Sexual assault survivors’ stories may shift over time – a psychologist explains why it doesn’t mean they’re lying
A majority of rape survivors don’t immediately recognize what they experienced as rape. Ryan Murphy/Getty Images ~~~~~ If a person’s story changes in the weeks following an alleged sexual assault, are they not telling the truth? It’s a criticism I’ve seen on social media and heard in the public conversation surrounding the lawsuit filed in September 2026 by a plaintiff known as Jane Doe, a former student at Cornell University, accusing seven male students of rape. Initially, Doe discussed events with a friend but reportedly didn’t identify them as assault. It wasn’t until weeks later, when her experience was labeled as a gang rape by others, that she came forward to authorities. Survivors...
Fire in the brain: How psychosis may arise when the body attacks itself
Antibodies made by the immune system can sometimes target human brain cells, producing psychiatric symptoms. Researchers aim to better identify such rare cases as well as fine-tune treatments. Peter Jones once treated a patient with strikingly vivid hallucinations of animals. During ward visits, the patient would stroke and interact with the critters “in as real a way as he was with me,” says Jones, an academic psychiatrist at the University of Cambridge in England. Antipsychotic drugs did nothing to dissolve these Snow White-esque visions. But when the patient received plasma exchange –– a treatment normally reserved for a misbehaving immune system –– his hallucinations dissipated....
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Nicklaus Children’s Hospital breaks ground on future home for Cancer & Blood Disorders Institute
Nicklaus Children's Hospital has broken ground on the next chapter of the Helen & Jacob Shaham Cancer & Blood Disorders Institute, a transformative expansion that will create a more integrated, accessible and patient-centered environment for children receiving cancer and blood disorder care. Nicklaus Children's Health System leadership, donors, patients and the hospital's foundation joined together to mark the official start of construction. The institute, expected to open in its new location in 2028, will be housed within the renovated Medical Arts Building and will encompass approximately 25,500 square feet across two floors. Designed to blend clinical efficiency with comfort,...
The treatment was worse than the disease
On December 12, 1799, George Washington returned to Mount Vernon after several hours on horseback in snow, hail, and freezing rain. The next day he developed a sore throat and hoarseness, and in the early morning of December 14 he awoke struggling to breathe and swallow. Doctors were called, and what happened next is now one of the most talked-about medical cases in American history. Washington did not lack medical care. In fact, he received a lot of attention from three skilled physicians, who used the treatments they thought best for someone as sick as he was, such as repeated bloodletting and other methods meant to reduce inflammation and restore balance. Late that night, Washington...
