Medical Insiders: August 2014

Sunday, August 31, 2014

Well: Don’t Catch What Ails Your House

It doesn’t take a flood to encourage the growth of mold in a home. A moist environment will do. A runny nose, coughing and all the rest typically follow.

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Saturday, August 30, 2014

Supervisor in mining office faces conflict-of-interest allegations

A supervisor in the California government office that regulates mines is under investigation for alleged conflicts of interest, including co-ownership of a Northern California gold-mining company within his jurisdiction, ethics officials confirmed on Friday.

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Friday, August 29, 2014

EPA staff recommends significantly lower ozone standard

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency staff said Friday that the nation should tighten smog rules significantly, a step that would improve air quality in California but force costly new requirements on government and industry.

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'Science Friday' asks: What happens when science and Hollywood collide?

What’s better than "Science Friday," the public radio call-in program that explores the microbiome, paleoforensics and comets, to name a few recent topics? How about a live show recorded at Caltech’s Beckman Auditorium with host Ira Flatow?

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Ordinary makeup ingredients with an element of surprise

Common ingredients in cosmetics often hide in plain sight on the product label because of an international movement to establish uniform names, based in science and Latin. So wheat germ, prized for its vitamin E, becomes Triticum vulgare, and oatmeal, crucial to face masks through the ages,...

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NASA's Spitzer scopes out huge asteroid smashup. And just misses it.

When Spitzer Space Telescope captured the billowing aftermath of a colossal asteroid smashup 1,200 light-years away, scientists realized they were watching a scene much like the one that played out billions of years ago in our own solar system.

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Video: Watch this boy born deaf hear music for the first time

A 3-year-old boy who was born deaf has been caught reacting to music for the first time — and it looks like he’s ready to bust a move.

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Striking the right balance at work

'Real Happiness at Work's' Sharon Salzberg sees work problems as opportunities for personal growth and self-examination. She offers a few tips.

'Real Happiness at Work's' Sharon Salzberg sees work problems as opportunities for personal growth and self-examination. She offers a few tips.

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Latest designs in bike world spotlight safer, more comfortable ride

Changes in most product categories in the bike world usually are incremental in nature. But every once in a while, a technological leap occurs — which is the case with the radical designs of the new helmet, bike saddle and riding jacket below. Along with an innovative power supply for a...

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Well: Ask Well: The Problem with Bunions

Non-surgical treatments can reduce the pain or discomfort from a bunion and keep it from worsening.

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Experimental Ebola medication ZMapp saves infected monkeys

In speedy testing conducted as West Africa's Ebola epidemic began to mushroom, researchers have found that ZMapp, the experimental drug that has been used in seven infected human patients to date, prompted the recovery of 18 macaque monkeys infected with the virus.

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Well: Just Add Farro

Wheat berries like farro, spelt and kamut are usually associated with cold weather. But they can be used for summer dishes, too. Farro is softer and good for stuffing vegetables. Spelt works well in salads.

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Sam Kass, the Obamas’ Foodmaster General

Mr. Kass, the first family’s personal chef, has one of the highest public profiles of anyone in the East Wing and a window into the zealously guarded space and tastes of the Obama White House.

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Using light, scientists make bad memories good in mice

Can a bad memory be turned into a good one? Scientists say they’ve been able to do just that in a group of mice by activating certain parts of their brain with light.

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Does Antarctic sea ice growth negate climate change? Scientists say no

In the blue half-light of the Antarctic autumn, a thin film spreads across the continent's coastal waters. It's an embryonic form of sea ice: a mush of microscopic crystals that floats on the dense, salty water of the Southern Ocean.

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Thursday, August 28, 2014

EPA says proposed Delta water tunnel would harm environment

In a sharp rebuke of state plans for a massive water tunnel system in Northern California, federal environmental officials say that the project would violate pollution standards and could worsen conditions for imperiled fish species.

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