Top Stories 
Published On October 23, 2014
BASIC RESEARCH
On the Origin of Life
Nobel Laureate Jack Szostak discusses how research on chromosomes led to current investigations into Earth's first organisms.
What forces came together to kickstart living organisms along the path of evolution? Perhaps no scientific riddle holds as much general philosophical interest.
On October 14, 2014, Nobel Laureate Jack Szostak, a molecular biologist at Massachusetts General Hospital, discussed this question in light of his career in research. He discussed his groundbreaking work on telomeres—caps on chromosomes that keep their ends from fraying— that earned him the Nobel Prize in 2009, and current explorations of how those findings inform his investigations into how life originated on Earth.
“After working on this laboratory evolution for quite a few years, I started to get more and more curious as to how evolution got started all by itself on the early Earth,” says Szostak. “There are definitely common features of all forms of biological life that are puzzling and unexplained and I think it would be very satisfying to have some deeper understanding of why we are the way we are.”
To hear more from this fascinating lecture, click here.
From Mass General
Shining a Light on Depression Peter L. Slavin and Timothy G. Ferris highlight the need for new approaches to treating depression.
A (Small) Cause of Big Pain Neurologist Anne Louise Oaklander investigates a cause of chronic pain that is treatable without opioids.
Investing in Our Future Peter L. Slavin and Timothy G. Ferris discuss the importance of research funding.
After the Storm Hurricane Maria shut down a factory where intravenous fluid bags were made. Why has this roiled a nation’s hospital system?
How a Disaster Mends Three months after the last major earthquake in Nepal, two emergency responders from MGH describe the practicalities of delivering care in a disaster zone.
Turning a Corner in Stroke Care Neurologist Lee Schwamm looks at 10 pivotal years in the treatment of stroke victims.
A Decade of Palliative Care The first issue of Proto looked at comfort care for those with grave illnesses. The field of palliative care has since grown by leaps and bounds.
Top Stories
When Lyme Lingers
New Tools for Depression
Is Skipping a Child’s Vaccines Medical Neglect?
