COVER STORY

Smoking Out Malaria

Almost eradicating the disease, as happened in the 1950s, led to a disastrous resurgence. Is now the time for a smarter, final push?

Gaining Strength

Out of favor for decades, testosterone replacement therapy is back—and so is the debate about a possible link to prostate cancer.

Artificial Joints: Beautiful Decay

“Retrieval research” focuses on failed replacement joints, dissecting flaws revealed in everyday use to devise more durable designs.

Death: A Peaceful Passing

Adept at saving lives, we need to learn how to let patients go, say three physician-essayists, who consider why a “good death” is so elusive.

Immunity: Our Innate Defense

Could natural killer cells, long thought to be blind and blunt, actually be discerning enough to help defeat HIV’s protean defenses?

The Elusive “Good Death”

Peter L. Slavin and David F. Torchiana enlist a trio of physician-essayists to examine their own feelings and ideas about death.

Second Opinion

Proto readers assess the effects of antidepressants and the transitioning of patients from hospital bed to home.

Experts in Diagnosis

A professor of medicine explains how medical students can learn the art of clinical reasoning from the hosts of NPR's Car Talk.

Shining a Light on ALS

Massachusetts General Hospital’s Merit Cudkowicz discovered a key to jumpstarting ALS research: pooling resources.

Sterilization: Keeping It Spotless

A major undertaking: getting surgical instruments clean.

Data Sharing: The New Gene Pool

Sage Bionetworks, a nonprofit research organization, encourages collaboration and the exchange of ideas among scientists.

Military Medicine: In War, Order from Chaos

Modern emergency care finds its roots in the Army of the Potomac.

Avian Flu: Playing Chicken

New avian flu work has sparked debate among researchers and security experts.

Circadian Rhythms: Our Eyes, Our Rhythms

Another possible disruptor of our circadian clock: aging eyes that admit less light.

Wounds: Patterns of Healing

Researchers have developed a way to coax new blood vessels to grow with a specialized bandage.

A Potent History

A timeline of pivotal testosterone therapy events through history.

Another Shot at Success

Important dates in the global campaign to eradicate malaria.

Video: Deaths, Good and Bad

Vicki Jackson, director of the Palliative Care Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital, interviews doctors Danielle Ofri and Charles Bardes on their thoughts on death.

Filtering Out HIV

Scientists looking to block HIV’s evasions of the immune system found an unlikely source of inspiration: the spam filter.

Support Group: Let the Sunshine In

With her daughter fighting cancer, a mother relies on a support system of friends and family to remind her of the world outside.