CANCER
Cancer cells cast a sweet spell on the immune system (PDF)
Researchers try to wake up immune cells by focusing on the sugars on the tumor surface.
Science News, 21 March 2017.
** Winner of 2018 AACR Biedler Prize for Cancer Journalism **
The biology of sugars points to a sweet strategy for treating cancer
Long-ignored field attracts interest from companies trying to develop next-generation immune therapies.
Scientific American, 28 November 2018.
Leaving a legacy (or PDF version*)
Two mothers, each with a son who died of brain cancer, worked together to increase awareness and acceptance of tumor tissue donation.
Cancer Today, March 2020.
*large file on Google Drive
Scientists and parents band together to research cures for rare childhood cancer
A research start-up is connecting parents with scientists in hopes of sparking new research on diseases whose survival rates and treatment options haven't budged in 30 years.
NPR, 26 October 2018.
IMMUNOLOGY
'Trained immunity' offers hope in fight against coronavirus
A novel form of immunological memory that was mostly ignored for a century extends the benefits of vaccines
Quanta, 15 September 2020.
An immune protein could prevent severe COVID-19 — if it is given at the right time
The antiviral interferon might help early but exacerbate disease in later stages.
Scientific American, 7 September 2020.
A new treatment can relieve food allergies, but few doctors offer it
Many parents of kids with life-threatening food allergies live with fear, EpiPen in hand. Some are trying oral immunotherapy, a treatment that can help patients build tolerance to foods like peanuts.
NPR, 21 February 2019.
Single cell approaches to immune profiling
Nature, 22 May 2018.
Why your immune system doesn't eat you alive
Contrary to conventional wisdom, T cells that cause autoimmune disease actually abound in the body but are held in check.
Scientific American, 21 May 2015.
NEUROSCIENCE
The brain can recall and reawaken past immune responses
The brain not only helps to regulate immune responses, but also stores and retrieves "memories" of them.
Quanta, 8 November 2021
Brain imaging identifies different types of depression
Biological markers could enable tailored therapies that target individual differences in symptoms.
Scientific American, 21 February 2017.
Do D.I.Y. brain-booster devices work?
Zapping the cranium may juice up neuron circuits, and use is rising — but there might be a cognitive price.
Scientific American, 10 January 2017.
Big brain, big data
Neuroscientists are starting to share and integrate data — but shifting to a team approach isn't easy.
Nature, 25 January 2017.
TECHNOLOGY
Thumb-sized microscope captures images deep inside the brains of active animals
After years of development, researchers have managed to shrink two-photon microscopy into a device that can be mounted on rodents' heads without impeding behaviour.
Nature, 25 October 2022
How engineers and drug developers are working to change childhood cancer's deadly calculus
A non-profit organization merges engineering and biology to accelerate drug development for childhood cancers.
Nature, 30 May 2022
Her machine learning tools pull insights from cell images (Q&A)
The computational biologist Anne Carpenter creates software that brings the power of machine learning to researchers seeking answers in mountains of cell images.
Quanta, 2 November 2021
Deep learning takes on tumours
Artificial-intelligence methods are moving into cancer research.
Nature, 21 April 2020
PROFILES
Elizabeth Berry-Kravis: Running a marathon for fragile X syndrome
Elizabeth Berry-Kravis has spent decades uncovering molecular clues to fragile X syndrome and crafting trials of treatments. Her efforts are paying off.
Spectrum, 26 May 2021
Seeding the field
As a pioneer in plant behavioral studies, Joanne Chory set the stage for a generation of scientists.
HHMI, June 2017.
They never told her that girls could become scientists
Now she knows they can. Mireille Kamariza, who grew up in Burundi, is a Stanford graduate student developing a cheaper, faster test to detect TB.
NPR, 7 Jan 2017.
Rare diseases and rare opportunities
Drawn to both research and medicine, biochemical geneticist Raymond Wang thrives after choosing saner schedule.
Science Careers, 12 Sep 2016.
Lifelong debunker takes on arbiter of neutral choices
Magician-turned-mathematician Persi Diaconis uncovers bias in a flip of a coin.
Stanford Report, 7 June 2004.
FOR KIDS
Why can't bugs be grub?
Researchers are studying why some people think eating insects is gross — and how to change that
Science News for Students, 19 November 2018.
Phoning in earthquakes
Networks of mobile devices could detect tremors and allow early warning of big shakes to come.
Science News for Students, 14 August 2015.
Plants 'listen' for danger
The sound of a leaf-munching caterpillar triggers chemical defenses in plants.
Science News for Students, 3 September 2014.
Cancer cells cast a sweet spell on the immune system (PDF)
Researchers try to wake up immune cells by focusing on the sugars on the tumor surface.
Science News, 21 March 2017.
** Winner of 2018 AACR Biedler Prize for Cancer Journalism **
The biology of sugars points to a sweet strategy for treating cancer
Long-ignored field attracts interest from companies trying to develop next-generation immune therapies.
Scientific American, 28 November 2018.
Leaving a legacy (or PDF version*)
Two mothers, each with a son who died of brain cancer, worked together to increase awareness and acceptance of tumor tissue donation.
Cancer Today, March 2020.
*large file on Google Drive
Scientists and parents band together to research cures for rare childhood cancer
A research start-up is connecting parents with scientists in hopes of sparking new research on diseases whose survival rates and treatment options haven't budged in 30 years.
NPR, 26 October 2018.
IMMUNOLOGY
'Trained immunity' offers hope in fight against coronavirus
A novel form of immunological memory that was mostly ignored for a century extends the benefits of vaccines
Quanta, 15 September 2020.
An immune protein could prevent severe COVID-19 — if it is given at the right time
The antiviral interferon might help early but exacerbate disease in later stages.
Scientific American, 7 September 2020.
A new treatment can relieve food allergies, but few doctors offer it
Many parents of kids with life-threatening food allergies live with fear, EpiPen in hand. Some are trying oral immunotherapy, a treatment that can help patients build tolerance to foods like peanuts.
NPR, 21 February 2019.
Single cell approaches to immune profiling
Nature, 22 May 2018.
Why your immune system doesn't eat you alive
Contrary to conventional wisdom, T cells that cause autoimmune disease actually abound in the body but are held in check.
Scientific American, 21 May 2015.
NEUROSCIENCE
The brain can recall and reawaken past immune responses
The brain not only helps to regulate immune responses, but also stores and retrieves "memories" of them.
Quanta, 8 November 2021
Brain imaging identifies different types of depression
Biological markers could enable tailored therapies that target individual differences in symptoms.
Scientific American, 21 February 2017.
Do D.I.Y. brain-booster devices work?
Zapping the cranium may juice up neuron circuits, and use is rising — but there might be a cognitive price.
Scientific American, 10 January 2017.
Big brain, big data
Neuroscientists are starting to share and integrate data — but shifting to a team approach isn't easy.
Nature, 25 January 2017.
TECHNOLOGY
Thumb-sized microscope captures images deep inside the brains of active animals
After years of development, researchers have managed to shrink two-photon microscopy into a device that can be mounted on rodents' heads without impeding behaviour.
Nature, 25 October 2022
How engineers and drug developers are working to change childhood cancer's deadly calculus
A non-profit organization merges engineering and biology to accelerate drug development for childhood cancers.
Nature, 30 May 2022
Her machine learning tools pull insights from cell images (Q&A)
The computational biologist Anne Carpenter creates software that brings the power of machine learning to researchers seeking answers in mountains of cell images.
Quanta, 2 November 2021
Deep learning takes on tumours
Artificial-intelligence methods are moving into cancer research.
Nature, 21 April 2020
PROFILES
Elizabeth Berry-Kravis: Running a marathon for fragile X syndrome
Elizabeth Berry-Kravis has spent decades uncovering molecular clues to fragile X syndrome and crafting trials of treatments. Her efforts are paying off.
Spectrum, 26 May 2021
Seeding the field
As a pioneer in plant behavioral studies, Joanne Chory set the stage for a generation of scientists.
HHMI, June 2017.
They never told her that girls could become scientists
Now she knows they can. Mireille Kamariza, who grew up in Burundi, is a Stanford graduate student developing a cheaper, faster test to detect TB.
NPR, 7 Jan 2017.
Rare diseases and rare opportunities
Drawn to both research and medicine, biochemical geneticist Raymond Wang thrives after choosing saner schedule.
Science Careers, 12 Sep 2016.
Lifelong debunker takes on arbiter of neutral choices
Magician-turned-mathematician Persi Diaconis uncovers bias in a flip of a coin.
Stanford Report, 7 June 2004.
FOR KIDS
Why can't bugs be grub?
Researchers are studying why some people think eating insects is gross — and how to change that
Science News for Students, 19 November 2018.
Phoning in earthquakes
Networks of mobile devices could detect tremors and allow early warning of big shakes to come.
Science News for Students, 14 August 2015.
Plants 'listen' for danger
The sound of a leaf-munching caterpillar triggers chemical defenses in plants.
Science News for Students, 3 September 2014.
