Dan Krotz: “A stack of punch cards from a landmark study published in 1966, and the legwork to track down the study’s participants years later, has yielded the longest analysis of the effects of lipoproteins on coronary heart disease. John Gofman initiated studies that led to the understanding of the effects of lipoproteins on cardiovascular disease. His research is still yielding insights today. The study, published in a recent issue of the journal Atherosclerosis, tracked almost 1,900 people over a 29-year period, which is nearly three times longer than other studies that examine the link between different sizes of high-density lipoprotein particles and heart disease. It found that an increase in larger high-density lipoprotein particles decreased a subject’s risk of heart disease. The research also underscores the value of looking to the past to advance science. “Often we think only of designing new studies with the latest technologies, but there are treasures buried in our past,” says study author Paul Williams of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.”