the third world with its unreliable power grids and roads. We need a self-sufficient device—a super thermos—to surmount this lack of infrastructure.
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Toxic House Cats?
December 15, 2010
Up to half of all humans are infected by a cat-borne parasite that can cause stillbirth, brain damage, and a host of other subtle neurological effects. Is vaccination the solution?
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Redefining “Mental Illness”
November 17, 2010
As consensus emerges on the physical basis of mental illness, the mental-health community is fracturing over what, exactly, constitutes “mental illness” in the first place.
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Good Placebos Gone Bad
November 03, 2010
Placebos are supposed to be inert controls, designed to prove a drug’s efficacy. Consequently, placebo composition is rarely documented in drug trials. Is this dangerous?
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What Really Causes Autism?
October 20, 2010
Scientists are finally beginning to make headway understanding the real causes of autism. Yet millions remain unconvinced by the evidence. Why?
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Fitness for Survival
October 06, 2010
Regular exercise can help us live longer. But what exercises are the most effective, and how much do we need? New research suggests that more is better, and variety is best.
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Divided Minds, Specious Souls
September 21, 2010
The experience of a unified mind and the possibility of an everlasting soul are connected. And there is scant evidence to support the existence of either.
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The Silk Renaissance
September 17, 2010
From its origins in the Far East thousands of years ago, silk has now infiltrated the realm of scientific research, offering breakthrough applications that could change the world.
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What’s Next for the Gulf?
September 08, 2010
Were the chemicals used to disperse the oil from the Deepwater Horizon gusher more dangerous than the oil itself, and what will the spill’s long-term impact be?
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Deconstructing Death
August 31, 2010
Why are we so bad at caring for the dying? In Final Exam, surgeon Pauline Chen reveals a complex array of reasons, from the training of young physicians to a culture that believes a cure is the only goal.
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Tiny Viruses, Big Controversy
August 11, 2010
A recent dispute over the active mechanism for adamantanes, antiviral drugs that combat influenza, sheds light on the difficulties of designing effective antiviral therapies.
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Burning Questions
June 16, 2010
Contrary to a handful of recent media reports, in the battle against skin cancer, sunscreen is still beneficial, and sunburns and tanning salons are the key enemies.
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Suicidal Tendencies
June 09, 2010
High-profile suicides of public intellectuals have contributed to the stereotype of “tormented genius.” But are smarter people really more likely to take their own lives?
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Long Time Coming
March 26, 2010
The story of one of history's most infamous math problems illustrates the difficulties facing congress in the wake of healthcare reform.
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Industrial-Strength Bias
November 18, 2009
The pharmaceutical industry spends millions of dollars developing drugs and millions more swaying the opinions of physicians and the public. Can this imperfect system be reformed?
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Probing into Depression
November 11, 2009
Deep brain stimulation, already established as a treatment for stubborn Parkinson’s disease, may also be useful as a therapy for drug-resistant clinical depression.
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Heads Up
October 09, 2009
As the Nobels are awarded, President Obama and friends grab their telescopes and head injuries to athletes go under the microscope.
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Microbial Warfare
October 07, 2009
Antibiotic resistance is more than just a medical scourge; it’s also a window into a war microbes have been waging against each other for hundreds of millions of years.
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Death and the Rumor Mill
August 21, 2009
With healthcare reform on the table, rumors about end of life care were greatly exaggerated. Plus a carnivorous plant is hyped and DNA evidence is faked.
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Week in Review: June 5
June 05, 2009
Two steps on the road to Copenhagen, protecting older women against cervical cancer, another university comes out for open access, and the possibility of a European origin for great apes.
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Battling Dengue in Argentina
May 28, 2009
A writer reports from the dengue epidemic in Argentina, where locals are asking hard questions of government and exploring a wide-reaching approach to prevention.
cities, climate, development, medicine, multilateralism, politics, water
Now on SEEDMAGAZINE.COM
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Ideas
I Tried Almost Everything Else
John Rinn, snowboarder, skateboarder, and “genomic origamist,” on why we should dumpster-dive in our genomes and the inspiration of a middle-distance runner.
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Ideas
Going, Going, Gone
The second most common element in the universe is increasingly rare on Earth—except, for now, in America.
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Ideas
Earth-like Planets Aren’t Rare
Renowned planetary scientist James Kasting on the odds of finding another Earth-like planet and the power of science fiction.
