Medieval doctors – quacks or trailblazers?

+ natural gas industry mimics Big Tobacco; mining asteroids US Edition - Today's top story: Modern medicine has its scientific roots in the Middle Ages − how the logic of vulture brain remedies and bloodletting lives on today [View in browser]( US Edition | 8 November 2023 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( It’s easy to dismiss many ancient practices of medicine and science – after all, we now know early practitioners of medicine got a lot wrong. But a series spearheaded by associate health and biomedicine editor Vivian Lam challenges this notion by looking specifically at medieval medicine across cultures and, as Vivian tells me, “how historical conceptualizations of medicine and health mutually shaped (and perhaps continue to shape) society then and now.” Binghamton University historian Meg Leja brings us one of the first pieces on [how much modern medicine owes to people in the Dark Ages]( who relied on herbal remedies, bloodletting and other practices that are totally at odds with today’s biomedical practices. But as Leja writes, “The major innovation of the age was the articulation of a medical philosophy that validated manipulating the physical world,” which was largely motivated by religious beliefs. A recent paper finds that viewing chronic pain as originating in the brain, rather than the back or other parts of the body, could lead to better therapies. Researcher Yoni Ashar from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus describes his study, which found that [pain reprocessing therapy]( was effective in “turning off” unnecessary pain signals in the brain. Ashar says a growing number of scientists now believe that chronic back pain is often caused primarily by brain changes, because the pain system gets “stuck” long after injuries have healed. This past summer I had the delight of hiking in boreal forests in far northern Vermont, which were markedly different from woods I’ve tramped around elsewhere in New England. But these [vital ecosystems appear to be shrinking](, write a team of researchers. They delve into the latest research showing how a warming planet is influencing tree growth on the northern and southern edges of “one of the Earth’s last wildernesses.” Also in this week’s science news: - [Republicans and Democrats disagree on how to handle misinformation]( - [Ocean waves are getting bigger – seismology shows how]( - [The power of mucus when you are sick]( If there’s a subject you’d like our team of science editors to investigate, please reply to this email. Martin LaMonica Director of Editorial Projects and Newsletters Today's newsletter supported by [The74]( This 15th-century medical manuscript shows different colors of urine alongside the ailments they signify. Cambridge University Library [Modern medicine has its scientific roots in the Middle Ages − how the logic of vulture brain remedies and bloodletting lives on today]( Meg Leja, Binghamton University, State University of New York Your doctor’s MD emerged from the Dark Ages, where practicing rational “human medicine” was seen as an expression of faith and maintaining one’s health a religious duty. Approximately 16 million U.S. adults have chronic back pain. Olena Ruban/Moment via Getty Images [Understanding that chronic back pain originates from within the brain could lead to quicker recovery, a new study finds]( Yoni Ashar, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus An intriguing therapy that shifts what people perceive as the source of their pain could aid in pain management. A brown bear in a Siberian boreal forest. Logan Berner [The world’s boreal forests may be shrinking as climate change pushes them northward]( Ronny Rotbarth, Wageningen University; David J. Cooper, Colorado State University; Logan Berner, Northern Arizona University; Roman Dial, Alaska Pacific University How will Earth’s vast boreal forests look in a warmer world? Combining satellite-based research with fieldwork shows that the planet’s largest wilderness may be changing in unexpected ways. [When science showed in the 1970s that gas stoves produced harmful indoor air pollution, the industry reached for tobacco’s PR playbook]( Jonathan Levy, Boston University The natural gas industry has spent years trying to undermine scientific findings about gas stoves and health. If this sounds familiar, that’s no accident. [NASA’s robotic prospectors are helping scientists understand what asteroids are made of – setting the stage for miners to follow someday]( Valerie Payré, University of Iowa Upcoming NASA missions will help scientists understand the composition of asteroids – which could inform companies one day hoping to commercially mine asteroids. [Acapulco was built to withstand earthquakes, but not Hurricane Otis’ destructive winds – how building codes failed this resort city]( Michel Bruneau, University at Buffalo The best science is not always the best engineering when it comes to building codes. It’s also a problem across the US, as an engineer who works on disaster resilience explains. [Secure attachment to both parents − not just mothers − boosts children’s healthy development]( Or Dagan, Long Island University Post; Carlo Schuengel, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam Psychologists have long focused on the importance of a secure attachment with a mother for healthy child development. A new look supports the value of attachment – but it doesn’t have to be with mom. - [Your mental dictionary is part of what makes you unique − here’s how your brain stores and retrieves words]( Nichol Castro, University at Buffalo Most people can draw from tens of thousands of words in their memory within milliseconds. Studying this process can improve language disorder treatment and appreciation of the gift of communication. - [Ketamine can rapidly reduce symptoms of PTSD and depression, new study finds]( C. Michael White, University of Connecticut The analysis shows that ketamine may start relieving symptoms of PTSD within one day, but it is still unclear how long the effects last and how many injections are needed to maintain benefits. - [What’s your chronotype? Knowing whether you’re a night owl or an early bird could help you do better on tests and avoid scams]( Cindi May, College of Charleston Synchronizing your daily activities to your circadian rhythm could help you improve your performance on a variety of cognitive tasks − and even influence diagnosis of cognitive disorders. - [Engineered ‘living materials’ could help clean up water pollution one day]( Jonathan K. Pokorski, University of California, San Diego; Debika Datta, University of California, San Diego ‘Living materials’ made with genetically engineered bacteria and Jell-O-like gel could make pollutants in water bodies nontoxic. - [Biden’s executive order puts civil rights in the middle of the AI regulation discussion]( - [Vampire viruses prey on other viruses to replicate themselves − and may hold the key to new antiviral therapies]( - [It’s not just about facts: Democrats and Republicans have sharply different attitudes about removing misinformation from social media]( - [Why do our noses get snotty when we are sick? A school nurse explains the powers of mucus]( - [How global warming shakes the Earth: Seismic data show ocean waves gaining strength as the planet warms]( - Like this newsletter? You might be interested in our weekly emails: [Politics Weekly]( • [This Week in Religion]( • [Weekly Highlights]( • [Global Economy & Business]( - - About The Conversation: We're a nonprofit news organization dedicated to [helping academic experts share ideas with the public](. We can give away our articles thanks to the help of foundations, universities and readers like you. [Donate now to support research-based journalism]( [The Conversation]( You’re receiving this newsletter from [The Conversation]( 303 Wyman Street, Suite 300 Waltham, MA 02451 [Forward to a friend]( • [Unsubscribe](