Past Stories by Subject

Aging - January 2007
Will research into "longevity genes" help us live longer and healthier lives?

Bird Brains - July 2008
Clues to the origins of human language are turning up in the brains of birds.

Brain Trauma - July 2008
Even so-called "mild" head injuries turn out to be anything but.

Epigenetics - July 2007
Our lifestyles and environment can change the way our genes are expressed, leading even identical twins to become distinct as they age.

Killer Microbe - July 2008
A relatively benign bug becomes a highly lethal pathogen, known to U.S. soldiers as Iraqibacter.

Leeches - July 2008
A century after falling out of favor among doctors, medicinal leeches are back in hospitals, sucking away on patients' wounds.

Of Mice and Memory - June 2008
Mice placed in enriched environments can recover lost memories, giving hope to those who study Alzheimer's.

Obesity - October 2006
Examine the biology behind the compulsion to eat.

Personal DNA Testing - July 2008
Genetic testing to assess risk factors for a handful of serious illnesses is now commercially available. But is it a good idea?

Profile: Bonnie Bassler - January 2007
Her insight into how bacteria "talk" has launched a revolution in biological and medical research.

Profile: Judah Folkman - July 2008
Once scorned for his ideas about how cancer grows, the late Judah Folkman is now hailed as a visionary.

Profile: Alfredo Quiñones-Hinojosa - July 2008
He jumped the fence from Mexico to work as a farmhand and ended up a leading brain surgeon.

Profile: Pardis Sabeti - July 2008
By night she's a rocker. By day, she's a Harvard geneticist tracking the evolution of the human genome.

Profile: Edith Widder - July 2008
Meet a marine biologist and explorer who has engineered new ways to spy on deep-sea creatures.

Stem Cells Breakthrough - July 2008
Three separate teams overcome a biomedical hurdle—creating stem cells without the use of human embryos.