Health

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Brain illustration

Stanford psychologist's 18-month study of his own brain reveals new relations between brain and body

Russell Poldrack scanned his brain to create the most detailed map of brain connectivity ever.  

pit made to simulate permanent wetlands / Scott Fendorf

Stanford scientists solve mystery of arsenic release into groundwater

Bacteria living in shallow sediment layers of permanently flooded wetlands in Asia drive arsenic release into water by feeding on freshly deposited plant material, a new study finds.

Close-up of a mosquito on human skin. / Photo: Muhammad Mahdi Karim, Wikimedia Commons

Biologists develop novel antiviral approach to preventing viral infections that cause dengue fever

By targeting fundamental cellular machinery, the antiviral approach developed in Judith Frydman's lab at Stanford could provide a roadmap to preventing infections that affect hundreds of millions of people every year.

view of internal organs and skeleton in a see-through body supeimposed on a graph / vitstudio/Shutterstock

New "tricorder" technology might be able to "hear" tumors growing

A new technology has promise to safely find buried plastic explosives and maybe even spot fast-growing tumors. The technique involves the clever interplay of microwaves and ultrasound to develop a detector like the Star Trek tricorder.  

Woman reading nutritional label on a can /Photo: tmcphotos, Shutterstock

Targeted policy actions could help discourage obesity, Stanford expert says

Stanford law Professor Deborah Rhode suggests that a societal strategy involving public awareness, new taxes, enhanced zoning regulations and tougher restrictions on food marketing and packaging could alleviate the obesity epidemic.

Girl with bucket

Stanford study shows effects of toilet facilities on child health in rural Africa

Scientists have evaluated the health impact of sanitation by measuring rates of diarrheal disease. A new study shows that child growth improves after communities add toilet facilities.  

Heart cell

Tension helps heart cells develop normally in the lab, according to Stanford engineers

Scientists have discovered that getting stem cells to mimic normal adult heart cells – a critical step for eventually using them to test drugs – requires tension and a specific shape.

Dividing yeast cells labeled with a fluorescent tag to show overexpression of Whi5 / Skotheim Lab

Stanford biologists crack centuries-old mystery of how cell growth triggers cell division

Researchers in Jan Skotheim's lab have discovered a previously unknown mechanism that controls how large cells grow, an insight that could one day provide insight into attacking diseases such as cancer.

Professor James Swartz holds an enlarged replica of a virus-like particle. / Photo: Linda Rice

Stanford team re-engineers virus to deliver therapies to cells

Researchers stripped a virus of its infectious machinery and turned its benign core into a delivery vehicle that can target sick cells while leaving healthy tissue alone.

mayapple plants / Barry Blackburn/Shutterstock

Stanford scientists produce cancer drug from rare plant in lab to benefit human health

Stanford scientists produced a common cancer drug – previously only available from an endangered plant – in a common laboratory plant. This work could lead to a more stable supply of the drug and allow scientists to manipulate that drug to make it even safer and more effective.