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Articles by Mosaic Science
Staying well in the 21st century is like playing a game of chess
At the same time, new, previously unknown or extremely rare disorders began to rise, such as autoimmune or genetic conditions. Two decades later, scientists began thinking about health differently—not as a static achievement guaranteed to last, but as something dynamic and constantly changing—and sometimes, for the worse.
Your phone could show if a bridge is about to collapse
Lina Zeldovich Lina Zeldovich has written about science, medicine and technology for Scientific American, Reader’s Digest, Mosaic Science and other publications. She’s an alumna of Columbia University School of Journalism and the author of the upcoming book, The Other Dark Matter: The Science and Business of Turning Waste into Wealth, from Chicago University Press. You can find her on http://linazeldovich.com/ and @linazeldovich.
Copy of Food Poisoning Sickens Millions a Year. Now, a Surprising Weapon Is Helping Protect Against Contamination.
Susan Kreimer Susan Kreimer is a New York-based freelance journalist who has followed the landscape of health care since the late 1990s, initially as a staff reporter for major daily newspapers. She writes about breakthrough studies, personal health, and the business of clinical practice. Raised in the Chicago area, she holds a B.A. in Journalism/Mass Communication and French from the University of Iowa and an M.S. from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
Scientists Are Working to Decipher the Puzzle of ‘Broken Heart Syndrome’
Lina Zeldovich Lina Zeldovich has written about science, medicine and technology for Scientific American, Reader’s Digest, Mosaic Science and other publications. She’s an alumna of Columbia University School of Journalism and the author of the upcoming book, The Other Dark Matter: The Science and Business of Turning Waste into Wealth, from Chicago University Press. You can find her on http://linazeldovich.com/ and @linazeldovich.
Did Anton the AI find a new treatment for a deadly cancer?
Lina Zeldovich Lina Zeldovich has written about science, medicine and technology for Scientific American, Reader’s Digest, Mosaic Science and other publications. She’s an alumna of Columbia University School of Journalism and the author of the upcoming book, The Other Dark Matter: The Science and Business of Turning Waste into Wealth, from Chicago University Press. You can find her on http://linazeldovich.com/ and @linazeldovich.
Scientists discover the Achilles' heel (or head) of PFAS, cancer-causing chemicals
Lina Zeldovich Lina Zeldovich has written about science, medicine and technology for Scientific American, Reader’s Digest, Mosaic Science and other publications. She’s an alumna of Columbia University School of Journalism and the author of the upcoming book, The Other Dark Matter: The Science and Business of Turning Waste into Wealth, from Chicago University Press. You can find her on http://linazeldovich.com/ and @linazeldovich.
Podcast: The Inner Lives of Human Breasts
Eve Herold Eve Herold is a science writer specializing in issues at the intersection of science and society. She has written and spoken extensively about stem cell research and regenerative medicine and the social and bioethical aspects of leading-edge medicine. Her 2007 book, Stem Cell Wars, was awarded a Commendation in Popular Medicine by the British Medical Association.
Podcast: The Inner Lives of Human Breasts
My guest today for the Making Sense of Science podcast is Camila dos Santos, associate professor at Cold Spring Harbor Lab, who is a leading researcher of the inner lives of human mammary glands, more commonly known as breasts. These organs are unlike any other because throughout life they undergo numerous changes, first in puberty, then during pregnancies and lactation periods, and finally at the end of the cycle, when babies are weaned.
Why we don’t have more COVID-19 vaccines for animals
Responding to COVID-19 outbreaks at more than 200 mink farms, the Danish government, in November 2020, culled its entire mink population. The Danish armed forces helped farmers slaughter each of their 17 million minks, which are normally farmed for their valuable fur. The SARS-CoV-2 virus, said officials, spread from human handlers to the small, ferret-like animals, mutated, and then spread back to several hundred humans.
Scientists Want to Make Robots with Genomes that Help Grow their Minds
Lina Zeldovich Lina Zeldovich has written about science, medicine and technology for Scientific American, Reader’s Digest, Mosaic Science and other publications. She’s an alumna of Columbia University School of Journalism and the author of the upcoming book, The Other Dark Matter: The Science and Business of Turning Waste into Wealth, from Chicago University Press. You can find her on http://linazeldovich.com/ and @linazeldovich.
Six Questions about the Kids' COVID Vaccine, Answered by an Infectious Disease Doctor
Pippy Rogers, second from left, with her four siblings, who worry that they are at risk for Alzheimer's and are calling for an acceleration of research. Courtesy of Rogers Keep Reading Keep Reading Matt Fuchs Matt Fuchs is a health and science writer based in Silver Spring, Maryland. He is a monthly contributor to The Washington Post and has also written for The Washington Post Magazine, WIRED Magazine and Time Magazine, among other outlets. Follow him on Twitter @fuchswriter.
Medical Breakthroughs Set to be Fast-Tracked by Innovative New Health Agency
Pippy Rogers, second from left, with her four siblings, who worry that they are at risk for Alzheimer's and are calling for an acceleration of research. In 2007, Matthew Might's son, Bertrand, was born with a life-threatening disease that was so rare, doctors couldn't diagnose it. Might, a computer scientist and biologist, eventually realized, "Oh my gosh, he's the only patient in the world with this disease right now." To find effective treatments, new methodologies would need to be developed.
Food Poisoning Sickens Millions a Year. Now, a Surprising Weapon Is Helping Protect Against Contamination.
Phages, which are harmless viruses that destroy specific bacteria, are becoming useful tools to protect our food supply. Keep Reading Keep Reading Lina Zeldovich Lina Zeldovich has written about science, medicine and technology for Scientific American, Reader’s Digest, Mosaic Science and other publications.
New Podcast: The Lead Scientist for the NASA Mission to Venus
David Kurtz making DNA sequencing libraries in his lab. Keep Reading Keep Reading Lina Zeldovich Lina Zeldovich has written about science, medicine and technology for Scientific American, Reader’s Digest, Mosaic Science and other publications. She’s an alumna of Columbia University School of Journalism and the author of the upcoming book, The Other Dark Matter: The Science and Business of Turning Waste into Wealth, from Chicago University Press.
Is a Successful HIV Vaccine Finally on the Horizon?
The volcano Sapas Mons is displayed in the center of this computer-generated three-dimensional perspective view of the surface of Venus. NASA/JPL The "Making Sense of Science" podcast features interviews with leading medical and scientific experts about the latest developments and the big ethical and societal questions they raise. This monthly podcast is hosted by journalist Kira Peikoff, founding editor of the award-winning science outlet Leaps.org.
The First Mass-Produced Solar Car Is Coming Soon, Sparking Excitement and Uncertainty
David Kurtz making DNA sequencing libraries in his lab. Keep Reading Keep Reading Lina Zeldovich Lina Zeldovich has written about science, medicine and technology for Scientific American, Reader’s Digest, Mosaic Science and other publications. She’s an alumna of Columbia University School of Journalism and the author of the upcoming book, The Other Dark Matter: The Science and Business of Turning Waste into Wealth, from Chicago University Press.
New Blood Test Can Detect Cancer Cells Before a Tumor Grows Back
David Kurtz making DNA sequencing libraries in his lab. Keep Reading Keep Reading Lina Zeldovich Lina Zeldovich has written about science, medicine and technology for Scientific American, Reader’s Digest, Mosaic Science and other publications. She’s an alumna of Columbia University School of Journalism and the author of the upcoming book, The Other Dark Matter: The Science and Business of Turning Waste into Wealth, from Chicago University Press.
Immunity Is More Than Antibodies
A health care worker places a bandaid on the arm of a man who has just been vaccinated. Since the Delta variant became predominant in the United States on July 7, both scientists and the media alike have been full of mixed messages ("breakthrough infections rare"; "breakthrough infections common"; "vaccines still work"; "vaccines losing their effectiveness") but – if we remember our infectious diseases history- one thing remains clear: immunity is the only way to get through a pandemic.
Don't Panic Over Waning Antibodies. Here's Why.
A health care worker places a bandaid on the arm of a man who has just been vaccinated. Since the Delta variant became predominant in the United States on July 7, both scientists and the media alike have been full of mixed messages ("breakthrough infections rare"; "breakthrough infections common"; "vaccines still work"; "vaccines losing their effectiveness") but – if we remember our infectious diseases history- one thing remains clear: immunity is the only way to get through a pandemic.
Scientists Are Working to Decipher the Puzzle of ‘Broken Heart Syndrome’
Keep Reading Keep Reading Lina Zeldovich Lina Zeldovich has written about science, medicine and technology for Scientific American, Reader’s Digest, Mosaic Science and other publications. She’s an alumna of Columbia University School of Journalism and the author of the upcoming book, The Other Dark Matter: The Science and Business of Turning Waste into Wealth, from Chicago University Press. You can find her on http://linazeldovich.com/ and @linazeldovich.
The Voice Behind Some of Your Favorite Cartoon Characters Helped Create the Artificial Heart
Photo by Robina Weermeijer on Unsplash Keep Reading Keep Reading Lina Zeldovich Lina Zeldovich has written about science, medicine and technology for Scientific American, Reader’s Digest, Mosaic Science and other publications. She’s an alumna of Columbia University School of Journalism and the author of the upcoming book, The Other Dark Matter: The Science and Business of Turning Waste into Wealth, from Chicago University Press. You can find her on http://linazeldovich.com/ and @linazeldovich.
Scientists Are Working to Decipher the Puzzle of ‘Broken Heart Syndrome’
Elaine Kamil had just returned home after a few days of business meetings in 2013 when she started having chest pains. At first Kamil, then 66, wasn't worried—she had had some chest pain before and recently went to a cardiologist to do a stress test, which was normal. "I can't be having a heart attack because I just got checked," she thought, attributing the discomfort to stress and high demands of her job.
Tapping into the Power of the Placebo Effect
When Wayne Jonas was in medical school 40 years ago, doctors would write out a prescription for placebos, spelling it out backwards in capital letters, O-B-E-C-A-L-P. The pharmacist would fill the prescription with a sugar pill, recalls Jonas, now director of integrative health programs at the Samueli Foundation. It fulfilled the patient's desire for the doctor to do something when perhaps no drug could help, and the sugar pills did no harm. Today, that deception is seen as unethical.
The Women of RNA: Two Award-Winners Share Why They Spent Their Careers Studying DNA's Lesser-Known Cousin
Keep Reading Keep Reading Stav Dimitropoulos Stav Dimitropoulos's features have appeared in major outlets such as the BBC, National Geographic, Scientific American, Nature, Popular Mechanics, Science, Runner’s World, and more. . Follow her on Facebook or Twitter @TheyCallMeStav. Naked mole rats have extraordinarily long lifespans and are extremely resistant to cancer.
Naked Mole Rats Defy Aging. One Scientist Has Dedicated Her Career to Finding Out How.
Naked mole rats have extraordinarily long lifespans and are extremely resistant to cancer. Keep Reading Keep Reading Eve Herold Eve Herold is a science writer specializing in issues at the intersection of science and society. She has written and spoken extensively about stem cell research and regenerative medicine and the social and bioethical aspects of leading-edge medicine. Her 2007 book, Stem Cell Wars, was awarded a Commendation in Popular Medicine by the British Medical Association.
Cancer Immunotherapy
In November 2020, messenger RNA catapulted into the public consciousness when the first COVID-19 vaccines were authorized for emergency use. Around the same time, an equally groundbreaking yet relatively unheralded application of mRNA technology was taking place at a London hospital.
REASON 1: Memory B Cells Are Produced By Vaccines and Natural Infection
A top infectious disease physician explains why immunity derived from natural infection and the vaccines should be long-lasting. There are at least 7 reasons why immunity after vaccination or infection with COVID-19 should likely be long-lived. If durable, I do not think boosters will be necessary in the future, despite CEOs of pharmaceutical companies (who stand to profit from boosters) messaging that they may and readying such boosters.
A Rare Disease Just "Messed with the Wrong Mother." Now She's Fighting to Beat It Once and For All.
On May 13th, scientific and medical experts will discuss and answer questions about the vaccine for those under 16. Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash This virtual event will convene leading scientific and medical experts to discuss the most pressing questions around the COVID-19 vaccines for children and teens. A public Q&A will follow the expert discussion.
A Rare Disease Just "Messed with the Wrong Mother." Now She's Fighting to Beat It Once and For All.
Amber Freed felt she was the happiest mother on earth when she gave birth to twins in March 2017. But that euphoric feeling began to fade over the next few months, as she realized her son wasn't making the same developmental milestones as his sister. "I had a perfect benchmark because they were twins, and I saw that Maxwell was floppy—he didn't have muscle tone and couldn't hold his neck up," she recalls.
One Year In, Our Biggest Lessons and Unsolved Mysteries about COVID-19
A leading virologist reflects on the past year and the unknowns about COVID-19 that we still need to solve. On the one-year anniversary of the World Health Organization declaring SARS-CoV-2 a global pandemic, it's hard to believe that so much and yet so little time has passed. The past twelve months seem to have dragged by, with each day feeling like an eternity, yet also it feels as though it has flashed by in a blur.
Universities Shouldn’t Just Treat Mental Illness – They Should Help Prevent It Too - The Good Men Project
Home / Featured Content / Universities Shouldn’t Just Treat Mental Illness – They Should Help Prevent It Too There’s strong pressure on universities to do something about spiralling student mental health problems, but what is best? Lucy* hadn’t quite realised how severe her problems were. She’d fallen in love with the university, in the south of England, as a teenager while visiting her big sister there.
Immigrant Scientists-and America’s Edge-Face a Moment of Truth This Election
Recent immigration restrictions have left many foreign researchers' projects and careers in limbo—and some in jeopardy. Keep Reading Keep Reading Lina Zeldovich Lina Zeldovich has written about science, medicine and technology for Scientific American, Reader’s Digest, Mosaic Science and other publications.
Scientists Attempt to Make Human Cells Resistant to Coronaviruses and Ebola
<p>For projects like P3, groups of scientists—often at universities and private companies—compete for DARPA contracts, and program managers like Jenkins oversee the work. Those that won the P3 bid included scientists at AbCellera Biologics, Inc., AstraZeneca, Duke University, and Vanderbilt University.</p><p>At the time Jenkins was talking to the P3 performers, though, they didn't have evidence of community transmission.
If a Medicine Is Too Expensive, Should a Hospital Make Its Own?
Home / Featured Content / If a Medicine Is Too Expensive, Should a Hospital Make Its Own? By Chris Stokel-Walker When Marleen Kemper was a child, she watched two of her primary-school classmates get ill. One had a brain tumour, and the other contracted an infection in his gut. Both of them died. Kemper was around ten at the time, and knew that she didn’t want to see another friend perish. She told her parents she wanted to do something that would prevent others dying. She wanted to be a doctor.
This Is Why Children’s TV Is So Weird – and So Mesmerising - The Good Men Project
Home / Featured Content / This Is Why Children’s TV Is So Weird – and So Mesmerising By Linda Geddes Pepi Nana stirs, and sits up in bed. “Tiddle toddle, tiddle toddle,” she says, flapping her arms, and blinking a pair of enormous round eyes. She walks over to the desk, sits down, and, using the oversized pencil in her front pocket, scribbles a letter to the Moon. “Tiddle toddle, please come to tea, and we can have a story.
Polio to COVID-19: Why Has Vaccine Confidence Eroded Over the Last 70 Years?
<blockquote>"I'm quite optimistic that even with these mutations, immunity is not going to suddenly fail on us."</blockquote> <p>Because so many more people are becoming infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus as a result, vaccinologists point out that these new strains will prolong the pandemic.</p><p>"It may take longer to reach vaccine-induced herd immunity," says Deborah Fuller, professor of microbiology at the University of Washington School of Medicine.
Staying Awake: The Surprisingly Effective Way To Treat Depression
Home / Featured Content / Staying Awake: The Surprisingly Effective Way To Treat Depression By Linda Geddes The first sign that something is happening is Angelina’s hands. As she chats to the nurse in Italian, she begins to gesticulate, jabbing, moulding and circling the air with her fingers. As the minutes pass and Angelina becomes increasingly animated, I notice a musicality to her voice that I’m sure wasn’t there earlier.
Scientists Developing Clever Nasal Spray That Tricks the Coronavirus Out of the Body
<blockquote>"I'm quite optimistic that even with these mutations, immunity is not going to suddenly fail on us."</blockquote> <p>Because so many more people are becoming infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus as a result, vaccinologists point out that these new strains will prolong the pandemic.</p><p>"It may take longer to reach vaccine-induced herd immunity," says Deborah Fuller, professor of microbiology at the University of Washington School of Medicine.
Why We Mustn’t Forget the Effects of Climate Change on Mental Health
Home / Featured Content / Why We Mustn’t Forget the Effects of Climate Change on Mental Health By Jane Palmer When Hurricane Maria made landfall on Puerto Rico, it didn’t just flatten houses and flood hospitals – it plunged the island into a darkness that many islanders have yet to emerge from, both literally and metaphorically. The catastrophe sent the island into the longest blackout in US history. Six months after the disaster, many residents are still without access to power.
The Hidden Epidemic of Compulsive Hair Pulling
By Sara Talpos Christina Pearson was 14 years old when she started pulling out her hair, creating bald patches on her head. She was taken to a psychiatrist, but in 1970 there was no name for her disorder, and certainly no treatment. The doctor issued a psychiatric discharge that removed Pearson from high school. In that moment, she felt relief.
The Only Emotions I Can Feel Are Anger and Fear
By Emma Young Stephen has been married twice. Two wedding days. Two “I do”s. Yet Stephen has no happy memories from either – or, in fact, from the marriages or any of his relationships. He met his first wife on a pre-nursing course when he was just 16. Six years later, they were married. Three years after that, they got divorced; she was never really the right one for him, he says. Almost two decades on, in 2009, he met his second wife through a dating site.
Why Do Holes Horrify Me?
By Chrissie Giles Julia was around 11 the first time it happened. She let herself into her dad’s apartment in Malmö, Sweden, dropped her schoolbag and flopped on to the sofa. She switched on the TV and turned to her favourite channel in time for the cartoons. The screen filled up with a cartoon man with a huge head. On his chin, in place of skin or a beard were huge cracks. Suddenly, she felt like she was going to throw up in disgust.
Kangaroo Care – Why Keeping Baby Close Is Better for Everyone - The Good Men Project
Home / Featured Content / Kangaroo Care – Why Keeping Baby Close Is Better for Everyone By Lena Corner A shortage of incubators and a hunch about marsupials inspired a Colombian doctor to try something radical to save premature babies’ lives: constant skin-to-skin contact with parents. It’s cheaper than high-tech neonatal care – and it may be better, too. Lena Corner reports. Carmela Torres was 18 when she became pregnant for the first time.
Print Your Own Body Parts
By Ian Birrell For people who are missing limbs, 3D printing can make new prosthetics – faster, cheaper and better. It could transform mobility for millions around the world, reports Ian Birrell. John Nhial was barely a teenager when he was grabbed by a Sudanese guerrilla army and forced to become a child soldier. He was made to endure weeks of walking with so little food and water that some of his fellow captives died. Four more were killed one night in a wild-animal attack.
Me and My Left Hand
Home / Featured Content / Me and My Left Hand Nicholas McCarthy is a highly accomplished concert pianist who was born without a right hand. Growing up, Nicholas was encouraged by his family to follow his dream of becoming a professional musician. In 2012 he became the first one-handed pianist to graduate from London’s Royal College of Music.
Can Radical Transparency Overcome Resistance to COVID-19 Vaccines?
Secretive panels of independent experts called Data Safety and Monitoring Boards examine clinical trials' data for safety and efficacy. Keep Reading Keep Reading Kenneth Miller Kenneth Miller is a freelance writer based in Los Angeles. He is a contributing editor at Discover, and has reported from four continents for publications including Time, Life, Rolling Stone, Mother Jones, and Aeon.
The Crucial Role of the Little-Known Panels
Secretive panels of independent experts called Data Safety and Monitoring Boards examine clinical trials' data for safety and efficacy. When historians look back on the COVID-19 pandemic, they may mark November 9, 2020 as the day the tide began to turn. That's when the New York-based pharmaceutical giant Pfizer announced that clinical trials showed its experimental vaccine, developed with the German firm BioNTech, to be 90 percent effective in preventing the disease.
Scientists Attempt to Make Human Cells Resistant to Coronaviruses and Ebola
Scientists are experimenting with turning certain genes on and off to make cells better fight viral infection. Keep Reading Keep Reading Lina Zeldovich Lina Zeldovich has written about science, medicine and technology for Scientific American, Reader’s Digest, Mosaic Science and other publications.
Why Good People Turn Bad Online
By Gaia Vince Meet the scientists finding out how we can defeat our inner trolls and build more cooperative digital societies. On the evening of 17 February 2018, Professor Mary Beard posted on Twitter a photograph of herself crying. The eminent University of Cambridge classicist, who has almost 200,000 Twitter followers, was distraught after receiving a storm of abuse online. This was the reaction to a comment she had made about Haiti.
3D Printing Could Give You a Better Pill to Swallow
By Holly Cave Meet the scientists using 3D printers to deliver safer, more effective tablets for children. In March 2017, 13-year-old Joseph was diagnosed with juvenile arthritis. He has been undergoing treatment at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool ever since. “He was really, really poorly,” Joseph’s mother, Helen, tells me.
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