Guest Blog

Commentary invited by editors of Scientific American

#NIHMiM12 the Spreading Shadow of Cancer Angst: 3 Things You Need to Know to Meet It Rationally

Cancer screening keeps spreading to more groups of people, pushed by a widely shared conviction that more and earlier must always be better. As the shadow of cancer widens to cover ever more people, and lengthens to cover longer stretches of their lifespans, cancer angst spreads far and wide, too.Barry Kramer wants to counteract irrational fear and actions by helping us get more rational about cancer screening...

October 18, 2012 — Hilda Bastian

Health

Dangerous Optimism: Risk, Bias and Smoking

Trails of acrid grey mist hang in the air. I use the front of my shirt as an impromptu gas mask as I cough out my drink order to the bartender. Passing through one of these repulsive clouds is an irritating game of “try not to breathe.” The saturated air inside has made it almost impossible for me to develop any knowledge of my city’s lively hole-in-the-wall bar scene, still skirting statewide smoking bans.For decades Surgeon General reports have communicated the health risks of smoking, and more recently the risks of second-hand smoke...

October 18, 2012 — Kyle Hill

The Sciences

To Live and Work at CERN

Glenn Starkman has traded his comfortable life in unexpectedly wonderful Cleveland (Heights), Ohio for the excitement and alpine scenery of global diplomatic and particle physics capital Geneva, Switzerland...

October 17, 2012 — Glenn Starkman

Evolution

The Hazards of Being an Athletic Ape

With a single bad step as he ran untouched across a field this September, one of the best cornerbacks in the National Football League removed himself from the game for a whole season.

October 16, 2012 — Elizabeth Preston

Health

"Is Anybody Sane Here?" Said the Psychiatrist to the Journalists

The psychiatrist is Allen Frances. The journalists are 48 enthusiastic and committed participants at the National Institute of Health’s 2012 Medicine in the Media course (#NIHMiM12).

October 15, 2012 — Hilda Bastian

Health

The $1,000 Genome Is Almost Here- Are We Ready?

The era of the $1000 genome, which is all but upon us already, is a new era of predictive and personalized medicine during which the cost of full genome sequencing for an individual or patient drops to roughly $1,000.Think about what personalized medicine can do: having access to your own genome information will open the doors to dozens of men and women wishing to find out if they have gene variants associated with Alzheimer’s, diabetes, heart disease or cancer...

October 15, 2012 — Ivan Karabaliev

Evolution

Could You Look Down from 24 Miles Up and Jump? Felix Baumgartner Just Did

DID YOU WATCH! Did your heart pound, your palms get sweaty, your muscles tense! Did you join the millions around the world gripped by fear and tension as Felix Baumgartner rose to more than 24 miles in a balloon-lifted capsule, opened the door (OH MY GOD!) stood out on the bar outside with a camera over his head looking down (OH MY GOD!!!!!),…AND JUMPED!!!!!!!!!!!...

October 14, 2012 — David Ropeik

Evolution

In Silico et Vivo: When Life Science Draws Inspiration from Video Games

Before coming to New York, I led a dual life. During the work week, I was a neuroscientist in training. I went to class, handled monkeys, and took more than my fair share of grad school happy hour snacks...

October 12, 2012 — Jon Chang

Mind & Brain

How the Brain Does "Attention" Is Still Unknown

Humans can focus on one thing amidst many. “Searchlight of attention” is the metaphor. You recall a childhood friend’s face one moment, then perhaps the dog you loved back then, and then…what you will...

October 10, 2012 — John McCarthy

Evolution

The Prize in Biology in Memory of Alfred Nobel

The days leading up to the announcements of the Nobel Prizes as well as the aftermath are gossip heaven for us scientists. We love to speculate who will win and after the announcements, we exchange wild conspiracy theories, talk about the painful snubs and pontificate on whether or not the recipients deserve the honors...

October 9, 2012 — Jalees Rehman

Blog Index

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Explore the science behind the dog in your bed
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The Science Behind Extreme Weather
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Science by and for kids ages 8-15
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Climate science in a changing world
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Mathematics: learning it, doing it, celebrating it.
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Adventures in the good science of rock-breaking.
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Talking back
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The Artful Amoeba
A Blog About the Weird Wonderfulness of Life on Earth
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Voices
Exploring and celebrating diversity in science.
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#NIHMiM12 the Spreading Shadow of Cancer Angst: 3 Things You Need to Know to Meet It Rationally

Dangerous Optimism: Risk, Bias and Smoking

To Live and Work at CERN

The Hazards of Being an Athletic Ape

"Is Anybody Sane Here?" Said the Psychiatrist to the Journalists

The $1,000 Genome Is Almost Here- Are We Ready?

Could You Look Down from 24 Miles Up and Jump? Felix Baumgartner Just Did

In Silico et Vivo: When Life Science Draws Inspiration from Video Games

How the Brain Does "Attention" Is Still Unknown

The Prize in Biology in Memory of Alfred Nobel

Blog Index

@ScientificAmerican

Anecdotes from the Archive

Anthropology in Practice

Beautiful Minds

Budding Scientist

Cross-Check

Dark Star Diaries

Dog Spies

Extinction Countdown

Eye of the Storm

Frontiers for Young Minds

Guest Blog

Hot Planet

Illusion Chasers

Life, Unbounded

Observations

Roots of Unity

Rosetta Stones

SA Visual

Talking back

The Artful Amoeba

Voices