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Though e-cigarettes gained a fast following, the number of people using them isn't increasing. So why has the U.S. government started spending taxpayer money to undermine them as a tool for smoking cessation and harm reduction? And why does the U.K. endorse them? A look through conflicting studies seeks to find out.

Some studies are so incredibly stupid, one wonders how they get published in any scientific journal, let alone a prestigious one. And yet, it's happened once again. A new study in JAMA Internal Medicine claims that eating organic food will reduce a person's risk of developing cancer. You got it right: Magic prevents cancer.

We haven't had a flu pandemic in a hundred years. And vaccines are why.

Ours is a culture that prioritizes instant gratification, and is instinctually reflexive about taking a pill or other fix immediately to end pain. When, actually, it is pain that can in a number of conditions be our greatest gift.

As your mother probably told you, "It's better to give than to receive." While we know it to be true for surgery, a new study suggests it's true for advice, as well. Can it help explain the value to support groups?

Algal blooms are gross and bad for the environment. As the blooms die and decay, oxygen is consumed and then fish die. Worse, some algal blooms produce toxins, such as neurotoxins, that are harmful to humans and other animals. Now, we can add another to the list: Heart toxins.

In New Zealand, the Chief Censor adjusted the movie's rating due to "triggering" content. Is this a reasonable health-based decision to protect moviegoers?

What's it going to take for America to wake up? How many more people have to die before we realize that there's a humanitarian crisis happening on the sidewalks of our major cities? You can thank your local politicians for doing nothing to solve the problem, and in some cases, actively enabling it.

A new report on the plight of practicing physicians reflects a broken system. Nearly half of physicians plan to change careers, so maybe it's finally time to include them in the discussion on healthcare fixes.

Despite the chant that correlation is not causation, some researchers believe the design of scatter plots nudges us to the wrong conclusions. Can a change in their design lessen that risk?

Just as you've been toiling away in preparation for your upcoming feast, we have been toiling away teaching the world about science. Last week, we appeared on the wildly popular Coast to Coast AM and more!

Since anyone can be in a position to be touched by this topic, whether it be for yourself or a loved one, raising awareness can start a worthy dialogue in families. A lot has changed in transplant medicine.

Given the rogue nature of one scientist, should we expect "designer babies" to follow?

The brain has evolved a method of protecting itself called the blood-brain barrier. But the BBB can backfire when it prevents drugs to treat brain diseases – for example, a malignant brain tumor – from reaching the site of the disease. Science has come up with some clever methods for defeating the brain's own defenses.

Does our technology improve in an evolutionary way? Is it a random walk of trial and error, with false starts and breakthroughs? Or can a theory accelerate improvement and eliminate the needless dead ends?

When it comes to muscle, and its memory, could it be that it's just like remembering how to ride a bike?

For all the regulation of what's written in direct-to-consumer health ads (and for all the hand-wringing about informed consent), there's little said about what patients understand. As it turns out, health literacy is a problem. And those with the biggest problems are looking for help in all the wrong places.

Though Hollywood features can be quite dramatic, the real thing can provide much more entertainment.

The name has nothing to do with fish, but there is a relationship with pigs. Salmonella actually refers to a species of bacteria that inhabit the intestines of people and animals, along with a large variety of other bacteria.

Sociologists have studied the diffusion of ideas and knowledge for decades. A new study shows that the eminence of the source has a greater impact than the quality of the idea. That makes the rich richer -- and society poorer.

Models (not those kind) help us understand our world. But the assumptions we make in creating models can lead us astray. Here's a list of six ways the devil is in the details.

A study of chicken bones helps tell the story of our Anthropocene times, which is when Sapiens began making a significant impact on the planet. What lessons can we learn from how we have, so significantly, altered a bird to fit our needs?

The price of insulin continues to rise. But before jumping on du jour soundbites, knowing its history may help explain why our first wonder drug is now a chimeric poster child for the best and worse in the pharmaceutical industry.

In the rush to show the ill effects of Brexit, the British Medical Journal published a piece saying that reduced consumption of fruits and vegetables will be responsible for thousands of UK citizens dying unnecessarily. If it were true -- and it is not -- perhaps mentioning it before the vote would have been helpful.

Insomnia affects roughly 10% of the population. Those who suffer from this sleep disorder constitute a wide variety of personalities and family histories. The inconsistent pattern among these patients makes the condition difficult to classify, which in turn makes it difficult to understand. Now, new research has identified five insomnia subtypes based on non-sleep characteristics.