Month: May 2012

Blog

The modern challenges of combating malaria

— From a distance, malaria looks like a disease that we should have eradicated by now. Scientists have known for many years that most dangerous malaria cases are caused by the Plasmodium falciparum parasite. This parasite is transmitted to humans through the bite of an Anopheles mosquito, and has a complicated but well-understood lifecycle within its human host, involving invasion of both the liver and the blood. In humans, malaria causes fever, vomiting, headaches, and general achiness, but complications including brain damage, seizures, and red blood cell damage are responsible for most human deaths. With so many potential places to target malaria treatment – in the human liver, in human blood, or in the mosquito that carries the parasite from person to person – why did it still kill 655,000 people in 2010? Continue reading The modern challenges of combating malaria

1 Comment
Seminars

Climate Change: What We Know and Where We Go From Here

Presented by Elizabeth Thomas, Sujit Datta, and Atreyee Bhattacharya During the last three billion years, Earth’s climate has nurtured life. However, records of Earth’s history indicate that climate has changed dramatically with major consequences for its inhabitants. What drives such climate changes? What are the consequences? In tonight’s lecture, we discuss the effects that greenhouse gases can have, as well as a novel engineering approach … Continue reading Climate Change: What We Know and Where We Go From Here

Leave a comment
Blog

Cancer: The Disease That’s Just as Smart as We Are

— On any given weekend from March until October, it’s a fair bet that somewhere in your state there’s an event raising money for cancer treatment, prevention and/or research.  It probably seems, at times, like someone should have found a cure by now – after all, there has been an organized and concerted effort to cure this disease for the better part of the last century.  What is it about cancer that makes a cure so elusive, despite the efforts of innumerable hard-working and intelligent people?  It turns out we have spent a significant part of the last century underestimating just how clever cancer can be, but researchers and doctors are beginning to develop a better view of this disease, and as a result, are developing better treatments which may one day make cancer as treatable as any other chronic but manageable disease. Continue reading Cancer: The Disease That’s Just as Smart as We Are

1 Comment
Seminars

Avian Flu and Censorship: When Would Scientists Keep Their Mouths Shut?

Presented by Ann Fiegen, Kevin Bonham, and Tina Liu When a team of scientists discovered in 2011 how to make the deadly H5N1 “Avian flu” virus transmissible through air, it stirred a debate about scientific ethics and national security that has raged for months everywhere from the top levels of the National Institutes of Health to the front page of the New York Times. In … Continue reading Avian Flu and Censorship: When Would Scientists Keep Their Mouths Shut?

Leave a comment
Blog

Transplantation Redux: Advances in Face Transplantation

— According to Max Eastman, “a smile is the universal welcome.” For individuals whose faces are severely disfigured due to trauma, burns or disease, a smile may be difficult, or even impossible, to express. Facial deformities may impair daily activities, such as eating, swallowing, breathing, and talking. Consequently, these individuals may hide from the public in an attempt to avoid curious stares from strangers. For those patients who have exhausted all conventional means of facial reconstruction, face transplantation offers the possibility of regaining muscle movement and sensory control in the face. For example, doctors hope that the surgical procedure will help patients to prevent drooling, display various emotions, and speak and eat more easily. Continue reading Transplantation Redux: Advances in Face Transplantation

Leave a comment