HPV and You

In 1951, a 30-year-old African-American woman named Henrietta Lacks entered Johns Hopkins Hospital to be treated for cervical cancer. In a matter of months she was dead, overcome by her cancer’s malignancy. Her cancer cells, however, would prove immortal—and change medicine forever.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks tells the story of Henrietta, her family, and her incredible cells. Tracking both the scientific advances owed to “HeLa” cells and the struggles of Henrietta’s descendants, author Rebecca Skloot leads readers through the history of cell research, the ethical implications of scientific study, and the human story of a poor and ailing family whose matriarch contributed to some of 20th-century science’s greatest achievements.

Cancer is one of the most frightening diseases in the world today; it’s deadly and often extremely hard to cure. As such, doctors and researchers have spent enormous amounts of time and money trying to figure out exactly what cancer is, how it works, and how to cure it. The Cancer Code by Jason Fung is an overview of scientists’ major discoveries about cancer, starting from ancient times and continuing to the present day. This guide will help you be more informed about this deadly disease.

Fung divides research trends into three different models of cancer, explores the strengths and weaknesses of each model, and discusses their implications for future cancer research and treatment. Our commentary will expand on some of Fung’s key ideas, offer counterpoints to others, and suggest some other books for further reading on this complex topic. We’ll also examine the current effectiveness of a number of cancer treatment methods and what recent discoveries might imply about future treatment options.

Why do we get sick? Why hasn’t natural selection, over millions of years, prevented us from getting cancer, heart disease, and depression?

The science of evolutionary medicine says that our bodies have evolved over millions of years as a set of compromises, largely in pursuit of reproductive fitness. Put concisely, whatever gets you to survive and have kids is going to persist in the gene pool, even if it causes you lots of disease and pain in adult life. Learn more about the evolutionary roots of obesity, infectious disease, aging, and depression.

Cancer is one of the most frightening diseases in the world today; it’s deadly and often extremely hard to cure. As such, doctors and researchers have spent enormous amounts of time and money trying to figure out exactly what cancer is, how it works, and how to cure it. The Cancer Code by Jason Fung is an overview of scientists’ major discoveries about cancer, starting from ancient times and continuing to the present day. This guide will help you be more informed about this deadly disease.

Fung divides research trends into three different models of cancer, explores the strengths and weaknesses of each model, and discusses their implications for future cancer research and treatment. Our commentary will expand on some of Fung’s key ideas, offer counterpoints to others, and suggest some other books for further reading on this complex topic. We’ll also examine the current effectiveness of a number of cancer treatment methods and what recent discoveries might imply about future treatment options.

Why do we get sick? Why hasn’t natural selection, over millions of years, prevented us from getting cancer, heart disease, and depression?

The science of evolutionary medicine says that our bodies have evolved over millions of years as a set of compromises, largely in pursuit of reproductive fitness. Put concisely, whatever gets you to survive and have kids is going to persist in the gene pool, even if it causes you lots of disease and pain in adult life. Learn more about the evolutionary roots of obesity, infectious disease, aging, and depression.

Every part of our bodies, from toenails to hair and everything in between, is built based on the instructions coded into our genes. Therefore, understanding what genes are and how they work is crucial to understanding our bodies, our health, and even our identities. Siddhartha Mukherjee wrote The Gene to give the average reader a basic grounding in the history and the science of genetics.

Mukherjee is an immunologist and geneticist known for his work in cancer research, a field closely linked to genetics. The Gene explores scientists’ efforts to learn about people by studying the genes that create us: The book traces the history of genetics from Darwin’s Origin of Species to modern gene sequencing technology, as well as taking a brief look at what genetic engineering might mean for humanity’s future. Our commentary will provide background information and explanations to help readers understand the science behind The Gene. We’ll also examine advancements in genetics since The Gene’s publication in 2016.

Why do we get sick? Why hasn’t natural selection, over millions of years, prevented us from getting cancer, heart disease, and depression?

The science of evolutionary medicine says that our bodies have evolved over millions of years as a set of compromises, largely in pursuit of reproductive fitness. Put concisely, whatever gets you to survive and have kids is going to persist in the gene pool, even if it causes you lots of disease and pain in adult life. Learn more about the evolutionary roots of obesity, infectious disease, aging, and depression.

Public health officials downplayed the threat of COVID-19’s airborne transmission—and the public is vulnerable in its ignorance.

Cancer is one of the most frightening diseases in the world today; it’s deadly and often extremely hard to cure. As such, doctors and researchers have spent enormous amounts of time and money trying to figure out exactly what cancer is, how it works, and how to cure it. The Cancer Code by Jason Fung is an overview of scientists’ major discoveries about cancer, starting from ancient times and continuing to the present day. This guide will help you be more informed about this deadly disease.

Fung divides research trends into three different models of cancer, explores the strengths and weaknesses of each model, and discusses their implications for future cancer research and treatment. Our commentary will expand on some of Fung’s key ideas, offer counterpoints to others, and suggest some other books for further reading on this complex topic. We’ll also examine the current effectiveness of a number of cancer treatment methods and what recent discoveries might imply about future treatment options.

For decades, treating cancer has involved grueling therapies like chemotherapy and radiation, which wipe out healthy cells alongside cancerous ones. But new research might give us something more precise: cancer vaccines personalized to each patient.

Many Americans wait with bated breath for a COVID-19 vaccine to return life back to normal. But distribution of a vaccine is many more months away, and even in the best-case scenario, a vaccine will only help to slow the spread, not eradicate the virus completely.

In 1951, a 30-year-old African-American woman named Henrietta Lacks entered Johns Hopkins Hospital to be treated for cervical cancer. In a matter of months she was dead, overcome by her cancer’s malignancy. Her cancer cells, however, would prove immortal—and change medicine forever.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks tells the story of Henrietta, her family, and her incredible cells. Tracking both the scientific advances owed to “HeLa” cells and the struggles of Henrietta’s descendants, author Rebecca Skloot leads readers through the history of cell research, the ethical implications of scientific study, and the human story of a poor and ailing family whose matriarch contributed to some of 20th-century science’s greatest achievements.