Contributors: Julie Dugdale

Just like people, the cells in human bodies aren’t in a hurry to meet their maker. Normally, cells have a natural life cycle that ends in a process called apoptosis, which eliminates old or damaged cells to make room for the new. Problem is, sometimes cells cheat death by mooching off certain proteins in the … Read more

The immune system relies on T cells to attack abnormalities that sneak into the body. Each invader triggers only one type of T cell, like a stubborn bolt that requires a particular wrench to remove it. But not every body has the right set of wrenches to handle certain infiltrators—including melanoma. About 20 years ago, … Read more

How much is too much? The answer is trickier than you might think for a surgeon removing a brain tumor. Ideally, the whole thing would come out. But cutting out an entire tumor can cause severe damage to the surrounding brain tissue, leading to complications that range from motor skill impairment to death. So the … Read more