Viruses: Agents of Evolutionary Invention

2 November 2021Book Reviewsbiology, Covid-19, evolution, medicineNick Dunbar

Dozens of books have already been published on the pandemic, and many are already out of date. To appreciate Covid, it’s best to step back and read this account of viruses published four years ago.

How my ancestors helped me through the pandemic

5 January 2021Book ReviewsCovid-19, medicine, pandemicsNick Dunbar

The experience of a doctor who fought pandemics a century and a half ago provides some hope for today

The stem cell challenge

19 October 2010Articleslongevity risk, medicine, science, stem cellsNick Dunbar

Last weekend, I attended a lecture given by Douglas Melton, the director of Harvard University's Stem Cell Institute. Stem cells are the medical equivalent of the philosophers' stone, especially those in human embryos which spontaneously differentiate themselves into heart, brain, liver and other cells that make up the body. The stem cells we possess as…