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Tara C. Smith
Tara C. Smith is an assistant professor of epidemiology in Iowa, where she studies emerging infectious diseases (occasionally up-close and personally, thanks to her children and dogs). She pens the blog Aetiology and also writes for The Panda's Thumb.
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by Summer reading!
Have some free time this summer? A few books to add to your list...
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After the flood--starting to assess the damage
The flooding may be nearing an end, but the clean-up and reconstruction are only just beginning.
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Return of the clones!
How much would you pay for Fido v. 2.0?
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Iowa underwater
Iowa's experiencing historic flooding...
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SIDS: a bacterial cause?
SIDS is one of the leading causes of death for infants under the age of 1--and we know very little about why this happens. A bacterial cause has long been suspected, and new research appears to support this.
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Stephen Colbert bows to our microbe overlords
Finally, someone acknowledges the superiority of microbial life...
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Water, ice and stone: a love affair with Antarctica
Cool off this summer with a new book...
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What is "hand, foot, and mouth disease?"
As if natural disasters aren't bad enough, China is also suffering from an outbreak of an enterovirus that has killed dozens of children over the past few weeks...and it's spreading.
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Tanning industry claims sun good for you; doctors just involved in "sunlight scam"
Tanning good, doctors bad? What's going on here?
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How can infections in a mom-to-be affect her fetus later in life?
Can mom's influenza lead to mental illness 20 years down the road in the child? Researchers investigate...
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Jimmy Kimmel: looking to go science-y
Bonus points if you incorporate Matt Damon...
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"Expelled" fizzles
Earnings for the Intelligent Design film were much lower than creationists had hoped; are they enough to make an impact?
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Infectious disease and the birth of the modern city
The modern city, circa 1830: where the sewers overflow with human filth, and outbreaks of water-borne disease wiped out a tenth of the city's population in a matter of weeks.
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The water problem
Clean water and adequate sanitation are real problems in many areas of the world--World Water Day seeks to raise awareness of the issues surrounding this critical global health tragedy.
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The potential of vaccines: Uganda's experience with Haemophilus influenzae
Vaccination campaigns aren't a historical relic, and still have the potential to change the world.
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Vaccines aren't just for kids
So-called "childhood" illnesses don't end with the onset of adulthood.
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Kitty and Fido: providing companionship, entertainment, and nasty bacteria?
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) goes beyond just humans...
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"Listeria sandwiches" in New Zealand--and potentially, in your own fridge
A bacterium that can grow over a range of 100 degrees F is a formidable opponent.
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Evolution for everyone
Free access to a new evolution education journal for a year...spread the word!
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Yellow fever causes panic in Paraguay
Yellow jack flies again.
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MRSA: a patient's view
A patient divulges the "ugly truth" about life with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
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How can bee deaths affect your dessert?
A die-off of honeybees has hit several states in the U.S.; how does it relate to your ice cream?
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Do-it-yourself molecular biology
Learn a low-tech way to extract DNA!
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A microbiology giant passes away
A hero in biology has died.
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Did you double-dip that chip!?
The science of Seinfeld: does double-dipping a chip really contaminate the chip dip?
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An ounce of prevention...
The rabies vaccine was one of the early public health success stories. Why, then, are millions of people still infected with the rabies virus every year--with a death from the virus occurring every ten minutes?
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Did Yersinia pestis really cause the Black Death?
You were probably taught in your World History course that the Black Death was caused by a bacterium called Yersinia pestis. However, there have been challenges to that assertion almost from the identification of the bacterium. Did Y. pestis really cause plague?
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Diagnosing disease, the old-fashioned way
Medical technology marries the old with the new to "sniff" out infections and cancer.
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Diagnosing disease--hundreds of years later
Epidemiologists investigate more than just disease in the present day. Biologic samples allow us a form of time travel, diagnosing diseases that killed their victim hundreds of years ago, and symptoms of disease allow us to speculate even on what ailed fictional characters.
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Alzheimer's disease: the viral link
Could a childhood infection predispose you to develop Alzheimer's disease many decades down the road?
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Reflections: XX and science
As the year draws to a close, Clifford reflects on top science stories. What were some highlights of 2007 when it comes to women in science?
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Influenza viruses--why are they such a concern?
Influenza is a major killer every year. Why don't we have it under better control? And what's the deal with "bird flu," anyway?
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A different kind of "behind the scenes"
Teacher, public speaker, writer, lab rat...my job changes every day.
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Ebola: beyond the hype
Ebola. The name conjures mental images of death and sickness unlike any other. Much like "Black plague" or "AIDS," "Ebola" is a disease which has transcended medicine to become a part of our popular culture. And like AIDS, it has done this in a remarkably short period of time.
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Working the graveyard shift increases your risk of developing cancer
Night owls face an additional risk of many types of cancer, according to an upcoming publication.
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How far does religious freedom extend when it conflicts with public health?
A Liberian immigrant to the U.S. argues that eating monkey meat is a critical part of her religion. Should it be allowed?
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Biofilms--the microscopic architecture all around you
When most people think of bacteria, the image that jumps to mind are singular cells, perhaps growing on a petri dish or swimming in a liquid of broth; one of the simplest forms of life on the planet, incapable of complex thought or organization.
They would, of course, be wrong...
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Judgment Day: the Intelligent Design trial in Pennsylvania
NOVA takes on the "intelligent design" advocates tonight!
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Does this microbe make me look fat?
While diet and exercise play a large role in weight, the billions of microbes that share your dinner may also contribute to your waistline.
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Germs....in......SPACE!
What effect does space travel have on bacteria? A recently published study investigates the question.
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'Tis the season for influenza
Influenza kills 36,000 Americans every year--so why aren't more of our health care workers getting vaccinated?
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MRSA: from hospital pathogen to community scourge
Once only a worry in hospitals and mainly among the already-ill, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is now present in our schools and community centers, and has even spread to our farms.
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The Emergence of a Strange and Novel Pathogen
As I mentioned, my research focuses on emerging infectious diseases--that is, diseases that have been newly discovered, or are expanding in geographic range, or perhaps moving into new populations. Typically when we see organisms in that first group--novel to man--we think of bacterial or viral pathogens, such as SARS or E. coli O157:H7. However, sometimes things get even more weird, such as the strange case of the contagious Tasmanian devil facial cancer.
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Epidemiology is Not the Study of Skin
Hi all, and welcome to Correlations. In contrast to many of my colleagues, I'm blogging from about the least exotic place on the planet--Iowa, where I wear a lot of hats. I'm an infectious disease epidemiologist (add "molecular" to the front of that if you want to
give me a *really* long title).
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