Spring is here, and much like the flora outside, the news is abloom with tales of research! Take some time out from smelling the roses and check out this week’s installment of the “Science Times” synthesis.

Week of March 26

Panel says flu research is safe to publish: The National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity has recommended that controversial data from a research study on the H5N1 virus, which was originally withheld due to public safety concerns, be published.

Surgery for diabetes may be better than standard treatment: Two recent studies, published by the New England Journal of Medicine, have concluded that bariatric surgery may be more effective than standard medical therapies in the treatment of Type 2 diabetes.

Doctors have feelings, too: In this poignant and compelling piece, a doctor meditates on the latent role emotions play in the practice of medicine.

Week of April 2

The ABC’s of the health care law and its future: With uncertainty surrounding the Affordable Care Act, Jonathan Oberlander, author of the Political Life of Medicare and a professor of social medicine and health policy and management at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, provides a succinct summary of what’s at stake in the Supreme Court’s decision.

Study says DNA’s power to predict illness is limited: The increasing ease of DNA sequencing has brought with it hope for the future of personalized medicine. New research suggests, however, that an individual’s full DNA sequence has its limits in predicting disease.

Scientists link gene mutation to autism risk: Several scientists conducting research into autism have reached a shared conclusion regarding several gene mutations that may increase the probability of a child developing autism.