A cynical oncologist once told me that his goal was to help patients to live long enough to die of a heart attack. A cardiologist who was there retorted that he was aiming to let his patients live long enough to get hit by a bus Not the most compassionate …

A hot question in biology these days is “How many genes do we have?” Perhaps a more important question is “How many proteins are encoded by our genes?”, because proteins actually do the work inside cells. The reason for the distinction is that some genes can give rise to many …

Consider a hamburger. When most of us eat a burger, we stop thinking about it the moment the hunger pangs disappear. You may think about it for an extra few minutes if it was especially greasy and it gives you a stomachache, but that’s it. In fact, the really interesting …

Resistance is Futile Two months ago I wrote a Viewpoint (will be reprinted in 2 weeks) about lipid accumulation in places where it ought not to be, such as liver and muscle, and how this can contribute to the development of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. That article also …

During pregnancy, a variety of important changes occur in a woman’s body that allow it to accommodate and nurture a developing fetus. Among these changes are alterations in how sugar is handled; early in pregnancy fasting sugar levels fall, while postprandial (after a meal) levels rise. By the end of …