By Sharon Schmickle | Tuesday, May 13, 2008

The looming global food crisis is rekindling a debate over genetically modified food. South Koreans recently protested the arrival at their ports of 63,000 tons of genetically modified grain, likely from Minnesota and nearby states.  Protestors call the crops "monster food," but many scientists say genetically modified crops are a partial solution to hunger in poor countries.

ROCHESTER, MINN. — The Dalai Lama's recent appearance at the Mayo Clinic — the brand more associated with Western medicine than any other — drew news largely associated with Tibet. But the gathering itself provided an extraordinary forum for the emerging science of mindfulness training, acceptance, positive thinking and compassion.

By Sharon Schmickle | Friday, April 18, 2008

For decades America has been engaged in a battle over evolution. A biology professor at University of Minnesota, Morris — PZ Myers — is the latest leader of the forces for Charles Darwin's landmark theory. His weapons: a bitingly irreverent wit, an audacious blog and a driving passion for science. On the other side are creators of "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed," a Ben Stein film that promotes intelligent design and opens today in Minnesota and around the country.

By Beth Hawkins | Thursday, April 17, 2008

Two bipartisan commissions, one handpicked by the governor, spent 10 months digging into the nitty-gritty plaguing health care in Minnesota. Their proposed reforms won broad support. The only problem is that $270 million will be needed from the Health Care Access Fund, the same fund Gov. Tim Pawlenty wants to tap to help erase the state's $1 billion budget deficit.

By Sharon Schmickle | Tuesday, March 25, 2008

A "biorenaissance" is under way around the world, but the United States isn't keeping up with other nations, two Minnesota authors argue in a forthcoming book. While the United States is stalled in a moral debate over cells derived from embryos, other countries are moving apace with the potentially lucrative research that is expected to define medicine's next frontier, say Dr. Leo Furcht and William Hoffman.

By Sharon Schmickle | Friday, Feb. 29, 2008

The stem cell debate is flaring again at the state Capitol where the House is poised to vote on a DFL-sponsored bill that would allow state funding for research on the cells. The Senate passed a similar bill, and Gov. Tim Pawlenty has threatened a veto. The battle at the Legislature will set up a litmus test for incumbents in this election year.

By Dr. Craig Bowron | Thursday, Feb. 28, 2008

This is the story of how a Spanish interpreter helped crack an unusual ailment afflicting workers at a pork-processing plant, and how the plant's technology might resurrect lessons from Louis Pasteur's seminal work on the rabies vaccine 110 years ago.

By Sharon Schmickle

Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2008

Shooting a spy satellite out of the sky might actually be easier for the United States than convincing skeptics that the nation is not doing it to gain advantage in a futuristic space-arms race. The plan is to destroy the orbiter after the space shuttle Atlantis lands, perhaps as early as Wednesday.

By Joe Kimball | Thursday, Feb. 7, 2008

A University of Minnesota political science professor launches Survivors' Studio, believed to be the only exercise club in the nation focusing exclusively on women recovering from cancer. Her idea is to combine the restorative powers of physical exercise with the benefits of a mutual support group.

By Susan Perry

Thursday, Feb. 7, 2008

A new review published by an independent international organization that analyzes only well-designed studies on various health topics concludes that either listening to or creating music under the guidance of a specially trained therapist can help ease depression.