It’s called miracle fruit, and it seems like something out of Brave New World. It’s not an item engineered by modern science, though, but an African berry that’s been known to Westerners since the 18th century. Recently it’s become the … Continue reading →
One of the more formative experiences of my life was reading Theodor Rosebury’s book Life On Man back when it first came out in 1969. It revealed that our efforts to sanitize the world and rid it of those seemingly … Continue reading →
Dichotomies such as left brain vs. right brain are understood to be interesting concepts, but too simplistic in describing what is an unbelievably complicated and still very mysterious organ: the brain. Of course, it’s the brain itself doing the studying, … Continue reading →
[Part I.] Science is certainly far from infallible. That’s especially true of studies related to human beings, on whom any sort of research is notoriously difficult to perform and evaluate. The variables are myriad and uncontrollable, and ethics ordinarily prevents … Continue reading →
[This is the first part of two.] So this is what it’s come to. Our largely successful struggle to eradicate the once-common infectious diseases of childhood through the mechanism of vaccines has been so successful that many parents voluntarily eschew … Continue reading →
In the aftermath of the Jeremiah Wright controversy, I keep reading that his assertion that the US government “lied about inventing the AIDS virus as a means of genocide against people of color” is understandable because, after all, the government … Continue reading →
[NOTE: For earlier posts about my mother, see this one about her stroke, this one about her recuperation, and this one about her move from the New England town where we’d both been living to the New York City community … Continue reading →
Those who know me well know that, although I have no special interest in medicine and never, never wanted to be a doctor, I have a strange quirk of mind that means I happen to remember medical facts and histories … Continue reading →
As Michael Barone points out, the Republican race is coalescing around candidate McCain after an early period of chaos, while the Democratic race is still up for grabs after an early period of seeming clarity. Nevertheless, McCain remains a polarizing … Continue reading →
…eats more nutritious meals together. So saith the NY Times. Research indicates that families who eat a regular meal together—be they troubled or un, and their ubiquitous TVs on or off—are eating better, as well. No one knows quite why, … Continue reading →
Some time ago I wrote an essay on Clive Wearing, the British musician and conductor who contracted a disease twenty years ago that left him with only his short-term memory. His adjustment has been long and difficult, his disability profound—trapped … Continue reading →
Today’s a traveling day, so this will be quick. I’m driving down to NY to see my family and especially my elderly mother. Last night I called her at around 8:15 to see how she was doing. She sounded a … Continue reading →