all biotechnology stories

Carol Robinson: Pushing a technology’s boundaries

50443248 — Wed, 06 May 2009 15:17:36 -0400

The distinguished chemist Carol Robinson has used mass spectrometry throughout her career to tackle increasingly complex problems in biology. When she delivered the Radcliffe Institute’s first Lecture in the Sciences of the academic year, last Oct. 6, she chose the title “Reading Between the Spectral Lines,” referring to the jagged lines of data produced by the mass spectrometer.

This technology allows scientists to analyze the chemical structure of a sample by determining the precise mass (or size) and charge of particles in it.

Defibrillators may have little benefit for older, sicker patients

50443248 — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 14:31:22 -0400

Defibrillators are commonly recommended to patients with heart failure to prevent sudden cardiac death, but beyond having heart failure, there is a lack of criteria to identify the appropriate patients for this therapy.

Predicting risk of stroke from one’s genetic blueprint

50443248 — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 17:22:04 -0500

A new statistical model could be used to predict an individual’s lifetime risk of stroke, according to the results of a study by Harvard researchers at the Children’s Hospital Boston Informatics Program (CHIP).

Symposium: 'Will brain imaging be lie detector test of the future?'

50443248 — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 11:16:06 -0400

For almost a century, one of the staples of crime stories has been the wires, cuffs, and jiggling recording needle of the polygraph machine. In its time, the "lie detector" was hailed as a way to measure the telltale physiological signs of deception, including hard breathing, high blood pressure, and excess perspiration.

But in truth, the polygraph was never very accurate, hitting the mark only about 85 percent of the time - and meanwhile creating a lot of "false positives." As many as 25 percent of people telling the truth during a polygraph exam come out looking like liars.