New “smart masks” can monitor chronic conditions
The massive mask industry spurred by the Covid-19 pandemic prompted the appetite for integrating smart technology into face coverings for practical applications. Most recently, scientists have…
Medical volunteers for the Marathon share their stories
One of the most inspiring ways to volunteer in a medical capacity? For the TCS New York City Marathon. With nearly 55,000 runners chasing the 26.2 mile finish line, the role of medical volunteers is…
In a blast from the past, “Amnesia” the game gets revived
In a text-only “video” game released in 1986, participants take on the role of a man who suddenly finds himself in a Manhattan hotel with no clothes—and no memory. Players must negotiate a series of…
From horror films to AR spiders: One physician’s focus on fear
Tis the season for scary movies, which can actually be therapeutic, posits psychiatrist Arash Javanbakht, who asserts that fear is one of the most important biological functions. In a recent podcast,…
Medical student eats 720 eggs in a month as “Legit-bait”
“Eggs-citing science that will scramble your brain”: Harvard medical student Dr. Nick Norwitz conducted an experiment on himself wherein he consumed an average of one egg per hour over the course of…
From Doritos to diagnostics: The dye that made mice transparent
In an experiment designed to explore how it could be possible to see through opaque biological matter, scientists from Stanford theorized that certain dyes would absorb light from certain parts of…
It’s International Snakebite Awareness Day: Meet global researchers
At an international level, snakebite has long been ignored. While the crisis gained some attention with addition to the World Health Organization’s Neglected Tropical Diseases list in 2018, fatality…
Of myth, magic, and “medical tourism”
The ubiquitous symbol of medicine takes root in ancient Greece, where some believers in the gods of healing joined cults involving snakes. “Asklepieia” itself was a specific sanctuary–dedicated…
Detecting breast cancer: Blind women who play a critical role
In India, where breast cancer causes nearly 75,000 deaths per year—and where not every woman has access to annual mammograms, especially in rural areas—blind women can serve as Medical Tactical…
Can clowns help shorten childrens’ hospital stays?
Recent research has suggested that adding medical clowns to a multidisciplinary care team (in this study, specific to cases of pneumonia) may reduce physical and emotional stress on children and…
Why do humans have earlobes?
Our ears are biological marvels—the result of millions of years of selection pressure that has refined the mechanisms for better hearing. The lobe part, however, seems to lack a specific purpose.…
The thriving field of medical illustration
While medical illustration dates back to the ancient Greeks, it’s of course widely held that Leonardo DaVinci (1452-1519) is the true father of the field, which evolved into the modern…
How do you mend a broken heart?
As the rate of cardiovascular disease continues to rise, an increasing number of people face the threat of irreversible damage from a…
Psychedelic sensations may parallel near-death experiences
Floating. Different sense of reality. Sense of love and peace. Neuroscientists have recently probed into the phenomenon known as “near-death experiences,” which are practically impossible to describe…
The sugar-heavy diet of fruit bats: Possible insight for diabetes?
As diabetes surges worldwide, scientists are turning to an unlikely critter for new insight: Fruit bats. These small furry critters are able to gorge themselves on a sweet diet without ill effect;…
Practicing physician doubles as best-selling author of medical thrillers
Brain injury specialist Dr. Frieda McFadden has penned multiple novels ranging from psychological thriller to dark medical humor, starting from back in 2013. If you missed The Housemaid, an…
Shaving critical minutes from emergency response
When the average response time hasn’t budged from 7 minutes—in big cities; longer in rural areas—drones could shave off time. That’s an exploration from one North Carolina city, whose…
Toxoplasmic parasites could help treat brain disease
Scientists are investigating whether the invasive capabilities of toxoplasmic parasites could be put to good use. One team engineered Toxoplasma to include protein that regulates gene activity in the…
Species that can self-amputate inspire adaptive robot technology
Many animals have evolved the ability to shed parts of their bodies as a survival mechanism: Lizards can detach their tails to escape predators, while crabs might drop an injured claw. Other species…
Rare disorder causes people to “see monsters”
More information has been emerging about a rare and largely unexplained neurological condition that causes people to see faces as distorted. Some refer to the condition as part of “Alice in…
Medical support for Team USA sport Olympic uniforms
For the first time in the Olympics’ 128-year history, our medical team is sporting a uniform befitting their gold-level dedication. Team…
Starliner astronauts: Potential physical repercussions from long-term space
Whether the astronauts stuck on the malfunctioning Starliner spacecraft miss their home on Earth—or, are happy for some bonus weeks in space, one thing is certain: Extended time in this unique…
Orangutan applies medicinal plant to heal facial wound
In the first-ever observed example of a non-human healing itself through medicinal means, a male Sumatran orangutan used a poultice plant to make a paste and apply it to a wound he had received while…
Why do one in eight take to tart tastes?
Given the number of tart consumables available—think candies like Sour Patch Kids and Lemonheads, and Sour beer varieties—there’s clearly a market for sour flavors. But studies have shown that not…
Diet of actual Paleo people did not resemble today’s “Paleo Diet”
Bucking the philosophical underpinnings of the popular Paleo Diet—which invokes habits of ancient peoples to emphasize eating large amounts of meat and shunning carbohydrates—a new study of ancient…
Pig heart and kidney both successfully implanted into one human
In a milestone of the quest to make life-saving organs available to anyone who needs them, a New Jersey woman became the first human to receive two genetically modified organs originating from a pig.…
Bees make astonishingly good decisions
Unlike most species–apart from humans and primates–it turns out that bees can make good decisions, as defined by the ability to make an accurate judgement call more quickly than an…
The quest to “bioprint” human organs
Will bioprinting be the next dramatic leap in modern medicine? Researchers at Stanford University—with the vision to one day be able to create any human organ, cell by cell—are working toward…
What is a “birds-eye view” of an eclipse?
Nothing about a solar eclipse is normal: Wherever totality can be seen, it only appears in that location once every several hundred years. For that reason, it’s been impossible for scientists to…
Happy Match Day!!!
Congratulations to all medical students who have matched to the residency program of their choice! In celebration of this day–and, signaling the importance of healthcare to the nation–14…
Neurodivergent traits may have benefitted human foragers
A recent study revealed that traits correlating with attention deficit/hyper-sensitivity disorder (ADHD) may correlate with a better ability to forage in some environments. With an online game…
Remote-controlled surgical robot in space could help expand access on earth
The first-ever surgical robot arrived at the International Space Station this month, where it will practice performing surgery at the direction of a surgeon located 250 miles below in Nebraska. MIRA…
Baby outfitted with AI camera yields insights about language development
In a study at New York University, a baby named Sam wore a headcam in weekly sessions that captured his experience for 18 months. Scientists loaded the 61 hours of sights and sounds into a simple AI…
Donor’s gift will establish tuition-free medical school for all Albert Einstein students
Thanks to a $1 billion donation to Albert Einstein College of Medicine, tuition will be free for all medical students of the school going forward. Notably, the institution is located in the Bronx,…
How are toxic chemicals affecting human genitals?
Epidemiological research demonstrates that the endocrine disruptors now so prevalent in our environment—including in much of our food and water supply—are causing significant effects to the human…
Can two males produce a female? A breakthrough with mice proves it possible
The implications could be huge for single-sex parenting, as well as for addressing infertility and disorders such as Down’s syndrome. By taking genes from one male mouse, changing those into female…
Centenarian physician still works in medicine
Dr Howard Tucker has been named the oldest practicing doctor by the Guinness Book of World Records—and, having recently celebrated his 100th birthday, he credits his longevity in part to his…
Using real blood in red ink, as protest
Thanks to an outdated FDA rule, men who have sex with men can’t donate blood. To raise attention to the issue, activists created the Gay Blood Collection pens, inks, paints, and markers in a deep…
Ancient remains indicate surprisingly early medical sophistication
How far back in human history did the earliest surgeries occur? Until recently, the archaeological community believed that the first complex procedures were performed around 7,000 years ago. But a…
Combat sport physicians: When to stop the fight?
It’s a ringside doctor’s job to ensure that fighters avoid major injury. But in a sport defined by violent physical contact and where knockouts determine winners, is it possible to delineate what’s…
When humans began to digest milk
When did humans become lactose-tolerant? A recent study by British researchers aimed to solve this question by collating archaeological genomic data, then modeling multiple factors. Their hypothesis…
Venturing beyond clinical and research careers
Physician-scientists. Physician-executives. Physician-artists. It’s becoming increasingly common for individuals with medical degrees to branch out in their profession, and this podcast series…
First woman to hold medical director position at IndyCar
Motorsports associations require on-staff physicians to promote safety and to evaluate and treat high-velocity crash injuries, as well as to provide medical care to the drivers, their families, and…
The secret (social?) life of mushrooms
Do mushrooms have intelligence? Recent research into four species of fungi discovered electrical impulses running through their networks under the soil. The researcher suggests that these impulses…
Are birds a public health threat to drivers? What are the stats on plane emergencies? And other questions for Freakonomics
Whether flying creatures help increase the rate of car accidents. Why early detection of cancer may not positively affect survival time. How often medical emergencies occur on flights. This episode…
Pediatrician fights for access to COVID-19 vaccines in Florida
Equity and access challenges in healthcare often occur for geographic reasons, such as lack of proximity to hospitals in rural regions, or lack of resources in underserved neighborhoods. But in the…
How anti-vaccine foes coopted the abortion rallying cry
This article lays out a curious intersection between two hot-button medical issues: Vaccine skeptics have framed vaccination and mask mandates as violations of personal choice, rather than matters…
Scientists suggest keeping your poop in the bank—it could save your life
Can fecal matter be used to treat disease? In a recent study, Harvard researchers posit that stool samples stored from a healthy individual can later be used to rejuvenate the diversity in that…
Doctors moonlighting on tiktok?
Is it appropriate for physicians to actively publish medical information and viewpoints on social media, or does being an “influencer” in the health space pose ethical dilemmas? This article…
Meet the released Ukrainian medic who cared for both Russian and Ukrainian soldiers
Thanks to a body camera chronicling her efforts to save the wounded in Mariupol, medic Yuliia Paievska was able to leave a Russian prison following three months in detention. In this video, she…
Up in arms, up in the air: Sub-par medical kits on planes
A manual blood pressure cuff. Dinky plastic stethoscope. Empty glucometer case. Epinephrine…without an epi-pen. This is what a physician might encounter in the medical kit that he or she is handed…
How Eli Lilly lost its taste for pot and refuses to acknowledge its past
Who knew that the pharmaceutical behemoth behind insulin once grew fields of weed? This podcast episode—amidst the entertaining banter between a physician and her husband—chronicles the history of…
Drunk animals, and the sober hamster
Apparently, the unique physiology of hamsters makes them impervious to inebriation. The rodent can drink what for humans would be the equivalent of 1.5 liters of alcohol to no effect, based on a…
The Language Game: We Are Physicians, Not Providers
How do you feel about the distinction between the term “Physician” and “Provider”? It matters quite a bit to this author, who posits that the latter term fails to acknowledge the time, effort, and…
Eradicating racial bias in residency programs
This article picks up the hot topic of diversity, positing that racial bias in training programs may contribute to a lack of BIPOC physicians in competitive and lucrative specialties. Three black…
People are preserving dead relatives’ tattoos and turning them into art
What are the medical ethics about skinning a cadaver to create framed art? Does it make sense because of how expensive and elaborate people’s tattoos can be? Is it a poignant way to preserve the…
“Word Doc,” a medical-style Wordle spin-off
Unless you’ve been locked in an operating room since the summer of 2021, chances are you know Wordle. Now, there are versions of the daily game created specifically for medical professionals: Check…