Science

Doctors, nurses and other health-care workers are tapping into their inner Tolstoys to better connect with patients.
With increasing regularity, they’re meeting in monthly book clubs to discuss medical-themed literature.
Humanities courses are now required in many medical schools.

An international team of cancer researchers has found a way to predict which Hodgkin’s lymphoma patients won’t respond well to therapies, opening the door to using a less-aggressive regimen on those more likely to be cured.

NEW YORK — Earth’s days may have gotten a little bit shorter since the massive earthquake in Chile, but don’t feel bad if you haven’t noticed.
The difference would be only about one-millionth of a second.

TORONTO—Talk about a rude awakening!
Scientists have found fossil evidence that at least one species of baby dinosaur emerged from its egg—only to meet the open jaws of a huge primitive snake looking for a quick and easy snack.

Researchers have used a “revolutionary” genetic profiling tool to distinguish between closely-related strains of the potentially-deadly superbug MRSA—and even pinpoint when and where in the world the mutated bacteria first arose.
MRSA, or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, is a strain of Staph bacteria that is not eradicated by the antibiotics commonly used to treat it.

A psychology study that looked at people’s moods and their vitality on weekdays and the weekend has found that—no surprise—they generally were happier on weekends.
“Workers, even those with interesting, high-status jobs, really are happier on the weekend,” author Richard Ryan, a professor of psychology at the University of Rochester, said in a release.