AltWeeklies Wire
Alberta Finally Funds Midwiferynew

More than a decade after midwives in Alberta started lobbying to be fully funded under the public health-care system, the provincial government has granted their request.
Fast Forward Weekly |
Maureen McNamee |
10-23-2008 |
Science
Time Traveler Sets His Sights on 1955new

Being black wasn't the only complicating factor UConn theoretical physics professor Ronald Mallett faced on the road to tenure. The other was his secret goal to build a time machine.
Boston Phoenix |
Mike Miliard |
10-16-2008 |
Science
Building a Better Hearing Aidnew
A California factory produces invisible device that could produce more natural hearing for people who attended too many rock concerts.
East Bay Express |
Susan Kuchinskas |
10-08-2008 |
Science
The Fight Over What Is -- And What Is Not -- Lyme Diseasenew

The deer ticks that carry Lyme disease are tiny. But from these minute creatures, a huge, unresolved medical controversy has grown: Does chronic Lyme disease exist? If so, how is it treated? If not, what's making so many people so very sick?
Portland Phoenix |
Deirdre Fulton |
09-17-2008 |
Science
New Mexico Tries to Figure Out How to Get Medical Cannabis to Patientsnew
The Compassionate Use Act, passed in 2007, calls for the state's Department of Health to build regulations that would govern the production and distribution system for medical marijuana. But it doesn't outline how -- and that's become the real sticking point.
Weekly Alibi |
Marisa Demarco |
09-16-2008 |
Science
Ray Kurzweil's Bold New Worldnew
The renowned futurist Ray Kurzweil discusses his controversial theories about the impending hybridization of man and machines, and what that will mean for the future of civilization.
City Newspaper |
Ron Netsky |
09-12-2008 |
Science
Sick Story: The Next Generation of Doctors Sees Patients as 'Authors'new

Many would consider Matt Dettmer to be the picture of an ideal doctor, one who combines an aptitude for science with the humanistic insight of an artist. But in many ways Dettmer isn't unique -- he's part of a growing trend at medical universities in which courses in the humanities are playing a larger role in educating the next generation of doctors.
Charleston City Paper |
Morrow Dowdle |
09-03-2008 |
Science
What the Mexico City AIDS Conference Taught Menew
The CDC now tells us that, oops, they counted wrong for the past several years. The true number of new HIV infections occurring each year in the U.S. is more than 40 percent higher than previously reported.
Chimp Owner Faces Criminal Chargesnew

Arizona Game and Fish officials claim that Kristy Pruett, a severely diabetic woman, illegally imported her "service animal": a chimp named Joey.
Phoenix New Times |
Paul Rubin |
08-26-2008 |
Science
Why Does Minnesota Have the Nation's Highest Autism Rate?new
There are no good answers for why autism rates are rising in Minnesota. One camp believes it is due primarily to over-vaccination of infants and previous exposure to Thimerosal, a type of antiseptic containing mercury that was removed from regular childhood vaccines in 2001. Another camp points to increased awareness about the disease.
City Pages (Twin Cities) |
Bradley Campbell |
08-20-2008 |
Science
New Report Casts Bad Light on Popular Sunscreensnew
The nonpartisan, nonprofit Environmental Working Group studied 952 sunscreens with a SPF of 15 or higher and discovered that 80 percent contain harmful chemicals and didn't really protect skin from the most damaging rays of the sun.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Amanda Witherell |
08-13-2008 |
Science
Though Potentially Helpful, Osteopathic Medicine is Still Accessible to Only a Fewnew
It is also possible that more people could reap the benefits of osteopathic medicine if insurance companies made them more readily available. Although in practice most DOs are indistinguishable from MDs, their philosophy will always be inherently different from that of a typical MD, an allopathic physician.
Pasadena Weekly |
Liz Hedrick |
08-11-2008 |
Science
Texas Woman Fights Abuse at the State's Schools for the Mentally Retardednew
Her son was beaten up by an angry caregiver at Denton State School.
Dallas Observer |
Jesse Hyde |
08-05-2008 |
Science
Philly's Rise in HIV Among Young Gay Males Has Led to New Testing Measures ... at Night Clubsnew

Years ago, drawing vials of blood and waiting two weeks for results gave way to a finger-prick or cheek swab and a 20-minute wait. Since today's tests are light on equipment, the process has been moved out of stuffy clinics and into RVs that can be parked in parts of town where incidences of the disease run high.
Philadelphia City Paper |
Tom Namako |
08-05-2008 |
Science
Does Ct.'s Insurance Plan for Middle-Class Families Threaten the Health of its Poorest Citizens?new
Dozens of independent health care advocates say the Charter Oak Health Plan -- a new health care plan aimed at healthy middle-class adults -- is threatening to destabilize the state Medicaid program that serves some of the poorest, most at-risk populations.
New Haven Advocate |
Andy Bromage |
07-29-2008 |
Science