The Year in Medicine 2008

In good times and bad, science doesn't sleep, and every year brings breakthroughs, setbacks, reasons for worry and reasons for joy. TIME's annual alphabetical roundup of a sampling of those stories gives you an overview of the year behind and a hint of what might be in the one ahead.

—by Alice Park, David Bjerklie, Carolyn Sayre, Tiffany Sharples, Bryan Walsh and Alexandra Silver

Full List

A to C

  1. Abortion: Rates Down for Some
  2. Alzheimer's And Diabetes: Lethal Partners
  3. Appendectomy: No Cuts, No Scars, No Sweat
  4. Autism: Debate Rages over a Rare Case
  5. Bisphenol-A: A Chemical Found in Plastic Could Be Dangerous
  6. Brains: How Gay and Straight Differ
  7. Cerebral Palsy: Epsom Salts Lower Risk
  8. Cigarettes: Quitting Causes a Chain Reaction
  9. CPR: One, Two, Three, Four, Stayin' Alive
  10. CT Scans: Just How Safe Are They?

D to H

  1. Day Care: A Weighty Choice
  2. Fertility: Women's Voices and Ovulation
  3. Fertility: A Biological Clock for Dads Too
  4. Fertility: A Blood Test to Predict Menopause
  5. Gardasil: Vaccine Battle?
  6. Genetically Modified Foods: China Has the World Worried
  7. Global Warming: A Hot Earth Could Worsen Allergies and Kidney Stones
  8. Gymnastics: Graceful, Exciting — And Disturbingly Dangerous
  9. HIV: The Hunt for the Elusive Vaccine Goes On — and On

I to R

  1. Inflammation: Putting Out The Fire in the Heart
  2. Knee Surgery: Study Doubts Benefits
  3. Lung Cancer: Genes Identified
  4. Malaria: The Global Tally Drops
  5. Math: Girls Catch Up with Boys, And the Gender Gap Disappears
  6. Obesity: Levels Hit Plateau for The First Time in Decades
  7. Obesity: You Can Beat Your Genes
  8. Reading: A Novel Way to Lose Weight

S to Z

  1. Salmonella: A One-Two Punch
  2. Statins: Grade-School Kids On a Middle-Age Drug
  3. Stem Cells: Brave New World
  4. Television: A Teen-Pregnancy Link
  5. Testosterone: Does It Make You Money?
  6. Transplants: Get the Organ And Hold the Drugs
  7. Vytorin: Science Vs. Hype
  8. ZZZ: Don't Let This Keep You Up

More Stories

  1. America's Health Checkup
  2. Reform's Moment May Be Now

Most Popular »

Full List »
  1. The Fall of Greg Craig, Obama's Top Lawyer
  2. The Growing Backlash Against Overparenting
  3. Tuition Hikes: Protests in California and Elsewhere
  4. Female Sexual Dysfunction: Myth or Malady?
  5. New Moon Review: Team Jacob Ascending
  6. Twilight Sequel New Moon Sets Records at the Box Office
  7. Why Exercise Won't Make You Thin
  8. Low Prices and Booze Put Brunch on the Rise
  9. Fat Fees and Smoker Surcharges: Tough-Love Health Incentives
  10. The Story of Barack Obama's Mother
  1. The Growing Backlash Against Overparenting
  2. For Churches, Beefed-Up Security Is a Mixed Blessing
  3. Fat Fees and Smoker Surcharges: Tough-Love Health Incentives
  4. Tuition Hikes: Protests in California and Elsewhere
  5. The Fall of Greg Craig, Obama's Top Lawyer
  6. Why Exercise Won't Make You Thin
  7. Low Prices and Booze Put Brunch on the Rise
  8. Female Sexual Dysfunction: Myth or Malady?
  9. In Central America, Coups Still Trump Change
  10. The Story of Barack Obama's Mother

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