Articles tagged as Medicine | Smithsonian Magazine

Maya Varma won $150,000 as one of the first place winners in the prestigious Intel Science Talent Search competition.

How a High School Senior Won $150,000 By Inventing a $35 Medical Device

When Maya Varma learned an expensive diagnostic tool is rare in the developing world, she decided to build her own

March 22, 2016

Babylon connects users with doctors for instant virtual consultations, and will soon use artificial intelligence for diagnosing illnesses

March 17, 2016

Peter Strien was 21 years old when he was wounded at the battle of Fort Steadman.

Cool Finds

These Eerie Civil War Photos Changed How the U.S. Saw Veterans

Reed Bontecou’s groundbreaking photography used a new medium to bring attention to the wounds of war

March 11, 2016

Mini-organs grow around the tiny scaffolds (lower left). The magnified image (right) shows the hair-thin channels that serve as blood vessels.

How a Tiny, “Beating” Human Heart Was Created in a Lab

The device, filled with human heart cells, could dramatically reduce the time it takes to test new drugs and end testing on animals

March 11, 2016

This psychedelic form is actually a map of pathways inside a human brain. The different colors show the ways various parts of the brain communicate—left with right sides in red, front with back in green, and the brain to the rest of the body in blue.

From winding brain pathways to sparkling moth scales, these evocative images both teach and amaze

March 8, 2016

Dogs of the St. Bernard Hospice during a walk organized by their trainers with tourists.

Switzerland

A Brief History of the St. Bernard Rescue Dog

The canine’s evolution from hospice hound to household companion

March 1, 2016

Scientists used an an integrated tissue-organ printer, or ITOP, to create this ear.

New Research

Scientists Printed a Human Ear

The scientific breakthrough is more than a creepy experiment—one day, it could save lives

February 16, 2016

Michelangelo painted some of art history's greatest hands.

New Research

Michelangelo May Have Had Arthritis

Researchers used old portraits and letters to study the master’s hands

February 9, 2016

Cool Finds

Check Out These X-Rays of Flowers From the 1930s

Dain L. Tasker’s radiographs depict delicate flowers from the inside out

February 8, 2016

Mutations in mitochondria (marked in blue) can lead to serious genetic diseases.

New Research

U.S Panel Deems “Three Parent Babies” Ethical to Test

Mitochondrial replacement therapy could help prevent genetic diseases

February 8, 2016

Thousands of infants born in Brazil have been reported to show signs of microcephaly, like Alice pictured here being comforted by her father.

How Can Viruses Like Zika Cause Birth Defects?

While the link between Zika and microcephaly is uncertain, similar diseases show how the virus might be affecting infants

February 4, 2016

Brain Scans Could Identify Kids at Risk of Depression

Knowing who’s at risk before the disease strikes could make preventative treatments possible

January 26, 2016

The 1,500-year-old skeleton of a man and his prosthesis was found in a grave next to medieval church in Hemmaberg, Austria.

New Research

1,500-Year-Old Prosthetic Foot Discovered in Austria

The skeleton of a middle-aged man may have been missing a lower limb but in its place researchers found a wooden ‘foot’

January 19, 2016

Cool Finds

Check Out a Medical Pop-Up Book From the 17th Century

Early movable books were geared towards informing adults not entertaining children

January 13, 2016

Neisseria gonorrhoeae, the bacterium responsible for the sexually transmitted infection gonorrhea.

And public health officials are scared of what comes next

December 29, 2015

The hydrogel bends and flexes like human skin.

Introducing the Band-Aids of the Future

MIT engineers are developing a “smart” bandage that can monitor and deliver drugs to a wound

December 21, 2015

In transcranial magnetic stimulation, a magnetic device placed near the skull delivers painless pulses to the brain.

Could Magnets Help Treat Drug Addiction?

A new study suggests transcranial magnetic simulation could reduce cravings in cocaine addicts

December 10, 2015

Med School Students Can Play “Operation” With These Synthetic Cadavers

Florida company SynDaver is making life-like organs and bodies. But, as teaching models, are they as helpful as the real thing?

November 23, 2015

This Pump Could Make Blood Transfusions Safer and Cheaper in the Developing World

The Hemafuse gives doctors a sterile way to suction, filter and retransfuse patients’ blood in places without electricity

November 20, 2015

New Research

Pigeons Can Spot Breast Cancer in Medical Images

After just a few weeks of training, the brainy birds rivaled human levels of accuracy in their diagnoses

November 18, 2015