All about the science of disease
Popular newspapers have spent their time, money and energy promoting this exciting piece of news on their platform. Apparently, eating five (not four, not six) mushrooms a day will protect us not only from cancer, but also from heart disease and from dementia. Is it any wonder, I thought, that a lot of the general public finds it hard … Read more
The recent public debate has highlighted how different groups of Americans perceive science and how they trust it (or don’t trust it) to make important decisions about their lives and the lives of those around them. Issues that have now become largely political, such as climate change, contraception, evolution and the conservation of natural resources … Read more
Last week some truly exciting work on new therapies for breast cancer patients was published in Science Translational Medicine. These results show how it might be possible in the near future to target immune checkpoints in breast cancer – a malignancy previously thought to be resistant to this type of therapy. An immune checkpoint is a rather … Read more
The #marchforscience happened this past weekend. In a truly heartwarming display of both political commitment and self-aware nerdiness, scientists and science-enthusiasts from around the globe took to the streets last Saturday sporting a series of exceedingly rational demands and some outstandingly witty signs. While of course some people found themselves poking holes through the actual … Read more
An odd thing happened just yesterday that got me thinking about the way the internet works and about the much-talked about issue of confirmation bias. On Friday, I posted an article about the link between cancer and contraception. In the post, I start off explaining that hormonal contraception has been shown to be a very positive thing … Read more