Science & Technology at Scientific American.com: No Prayer Prescription -- [ PSYCHOLOGY ] -- Send good vibrations, but keep it to yourself: "The three-year Study of the Therapeutic Effects of Intercessory Prayer (STEP), published in the April 4 American Heart Journal, was the largest-ever attempt to apply scientific methods to measure the influence of prayer on the well-being of another. It examined 1,800 patients undergoing heart-bypass surgery. On the eve of the operations, church groups began two weeks of praying for one set of patients."