COVER STORY

Metastasis: The Killing Fields

It’s when cancer metastasizes that it becomes deadly. New research is tracing its migratory path to find points of vulnerability.

One Island's Treasure

The find: big orange tonsils. The payoff: genetic insight, a crucial molecule and possible treatments for heart disease and Alzheimer’s.

Special Delivery

From three-stage nanorockets to remote-controlled pills, today’s drug delivery marvels transport payloads where nothing else can go.

Pictures at an Examination

Looking at art, like examining patients, means carefully sifting through visual clues. Medical schools are helping students make the connection.

Between the Lines

Patients on networking sites discuss their illnesses and treatments. Can pattern-recognition software pull insights from the noise?

Message from the MGH

Proto's journalistic mandate, by Peter L. Slavin and David F. Torchiana.

Second Opinion

Readers weigh in on obesity, nagging loved ones about their health, and mercury in vaccines.

Telomeres: Plastic Tips on Shoelaces

Jack Szostak, Carol Greider and Elizabeth Blackburn win the Nobel Prize in medicine for their work with telomeres.

DNA: Beyond the Genome

In the post-genomic era, scientists are decoding myriad other “omes” to fill in the blanks about how our bodies function.

Medical Justice Waivers: Don’t Tread on M.D.

Jeffrey Segal and his firm, Medical Justice, are using waivers to combat what they see as unfair online reviews of doctors.

Radiation: Catching Rays

How much radiation is a person exposed to during medical procedures—and every day?

Søren Sørensen: The Pioneer of pH

A century ago, chemist Søren Sørensen invented what would become a crucial diagnostic tool: the pH scale.

Green Chemistry

Pharmaceutical companies are finding that reducing waste in drug manufacturing can also save them millions of dollars.

Joint Venture?

The need for a U.S. joint replacement registry is urgent, but should the government or orthopedic surgeons control the data?

In the First Polypill Trial, Compelling Results

An all-in-one medication reduced such cardiovascular risk factors as blood pressure and heart rate.

Texting for Health

Public health officials are using text messaging to educate and motivate patients and consumers.

The Spirit of the Place: The Small-Town Touch

In his new novel, The Spirit of the Place, Samuel Shem explores what it means for physicians to meet high expectations.

Genetic Testing: Choosing Chance

When it comes to breast cancer predisposition, one woman decides she’d rather not know.