Category: Science and Health

What is the difference between being born and not being born? This isn’t the set-up for some kind of dad joke, it’s the question at the heart of a mishnah on today’s daf.  One who takes a vow (not to derive benefit) from those that are born is permitted those who will be born. From […]

When human bones suffer small defects such as fractures, they usually heal spontaneously, with the body restoring lost tissue. But when there are large defects, such as substantial bone loss resulting from removal of tumors by surgery, physical trauma, tooth extraction, gum disease or inflammation around dental implants, the bone is unable to renew itself.  […]

Knees are one of the many parts of the human body that seem like they just weren’t built to handle all of this “walking around upright, working out and running” stuff. As such, a sizable portion of the human population suffers from damaged meniscus tissue, typically resulting in surgery to adjust or replace the tissue […]

Parashat Toldot uses the search for water as the basis for a profound lesson about grief and death. In the previous Torah portion, we learn about Abraham’s hostile encounter with Avimelech, the ruler of Gerar, an area scholars believe is located in what is now southern Israel. Abraham and Avimelech have a dispute over water […]

Whether or not we are able to enjoy this holiday weekend in the physical presence of family, Thanksgiving weekend is an opportunity to reflect on the longest-standing relationships of our lives: our siblings. We may no longer live in the same homes, and our lives may have long since gone in different directions, but there […]

Many people with illnesses are reluctant to talk about it with their relatives or even their doctors, especially when their condition is embarrassing like inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.   Like most of the rest of humanity, chronically ill patients have taken to social media to discuss or chronicle their […]

In the mishnah on yesterday’s daf, we learned about someone who dedicates a tree to God “until it is cut down.” At the moment of dedication, the tree takes on the sanctity of being dedicated to God. But things that are dedicated to God can sometimes be redeemed with cash, so what happens if the dedicator redeems […]

Turkeys were found to be infected with the H5N1 strain of avian influenza in Kibbutz Shluhot in northern Israel on Tuesday in the first cases detected in Israel this season, according to the Agriculture Ministry. The infected birds were discovered at a slaughterhouse in the area. The slaughterhouse and all the farms raising turkeys within […]

Velma Thomas, an American citizen, is the holder of an unusual world record. In 2008, Thomas suffered a cardiac arrest at her Virginia home. Following hospitalization, she suffered two further heart attacks and was connected to a ventilator. During her stay in hospital, Thomas’ heart stopped beating a remarkable three times as she received treatment […]

A combination of low-frequency ultrasound and injected nanobubbles may work to remove malignant tumors in a non-invasive way, as observed in animal models. The new, non-invasive technology was developed by Tel Aviv University (TAU) researchers and published in the journal Nanoscale under the title “Low-frequency nanobubble-enhanced ultrasound mechanotherapy for noninvasive cancer surgery.”  The nanobubbles and […]