3D-printed model of a 500-year-old prosthetic hand hints at life of a Renaissance amputee

When historians and engineers work together, they can bring a version of the past back to life.

Peden Jones, Graduate Student in Mechanical Engineering, Auburn University • conversation
June 24, 2025 ~12 min

Medicare Advantage is covering more and more Americans − some because they don’t get to choose

Medicare Advantage − the private option that costs taxpayers extra and requires prior approval − is the default for some state agencies and corporations.

Victoria Shier, Research Scientist of Health Policy, University of Southern California • conversation
April 3, 2025 ~17 min


From TB to HIV/AIDS to cancer, disease tracking has always had a political dimension, but it’s the foundation of public health

Without public health surveillance, officials trying to tackle outbreaks, identify threats and evaluate treatments are working ‘in the darkness of ignorance.’

Ronald Bayer, Professor Emeritus of Sociomedical Sciences, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health • conversation
March 11, 2025 ~9 min

COVID-19 is the latest epidemic to show biomedical breakthroughs aren’t enough to eliminate a disease

Scientific discoveries are necessary to eliminate epidemic diseases. But addressing socioeconomic factors is just as essential in the fight against diseases such as syphilis, AIDS and TB.

Powel H. Kazanjian, Professor of Infectious Diseases and of History, University of Michigan • conversation
March 5, 2025 ~9 min

US dodged a bird flu pandemic in 1957 thanks to eggs and dumb luck – with a new strain spreading fast, will Americans get lucky again?

With the devastating 1918 pandemic in mind, US health officials saw an outbreak in Asia and swung into action. What happened offers lessons for today.

Alexandra M. Lord, Chair and Curator of Medicine and Science, Smithsonian Institution • conversation
Feb. 6, 2025 ~8 min

Are trans women ‘biologically male’? The answer is complicated

Republicans are seeking to define ‘sex’ in federal law. But after centuries of debate, doctors, scientists and judges haven’t come to a clear consensus on what the definition of sex should be.

G. Samantha Rosenthal, Visiting Assistant Professor of American History, Washington and Lee University • conversation
Dec. 3, 2024 ~10 min

Preparing for a pandemic that never came ended up setting off another − how an accidental virus release triggered 1977’s ‘Russian flu’

An epidemiologist makes the case that a rush of research to stop a swine flu outbreak led to an accidental lab release of an extinct virus. Preparing for one pandemic triggered a different one.

Donald S. Burke, Dean Emeritus and Distinguished University Professor Emeritus of Health Science and Policy, and of Epidemiology, at the School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh • conversation
Sept. 4, 2024 ~11 min

Modern surgery began with saws and iron hands – how amputation transformed the body in the Renaissance

Gunpowder warfare kicked off a new era of invasive surgery and prosthetic technology in Western medicine.

Heidi Hausse, Assistant Professor of History, Auburn University • conversation
June 17, 2024 ~12 min


Florence Nightingale overcame the limits set on proper Victorian women – and brought modern science and statistics to nursing

Among her 5 decades of accomplishments, Nightingale founded the world’s first nursing school and advocated health care for all.

Melissa Pritchard, Professor Emeritus of English and Women’s Studies, Arizona State University • conversation
May 15, 2024 ~11 min

Hispanic health disparities in the US trace back to the Spanish Inquisition

Early modern societies in Latin America and Spain saw a convergence of traditional medical knowledge and the professionalization of medicine. The resulting differences in access to care endure today.

Margaret Boyle, Associate Professor of Romance Languages and Literatures, Director of Latin American, Caribbean, and Latinx Studies Program, Bowdoin College • conversation
March 5, 2024 ~10 min

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