A weekly conversation about the culture, conduct & community of science

Conversations (2008)

Genes and Environment in Parkinson’s Disease: A Conversation with Robert Nussbaum November 6

The discovery of a gene that caused a family to be stricken with Parkinson’s disease has been a tonic to research aimed at learning more about the most common form of the disease, and about its environmental triggers.

Regenerating Cells to Treat Diabetes: A Conversation with Matthias Hebrok October 21

Ever think about your pancreas? Matthias Hebrok does.

Epilepsy – in Search of Genomes with Frustrating Phenomes: A Conversation with Dan Lowenstein October 13

In what he calls the biggest epilepsy research project in history, UCSF neurologist Dan Lowenstein, along with colleagues at 13 major epilepsy centers, is searching for genes associated with the disease...

Childhood Leukemia Clusters: A Conversation with Joseph Wiemels October 3

Far from the media eye, UCSF epidemiologist Joseph Wiemels, PhD, makes trips to Fallon, Nevada, a rural town of 8,000 about 60 miles east of Reno on a lonesome stretch of Highway 50, to investigate what he calls the most unusual concentration of residential childhood leukemia cases ever reported.

Transplanting Cells Instead of Whole Hearts: A Conversation with Jeffrey Olgin September 26

I’m grateful that I’ve got rhythm – or at least good heart rhythm...

Early Puberty and Early Exposure to Breast Cancer Risks: A Conversation with Robert Hiatt September 19

Do environmental effects on young girls lead to breast cancer decades later?

Taking Better Aim at Cancer: A Conversation with Gerard Evan September 12

In the quest to make drugs that target cancer in new ways, pharmaceutical firms should look within cells at a master-switch called myc....

Fighting the Black Dog: A Conversation with Depression Expert Owen Wolkowitz September 5

This week we ponder whether one person's depression might be biochemically different from another person's depression, and whether depression itself might sometimes be part of a bigger, badder medical syndrome...

Farewell Science Café: A Conversation with You, our Readers and Listeners August 28

It’s always hard to let go of something you have nurtured, tended and loved...

Back Word: A Conversation with Spine Expert Jeff Lotz August 15

Saving your back means knowing your spine...

A Beautiful Dance: A Conversation with Signal Maestro Dan Minor August 8

Channeling better health from the body's electrical store...

A Virus Virtuoso: A Conversation with Molecular Biologist Joe DeRisi August 1

Newly discovered bird virus might explain disease mystery...

Barcelona Report #5: Building Science Networks in the Developing World July 22

Science journalists in the developing world, teamed with organizations in Europe and North America, are building associations and networks to propel careers and support working journalists on the ground....

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Barcelona Report #4: Trust in Science: The View from Europe and the US July 21

As both collaborators and friendly competitors,the EU and American science communities have much in common....

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Barcelona Report #3: Nanotubes and Stem Cells: Promise or Danger? July 20

Science is supposed to provide answers whether we like them or not. And when it comes to evaluating the promise and risks of nanotechnology and regenerative medicine, answers are seldom black and white.

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Barcelona Report #2: A Diet of Delusion and Misconception July 19

Atomized and often sloppy reporting on the health benefits of single foods, chemical ingredients or vitamin supplements has confused the public, says the UK's Ben Goldacre at the Barcelona Euroscience conference....

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Barcelona Report #1 From the Euroscience Conference July 18

Jeff Miller Reports from Barcelona, home of Euroscience Open Forum for four days in July 2008.

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Spot-On: A Conversation with Translational Neuroscientist Krys Bankiewicz July 11

Delivering drugs inside the brain just got easier...

How the Brain Moves: A Conversation with Neuroscientist Anatol Kreitzer June 27

Anatol Kreitzer might have uncovered a new treatment mechanism for Parkinson's disease...

Spinal Cord Repair: A Conversation with Jacqueline Bresnahan and Michael Beattie June 20

Repairing damaged spinal cords inches closer.

Turning Fat to Muscle: A Conversation with Growth Factor and Cell Differentiation Expert Rik Derynck June 13

Turning fat cells into muscle could one day be standard therapy.

Hope for Headaches: A Conversation with Headache Expert Peter Goadsby June 6

Help for headaches starts with you...

A Conversation About Aging, Life and Death with Medical Anthropologist Sharon Kaufman May 30

Plan your death like you would your life or risk a living death instead...

The Future of IVF: A Conversation with IVF Physician and Scientist Paolo Rinaudo May 23

Starting life in a dish requires all the right ingredients...

The Eyes Have It: A Conversation with Neuroscientist Michael Stryker May 16

We learn to see with our eyes still closed...

Big Brains and Little Minds: A Conversation with Neuroscientist Michael Stryker May 9

Big brains are no guarantee of smarts...

Infants in Danger: A Conversation with Infant Psychologist Alicia Lieberman May 2

Infants sense danger and internalize violence. Society loses, too...

Lights, Camera, Enzymes!: A Conversation with Chemist and Protein Expert Brian Shoichet April 25

An enzyme's star turn has drug makers applauding...

Barking up the Right Tree: A Conversation with Psychiatrist Steven Hamilton April 18

Jittery dogs might hold the key to human panic attacks...

Tennis Courts and Godzilla: A Conversation with Lung Biologist Thiennu Vu April 11

Here's hoping that our lungs really are like cherry trees about to bloom...

UCSF Science Café “Cooks” in San Diego April 9

San Francisco is a hotbed for the growing Science Café movement, so it’s no wonder that the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) looked to the Bay Area for inspiration when it came time to plan their meeting set for late March 2008.

An Infectious Personality: A Conversation with Virologist Don Ganem, Part 2 of 2 April 4