Rats are very useful for studying human eating behavior. Both rats and humans are omnivores, and both use flavor conditioning — learning through taste and experience which foods are good to eat and which to avoid. So if a particular flavor is associated with a desirable outcome like feeling full, this makes it more palatable, whereas a stomach illness would make it unpalatable.

Rats also share with humans many of the neurobiological and hormonal mechanisms of flavor learning and appetite regulation. Al…

This is the final report in our four-part series on the cutting edge of research for treating and preventing breast cancer. Robert H. Vonderheide is a professor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine and is the associate director of translational research at the Abramson Cancer Center there. He and Susan M. Domchek, MD, the Basser Professor in Oncology at the University of Pennsylvania, have been working together as Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) scientific invest…

Beginning November 3, the German writing-instruments manufacturer Pelikan will offer this year’s auction collection, called the Unique Collection 2014, which comprises 17 one-of-a-kind maki-e pens. The follow-up to a similar sale in 2012, the auction will be conducted entirely online and will see a new pen come up for bids each weekday. Buyers will have one week from the start of bidding for each pen before the digital hammer falls.

All the pens for the sale are decorated using the traditional Japanese maki…

For the original manual-only Aston Martin V12 Vantage, launched in 2010 (as a 2011 model), the British marque stuffed its largest engine into its smallest body. Flash forward three years and the model has become a cult favorite among serious driving enthusiasts. For the 2015 model year, the Aston Martin V12 Vantage S Roadster draws more power from the naturally aspirated 6-liter engine—565 hp and 457 ft lbs of torque—and is available with a folding soft top. However (and perhaps sadly to some), the manual gear…

Following its success with the first-generation Xeo wireless loudspeaker systems, the Danish audio brand Dynaudio has released a second generation. The new Xeo 4 bookshelf speakers ($2,300 per pair) and Xeo 6 floor-standing speakers ($4,000 per pair) come with a handful of upgrades, including compatibility with higher-resolution music files (up to 24 bits/96 kHz), better driver tuning, and improved digital-signal processing. The speakers are made for pairing with the new Xeo Hub ($300), which sends the audio s…

As professional sports teams spend half their time on the road, the Seattle design firm Teague has created a jet concept designed to meet their needs. Working in collaboration with the sportswear company Nike, the Teague designers consulted with doctors, coaches, operations staff, and sleep specialists from professional sports teams, as well as with Nike’s designers and training experts. Following this extensive research, Teague concluded that a jet interior customized for a traveling sports team could provide…

Bernardus Lodge & Spa, a wine-country retreat in Carmel Valley, Calif., recently announced a travel package to help celebrate its 15th anniversary. Priced at $15,000, the bundle includes two round-trip flights through the nearby Monterey Regional Airport, a four-night stay in one of the resort’s 625-square-foot suites, a wine tasting at the Bernardus Winery, and a round of golf for two. A hands-on cooking lesson at the resort’s fine-dining restaurant Marinus with chef Cal Stamenov, behind-the-scenes access…

Adding to its already sizable and diverse fleet, the shipbuilder Azimut Yachts took the occasion of the 2014 Cannes Boat Show in September to introduce three new models: the 50 Fly, the 77S, and the Grande 95RPH.

The Azimut 50 Fly has one of the largest flybridge decks of its class—offering more than 188 square feet of space. Inside, it is equipped with a saloon and dining area that doubles as a lounge. Able to sleep as many as six guests, the boat features a full-beam owner’s cabin amidships, a VIP cabin a…

The new Steinway Lyngdorf P200 surround-sound processor serves a very specific and important role in a home theater. It receives the audio signal from the source and distributes it to the amplifiers driving the speakers. For those who prefer to use their sound system for a variety of functions, the P200 possesses a unique feature that allows it to serve multiple speaker sets—each configured for different listening applications. For instance, a user employing the P200 could set up a system with separate speaker…

 

This is part three in our special report series on breast cancer in honor of October’s Breast Cancer Awareness month. In this article, we hear from two award-winning scientists: James Hicks, PhD, of the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, and Peter Kuhn, PhD, of the University of Southern California. Both work with the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) on the cutting edge of using personalized medicine to treat and diagnose breast cancer.

 

What is personalized medicine as it relate…