Foundations of Science

It’s become the most-talked-about choir practice of 2020: In early March, as the novel coronavirus quickly spread in Washington state, a local choir group met for their weekly rehearsal. Despite taking extra precautions, such as having hand sanitizer at the door and members not hugging or…

All viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, have the same goal: invade our cells, use our cells’ internal machinery to make copies of itself, and then release the newly made virus to infect more of our cells. But protease inhibitors, a class of drugs long used to treat HIV and hepatitis C, have been shown to stop this process — known as the viral life cycle. These drugs work by blocking a…

It’s an experience familiar to almost anyone with a family member or friend who has fought a terminal illness, such as cancer or heart failure. In the final stages of life, it can seem as though their loved one is wasting away. This dramatic loss of muscle and fat is caused by cachexia, a wasting disorder that afflicts patients in the late stage of nearly every chronic illness. It’s the immediate cause of death in…

In the “nature vs. nurture” debate, those in the former camp believe that who we are, from our physical traits to our propensity for disease, is largely predetermined by the genes that we inherit from our parents. The nurture side attributes much of who we are to our …

Most people struggle with pain at some point in their life, and when it gets bad enough it can be a debilitating condition. However, while pain has its obvious and sometimes devastating downside, our ability to feel physical pain is also part of maintaining our health. For a time, physicians even referred to pain as “the fifth vital sign,” because it can be important to understanding the state of a person’s health…

It’s no secret that a diet high in fruits and vegetables is associated with a variety of health benefits, but other types of plants may also play a role in keeping disease at bay. Research suggests that the humble flower of Humulus lupulus,known colloquially as hops, might punch well above…

Molecular biologists certainly have the insider’s view of a disease. They know (or try to find out) how it operates in the body on a cellular level. But the mechanisms of a particular condition aren’t the only thing that matters to these scientists. Starting “outside,” say by learning more about what it’s like to have a disease, and how people generally cope with symptoms such as pain, can help a researcher develop…

In our immune system — the body’s security force against infection — T-cells are like the “special-ops” team. These elite defenders are tailored to fight specific pathogens. But T-cells are not only fascinating for their germ-busting abilities. They’re also actively involved in the development of autoimmune disorders. And scientists are delving into T-cell functions to create immunotherapies to fight cancer.  …