Longer Looks: Interesting Reads You Might Have Missed
Each week, KFF Health News finds longer stories for you to read. Today's selections are on Napoleon’s army, cancer immunotherapy, memory manipulation, and more.
The New York Times:
DNA Identifies 2 Bacterial Killers That Stalked Napoleon’s Army
Genetic material pulled from 13 teeth found in a grave in Lithuania revealed infectious diseases that felled the French emperor’s troops as they withdrew from Russia. (Kolata, 10/24)
Stat:
Miriam Merad’s 20-Year Quest To Understand One Cell Is Starting To Rewrite The Rules Of Cancer Immunotherapy
Miriam Merad’s fascination with macrophages began when she looked into the lungs of a cancer patient she’d just lost during her residency. He developed a rare allergy to the chemotherapy, and died rapidly. The case still haunts her. “When you have a patient dying of a treatment that you gave, you never forget that,” she said. “It’s very present.” (Chen, 10/28)
Undark:
How Memories Might Be Used To Help Heal The Brain
As a new Ph.D. student in 2011, Steve Ramirez and his mentor performed a groundbreaking experiment in the field of memory manipulation. They placed a mouse in a small distinctive box and administered a mild electrical shock to its feet. When the rodent was placed in the box a second time, it froze up — anticipating another shock. From there, the young neuroscientists placed the mouse in a different box, one where nothing bad had happened. (Talpos, 10/29)
The New York Times:
Inside The Poisonous Smoke Killing Wildfire Fighters At Young Ages
Across the country, wildfire fighters work for weeks at a time in poisonous smoke. The government says they are protected. We tested the air at one fire to find out why they are still dying. (Dreier and Murray, 10/28)
The New York Times:
Diphtheria, A Once Vanquished Killer Of Children, Is Resurgent
A Somali hospital ward packed with gasping children shows how war, climate and mistrust of vaccines is fueling the disease’s return. (Nolen, 10/27)
