Health Highlights is a biweekly summary of particularly interesting articles from credible sources of health and medical information that we follow & read. For a complete list of recommeded sources, see our links page.

• Failure’s ROI | phil baumann online

  Phil Baumann draws a connection between today’s omnipresent theme to succeed, grief and failure, and the evolving world of social media. Angels fall fast from the sky, but roots grow deep in the darkness.

• SPF 100 Sunblock | Mark’s Daily Apple

  Mark Sisson highlights a recent New York Times article describing seriously misleading marketing lingo regarding SPF measures. The take-home message? Use the normal SPF 30, use clothing and shade to protect your skin, and limit your time in the sun.

• Elsewhere on the web – May 2009 | Cancer Research UK – Science Update

  The Science Update blog at Cancer Research UK presents a great video describing the differences between skin burns and sunburn. You can triple your risk of melanoma (the most serious type of skin cancer) by getting a painful sunburn just once every two years, so don’t let sunburn catch you out.

• Makes My Blood Boil | Mark’s Daily Apple

  Another great article by Mark Sisson describes a recent medical scare over blood pressure (BP). While the medical profession may recommend testing for BP once a year, you’d be better off buying a home-testing monitor and regularly checking your BP.

• Is translational research impaired by an emphasis on basic science? | Science-Based Medicine

  Tim Kreider shares his view on a recent Newsweek editorial critical of academia and the process of bench-to-bedside research. He advances that the process of science is slow and winding by necessity and scientists should be conservative about sending new therapies to the clinic.

• When do we peak mentally – depends on what mental ability we are talking about | Brain Health Hacks

  Think you're at the top of your game? Maybe, maybe not. Ward Plunet at Brain Health Hacks reviews data from a longitudinal study on mental ability as we age.

• Swine Flu Monitor: World Health Organization May Raise Alert Level | ThePatientReport.com

  As the WHO contemplates raising the pandemic alert level, ThePatientReport.com explains what a pandemic actually measures.