I have not had much time to contribute to the Mindful Hack blog, because I must shortly help write a book about something else. But bear with me now. First, …
One columnist writes,
I have a former student who has found the perfect job. She’s working with troubled youths in a faith-based program that allows her [...]

I wish all my readers a happy July 4th holiday.

Author Chris Mooney has a provocative piece up at the Washington Post today. He argues that scientists are misunderstanding the dynamics of science-policy debates. Because, he argues, ideology often trumps scientific fact in the minds of the public, we (scientists) need to work harder to engage the public to win their hearts before [...]

Source: Baylor College of MedicineDate: June 25, 2010
Summary:
Ronin, crucial to the self-renewal of embryonic stem cells, and a co-regulator called Hcf-1, binds to a small strand of DNA called a hyperconserved enhancer element to control a gene “program” that stimulates growth of the stem cells and may even play a role in cancer, said a [...]

According to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg, candy-flavored cigarettes are a major gateway to youth smoking and the federal ban on flavored cigarettes will therefore reduce the number of youth smokers.
In a press release issued by FDA last September – when the flavored cigarette ban went into effect – Hamburg stated: [...]

This is what i read as a comment in yahoo news by my friend Dr Philip Chao who has worked in Delaware to produce the best MRIs possible since 1990. He has monitored hundreds of thousands of MRIs over his career at the University of Pennsylvania and working for the people of Delaware. He is [...]

Instead of whining about the tobacco companies evading the FDA tobacco law by using colors to denote the brands formerly known as “lights” or “milds,” the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids should be apologizing to its constituents and to the public for knowingly crafting legislation that would not accomplish its declared purpose.
The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, [...]

Source: NatureDate: 21 June 2010
Summary:
Researchers have transformed human skin cells into stem cells similar to those in an embryo without using any reprogramming genes, just the viral vector normally used to deliver them. The findings, reported last week at the International Society for Stem Cell Research annual meeting in San Francisco, California, challenge the [...]

To kick off this book club discussion of Inside the Outbreaks, I thought I would explain briefly how I came to write the book and then suggest some possible topics for discussion.
The origin of the book goes back to an email I got in 2004 from my old high school and college friend, [...]

Waxman and Anti-Smoking Groups, Not Tobacco Companies, are the Ones Who Played a Trick on the American People and Pulled the Wool Over their Eyes
According to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, two of the major public health victories from the passage of the FDA tobacco legislation — which were supposed to save [...]