Physician teaches course on being a cancer patient

Patients are a part of the progress

Navigating a cancer diagnosis can be terrifying and overwhelming. There is a robust community of patient advocates dedicated to prevention and diagnosis, research and clinical trials, legislation, needs of individual cancer types, among others. See how patient advocacy improves cancer research leading to improved treatment options and patient care.

Using psychedelics to manage a cancer diagnosis

Dr. Roland Griffiths helped lead the revival of psychedelic research, often prescribing the use of psilocybin to address severe depression or anxiety in patients. This podcast explores how Griffiths leaned on his own career after being diagnosed with cancer and facing the prospect of death.

Managing an employee with a terminal illness

Managing an employee with a terminal illness might be a reality at some point, requiring a balance of compassion and strategic action. This article provides tips for best practices on managing the situation, such as adapting the work environment to the employee's needs (think: giving them flexible hours or the option to work remotely), involving them in decisions about any adjustments to their role, and more. Find out other things to consider here.

Dr. Bernard Fisher pioneered lumpectomy as a treatment for breast cancer

Dr. Bernard Fisher was a surgeon-scientist who developed and discovered cancer treatments that changed the way we treat and understand breast cancer. Despite these contributions, Fisher was also the subject of a congressional investigation that tarnished his reputation. Listen to the "Less Radical" six-episode podcast series covering the complex story of this influential doctor.

Steve Jobs tried to treat his cancer with alternative medicine

After Steve Jobs was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, he reportedly restricted his diet to just fruits or just fruits and vegetables, tried out hydrotherapy, and consulted psychics. There’s compelling evidence about the impact of alternative medicine on cancer patients.

Explore more statistics about cancer

The American Cancer Society's Cancer Statistics Center estimates there will be more than 2 million new cancer cases and almost 620,000 cancer deaths in the US during the course of 2025. Breast, prostate, and lung cancers remain the most prevalent. This interactive tool provides detailed statistics on cancer incidence, mortality, and survival rates, allowing users to explore data by state, cancer type, demographics, and risk factors.

This scientist treated her own cancer

Virologist Beata Halassy treated her own breast cancer by injecting the tumor with lab-grown viruses. Though this self-treatment worked, it has not been approved for widespread use. Read to learn more about her fascinating experience, and how it has led to conversations about safety and ethics.

Can AI revolutionize cancer detection?

Scientists have developed a tool to evaluate the risk of lung cancer, the most deadly form of the disease. Named "Sybil," this AI program was trained using CT scans with clear cancer signs, followed by scans where cancer wasn’t obvious. The tool is able to review CT scan data to predict a patient's of developing a lung cancer within six years. See how it works here.

How is immunotherapy used to fight cancer?

The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute provides a delightful Science Illustrated animation explaining PD-1/PD-L1 immunotherapy and how it fights cancer. Briefly, the treatment helps T-cells recognize cancerous cells that would ordinarily be "disguised" by proteins and attack. The fight is made more fair and effective by immunotherapy and similar cancer treatments.

How does cancer actually kill someone?

While the emotional and physical tolls of cancer are often clear, the innerworkings of how cancer kills can be confusing — and terrifying to discuss. Here, oncologists explain how cancer can progress.

Terminal lucidity is the phenomenon of sudden, heightened mental clarity when on the verge of death

The "Let's Talk Near Death" podcast explores phenomena around the end of life, inviting guests to recount their own experiences. This episode focuses on the phenomenon known as "terminal lucidity," where patients experience clarity, vivid memory recall, and more, typically following a heart attack, stroke, or other trauma.

Turning nuclear waste into cancer medications

This video explores Terrapower, a company transforming nuclear waste into lifesaving cancer treatments. This is accomplished through the production and use of Actinium 225, a rare isotope derived from thorium, which is used in targeted alpha therapy to treat cancer.

Whitman led a Lincoln lecture late in life

Whitman toured several cities with “The Death of Lincoln,” a lecture series about the slain president that sought to establish him as a crucial figured in American history. The talks attracted famous figures, including Mark Twain and General William Tecumseh Sherman.

Listen to how medical error affected an emergency physician's approach

Emergency physician Dr. Sarah Gray discusses her worst medical error, what she learned from it, and how medical error and the culture around it lead to physician burnout. In addition to lawsuits, medical errors can lead to guilt, shame, anxiety, and fears of embarrassment, so this podcast discusses how sharing such errors and teaching about them can improve care.

An Alzheimer's patient discusses her condition with children

Alzheimer's is a deadly disease that profoundly changes a person's abilities and personality, which makes it difficult to explain to kids. Responding to potentially uncomfortable questions with honesty (and relatable imagery) about the costs and nature of the disease goes a long way in fostering understanding.

Stephen Hawking's condition explained

Diagnosed with ALS at 21 and told he had two years to live, Stephen Hawking went on to change our understanding of black holes and the universe, living 55 more years and defying every expectation.

The resurgence of Black lung disease in coal miners

Black lung disease is a preventable condition long associated with coal miners who regularly breathe in toxic coal dust. Simple workplace safety procedures make the disease entirely preventable, but cases are rising. Due to lax enforcement of rules, miners in Central Appalachia are increasingly diagnosed with cases stemming from silica dust inhalation.

Explore what it's like Inside a patient isolation unit

Containing a contagious disease like Ebola requires strict protective measures. There are several specialized medical wards to contain deadly infectious diseases at hospitals across the U.S. Emory University has one such unit, where 4 patients were treated during the 2014 outbreak.

Addressing lifestyle factors, which influence inflammation, can cure some chronic diseases

In this video, a physician claims that he reversed a patient's Type 2 diabetes in six weeks by addressing inflammation drivers such as diet. More broadly, he argues that society needs to better consider and address numerous disease factors that are modulated by inflammation, such as stress, sleep, diet, and movement.

Why yoga teachers are dissecting cadavers

Thousands of fitness professionals are choosing to attend cadaver workshops to improve their understanding of anatomy and their teaching abilities. Though 3D virtual models give students a fresh way to explore the human body, medical students say experiencing the intricacies in person is far more instructive. As fitness professionals increase their understanding of the muscular and skeletal systems, their movement cues and instructions evolve in tandem.

Learn about the US opioid crisis in this free course

Where did the US opioid crisis come from, and how did it spread? Learn this and more in this free, online Harvard University course. Learn about the disease model of addiction treatment and management, and get up-to-date with public health and law enforcement's current harm reduction practices. This free resource gives users a greater understanding of opioid addiction and the epidemic still haunting the US.

Explore what it's like inside a patient isolation unit, used in situations such as treating a patient or suspected patient with Ebola.

Despite the rules, a Nobel Prize in medicine has been awarded posthumously

Ralph Steinman, whose work revealed how dendritic cells activate immune responses, passed away just days before being named a Nobel laureate. Although Nobel Prizes cannot be awarded posthumously, the committee made an exception because they believed he was alive at the time of the decision.

Learn about the various types of patience and how to cultivate them

Baylor University professor of psychology and neuroscience, Sarah Schnitker, PhD, discusses why patience is not uniform and can vary across contexts and circumstances for the same individual. She also discusses where in human development patience first arises, the health impacts of impatience, and how strategies for regulating emotions can mitigate impatience.

Stanford’s ‘How to Start a Startup’ series

Stanford’s archive of lectures about creating a startup includes advice from Y Combinator notables such as former YC president and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and YC Cofounder Paul Graham.

'You don't get to choose how you're going to die or when. You can only decide how you're going to live. Now.'

- Musician and activist Joan Baez (1941-present)

In recent years a child anxiety expert has created and tested a novel phobia and anxiety treatment approach for children, focused on changing how parents respond to the fears.

Larger animals like giraffes, elephants, and blue whales have developed a unique defense against cancer, a phenomenon known as Peto's Paradox

Read a deep dive on the 'all-purpose healing' peptide BPC-157.

In 1939, baseball star Lou Gehrig delivered his inspirational 'Luckiest Man' speech after retiring due to the health condition that now bears his name.

A Yale student wrote a profound essay about the consulting industry's influence on elite college students that was published in a book of her writing after she died in a post-graduation car accident.

Listen to an in-depth conversation on the links between Parkinson's disease and herbicide exposure and the challenging pace of scientific investigation.

See images of medical cases of firework injuries shared on this 'Instagram for doctors.' (Warning: Graphic content)

Louisiana's 'Cancer Alley' is infamous for having some of the highest industrial pollution, toxic air emissions, and cancer risks in the US.

The first line of 'immortal' human cells, which can divide indefinitely and are used in scientific research, was nonconsensually taken from a Black woman.

Telehealth demand for GLP-1s for weight loss is booming as consumers seek easier access.

Play the role of a student in a game where you try to navigate college and remain debt-free, selecting different income levels, high school experience, race, ethnicity, and more.

NBA superstar Victor Wembanyama spent the 2025 summer training with monks in central China to enhance his body and mind.

Abraham Lincoln was almost assassinated weeks before his inauguration as he traveled from Illinois to DC through Baltimore in 1861; it took two independent claims for Lincoln to be convinced the threat was real

Existentialist writer Jean-Paul Sartre coined the famous phrase 'Hell is—other people' in his play 'No Exit'

Apeirophobia is an overwhelming fear of living forever, perhaps stemming from the brain's inability to conceptualize an infinite life.

Objects can be 3D printed with light by projecting 2D computerized tomography (CT) scans onto rotating cylinders of resin, which solidify upon exposure.

Warren Buffett's former professor Benjamin Graham is known as the 'father of value investing,' a strategy in which investors seek to buy stocks trading below their intrinsic worth.

Sunflowers have long been a symbol of nuclear disarmament because they can extract large amounts of radioactive cesium from soil.

The name 'Silicon Valley' arose from the founding of Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory in Fairchild Semiconductor in 1956-57, founded near Stanford University in Palo Alto

The deadliest aspect of volcanic eruptions is often not lava, but pyroclastic flows—avalanches of ash, gas, and rock that can move more than half the speed of sound.

Explore our favorite visualization of the immense scale of space, from an astronaut to the size of the observable universe

Brandi Chastain, the star of the 1999 US victory over China in the 1999 Women's World Cup, was a last-second choice to take the penalty kick that sealed the victory.

After her fellow cult members tried to kill her with an LSD-infused hamburger, one member of the Manson Family, the murderous cult led by Charles Manson, decided to testify against the group's leader.

Explore a list of the 100 best novels of all time, compiled by some of the world's best living writers, including Salman Rushdie, Stephen King, and Jennifer Egan.