We are officially in the midst of the Dog Days of Summer. Here at ACSH, we have been howling with joy due to the media coverage we have garnered in our tireless effort to promote good science. Here's where we appeared in recent days.
(1) Dr. Josh Bloom continues to receive national attention for his expertise on opioids. An article in the New Hampshire Union Leader explains that fentanyl is such a dangerous and powerful drug that it could be used as a weapon of mass destruction. The author quotes Dr. Bloom, "There's never been a drug like fentanyl before... For street drugs, this absolutely destroys anything else in terms of lethality and danger."
(2) Dr. Alex Berezow's interview of Patrick Kilbride of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce was cited by BioSpace. Mr. Kilbride is Senior Vice President of the Global Innovation Policy Center, and he provided his expertise to ACSH on the topic of intellectual property in biotech and pharma. Balancing the industry's need for patent protection with the public's interest in cheap drugs is going to remain a key focus for policymakers.
(3) Dr. Bloom teamed with Dr. Henry Miller to co-author an article for Issues & Insights. The U.S. Surgeon General relied upon a small Iranian study when he tweeted that intravenously administered Tylenol worked just as well as morphine for broken rib pain. Drs. Bloom and Miller took the study apart and explained how bad science is the driver of bad policy, and how bad policy has harmed both patients and addicts.
(4) Does sugar cause cancer? Well, the answer is complicated. An article discussing the controversy by our nutrition writer, Angela Dowden, was cited by the website The Big Issue. Even if sugar doesn't contribute to cancer, there are plenty of good reasons to avoid excess sugar in your diet.
(5) Why do we love dogs so much? An article by Dr. Chuck Dinerstein explained that their ability to make cute, child-like facial expressions plays a role. His article was subsequently cited across the pond by the Irish Times.
(6) Dr. Berezow continues to do his twice weekly radio segment, "Real Science with Dr. B," on Seattle's Kirby Wilbur Show. In his latest segment (beginning at 20:59), he discussed neuroscience research that suggests that forgetting things is a natural and healthy party of brain function.
