Who doesn’t love July? The month kicks off with fireworks on Independence Day and is soon filled with weekend trips, summer vacations, afternoons in the sun, and family get-togethers. However, along with all the fun in the sun, there is also a marked increase of medical errors in hospitals. Take a look at this week’s Science Times synthesis and learn how the schedule of new doctor training coincides with this pattern.

Please share your thoughts in our comments section, and let us know which article intrigues you and why!

Week of July 2

Thirst for Fairness May Have Helped Us Survive: Studies uncover how the human desire for fairness motivates us and shapes our cerebral, cortical, visceral, and limbic processes.

Researchers Link Deaths to Social Ills: Take a moment to consider how social ills, such as poverty and poor education can be identified as causes of death in the same way as car accidents or lung cancer.

Doctor and Patient; Unsung Heroes at the Front Lines of Patient Care: A new study focuses on the social and emotional demands placed on receptionists and administrative workers involved in patient care.

Prevention: A Better Use for Cotton Swabs Than Ear Cleaning: Forget about expensive disinfecting procedures and materials—cotton swabs may do the best job of maintaining sterile surgical wounds.

Roots of Disease Found to Vary by Continent: A recent analysis of the human genome suggests that diseases may have different genetic roots that vary by continent of origin.

The Then and Now of Memory: Check out the results of new studies that describe memory as a “streaming video” that includes the sensations, thoughts, and facts that surround individual memories.

Week of July 9

Risks: Perhaps July’s Reputation Is Justified: Researchers have uncovered a pattern of increased medical error in hospitals during the month of July.

Drive to Stem Shingles Meets Few Expectations: Learn about some of the issues that have hindered the distribution of the shingles vaccine.

Scientists Turn to Crowds on the Web to Finance Their Projects: While research funding continues to drop, a new wave of science researchers turn to internet “crowd funding.”

Human Swallows Pill. Mosquito Bites Human. Mosquito Dies: Read about how an inexpensive de-worming pill helps prevent malaria, and why there are many complications surrounding its distribution and potential side effects.

Guarding Privacy May Not Always Protect Patients: Find out about the complications surrounding medical privacy for teenagers and young adults.

Company Agrees to Share AIDS and Hepatitis Drugs With Patent Pool: The new international Medicines Patent Pool has reached an agreement with a pharmaceutical company to obtain four different AIDS and hepatitis B drugs.