Brown undergraduate Nadia Maccabee, a community health concentrator, has spent the past six weeks serving as a first responder on an ambulance in the Negev Desert as part of the Israeli equivalent of the Red Cross. In a phone interview, she describes her experiences.

For its “Science in the News” feature, Voice of America includes a look at BrainGate, a brain implant with which a paralyzed man learned to use his thoughts to operate a computer, turn on a TV set, open e-mail, play a video game and manipulate a robotic arm. BrainGate was developed by scientists at Brown University.

The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new sunscreen that offers more protection against ultraviolet A rays than many other products. Martin Weinstock, chairman of the American Cancer Society's Skin Cancer Advisory Group and a professor of dermatology and community health, says the product is not revolutionary, but is “very good.”

In the echelon of marital issues, household chores are initially barely a blip on most couple's radar screens. But "housekeeping is one of the "big five" squabble sources in a marriage, says Scott Haltzman, clinical assistant professor of psychiatry and human behavior.

In their seventh annual study, researchers at Brown University’s Taubman Center for Public Policy ranked Texas and New Jersey as the two states with the best online government services. On the federal level, FirstGov.com, a Web portal, was rated best, followed by the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Brown University’s Taubman Center for Public Policy has completed its sixth annual analysis of online government services offered by 198 nations around the world. The researchers find that many nations are improving services and providing information for users. The United States ranks fourth, behind South Korea, Taiwan, and Singapore.