A profile of Phineas Gage is featured. His skull and tamping iron are on display at the Warren Anatomical Museum at Harvard Medical School. Dominic Hall, curator of the Warren Anatomical Museum, is quoted.
As doctors struggle to treat patients with the respiratory virus known as Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus, or MERS coronavirus, scientists are rushing to answer some basic questions about the virus’s biology, whose answers could stop the virus from becoming a pandemic. Wayne Marasco, professor of medicine at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, is the coauthor of a study cited in the article.
The National Academy of Sciences announced the election of 84 new members, 11 of them from Harvard’s faculties of arts and sciences and of medicine. Joining the academy from Harvard Medical School are: Bruce Bean, the Robert Winthrop Professor of Neurobiology; Emery Brown, the Warren M. Zapol Professor of Anaesthesia at Massachusetts General Hospital; Timothy Mitchison, the Hasib Sabbagh Professor of Systems Biology; Vamsi Mootha, professor of systems biology at Massachusetts General Hospital; and Martin Pollak, professor of medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
A handful of scientific studies have found that vibrating devices placed near the injection reduce perception of pain during needlesticks. More research is needed to confirm the findings, scientists say. Jeffry Shaefer, assistant professor of oral and maxillofacial surgery at Harvard School of Dental Medicine, is quoted.
Myechia Minter-Jordan, clinical instructor in medicine and president and CEO of the Dimock Center, authored this blog post about treating chlamydia, particularly in patients who are adolescents and young adults.
The death rate in Massachusetts dropped significantly after it adopted mandatory health care coverage in 2006, a new study found, offering evidence that the country’s first experiment with universal coverage — and the model for crucial parts of President Obama’s health care law — has saved lives, health economists say. Benjamin Sommers, assistant professor of medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, is the lead author. Katherine Baicker, professor of health economics at the Harvard School of Public Health, also participated in the study.
In a trio of studies published Sunday, scientists reported that they reversed aging in the muscles and brains of old mice — simply by running the blood of young mice through their veins. Lee Rubin, director of Translational Medicine of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute and professor of stem cell and regenerative biology, led one of the studies. Amy Wagers, professor of stem cell and regenerative biology at FAS and Joslin Diabetes Center, was involved in two of the studies. A study last year by Amy Wagers and Richard T. Lee, professor of medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, is also cited.
A game developed by an MIT researcher called EyeWire is the latest example of a broader attempt to harness the talent, interest, and idle moments of regular people with online games that push science forward. Research by Ting Wu, professor of genetics, is also featured.
