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Researchers have once again turned to nature for inspiration: A team of chemists working for the U.S. Air Force used crystals extracted from butterfly wings to detect trace chemical warfare agents.

ACSH's Director of Medicine Dr. Jamie Wells interviewed by legendary anchor Rolland Smith and broadcasting veteran Carl Sabatino about the state of medical practice today.

It's hard to feel a lot of love for Amazon right now. It used to be a great company. But it's a little disturbing that the retail giant is cutting its inventory. You can no longer buy a circumcision practice kit in Britain! What's next?

Automation has decimated mid-level jobs, and much of the current talk is about machine learning replacing professionals, like doctors and attorneys. An opinion piece brings some useful perspective on how machines learn, as well as on their economic impact.

A new research study on the penetration mechanics of the beetle penis – its bending stiffness gradient compounded by its soft tip – could actually hold some promise in the medical-device realm of catheter design to further the understanding in erectile dysfunction. 

We've been hard at work this year informing you of the latest developments in biomedical science, debunking junk science and bogus health claims, and explaining the science behind the headlines. Here are our 10 most popular articles of 2017.

How about companies just telling it like it is – in all its forms? We need to do better than Theranos, and the hubris of 23andMe that warranted FDA intervention and sanctioning of the firm. 

Snake oils are useless nostrums promoted to treat and/or cure virtually any type of ailment. But they don't have to come from snakes. Some, however, do — such as the rattlesnake pills recently dinged by the CDC for being contaminated with Salmonella bacteria. Kind of ironic, because instead of curing, they actually make the user sick.
 

According to the CDC, the percentage of children who have ever had chickenpox has fallen dramatically since a vaccine was licensed for use in the U.S. in 1995. But because fewer kids have chickenpox, there is less virus circulating among the public. It's thought that exposure to the virus helps keep shingles in check, which is normally associated with older folks.

Most dog owners know that chocolate is harmful to dogs. That said, a study shows Christmas is the most dangerous day of the year for them. And more bad news: dog treats may be making your little companion overweight. 
 
 

When the best female tennis player in history asks for teething advice, we're happy to oblige. Unfortunately, there's only one thing that can be done to help with a baby's teething – and it's probably not what you think.   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

FDA-approved gene therapies is atop of the list of exciting health and science advances of 2017. Following in the wake of two cancer therapies approved earlier this year, a third therapy – this time for vision – received a thumbs-up just before the arrival of 2018. 
 

Can you hear Ho, Ho, Ho from the halls of the FDA? We can! They are playing Santa this year, helping to make one of our Christmas wishes come true. That's by bringing the gift of stopping people from getting harmed by homeopathic remedies. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

The technology that allows someone to communicate written sentences solely with their eyes is truly incredible. And that fascinating device provides at least some merciful measure of freedom for those trapped by the progressive, unceasing horrors of ALS, otherwise known as Lou Gerhig's Disease.

It's no secret that air pollution is bad news (but no longer in the U.S.). It's also no secret that people write sensationalized junk that poses as science to drive home a point or support an agenda. Today we're having a two-for-one special. You get both. And no – small particulate matter does not affect IQ. This is beyond ridiculous.

The long-term problems of a transvaginal mesh shed light on an issue concerning the FDA's concept of "substantial equivalence" in approving some medical devices. 

It's the season for Top 10 lists. The challenge, as usual, is to narrow down all the junk science we debunked this year to just the 10 best (or is that worst?) stories. It would be far easier to create a Top 100 list.

One type of malady that most people really hope to avoid is Alzheimer's Disease. As the population ages, this disorder and similar ills will likely become more common. While much research has been devoted to figuring out how to forestall these problems, recent studies indicate we still have a long way to go to get there.
 
 

More than 300,000 elderly folks fracture their hip each year, and 95% of those hospitalizations are caused by falling, usually sideways. If there were a few simple ways to minimize this chance of serious injury, wouldn't it be smart to know them? Sure it would. And here they are.
 
 

Words matter. We should have more patients and fewer "healthcare consumers." The term is terribly harsh, since it's all about taking.
 
 

Here are the final four exciting developments in science, health and technology of 2017. And, a prediction for what innovation could be truly disruptive in the future.

It's time to turn the forces of political correctness against themselves. If society is going to be in the dubious business of banning words, then we ought to do that because they're factually incorrect – rather than politically incorrect. And there's no better place to start than with the abbreviation "GMO."

The CDC is told seven words are no longer allowed in their documents. Banning words and thoughts doesn't work, just ask George Carlin. Do they think it will somehow work now?
 

A 38-year-old former NFL running back believes he's currently experiencing symptoms of CTE, the degenerative brain disease that currently can only be diagnosed after death. Can his insight help researchers better understand this disease? Is it meaningful, or meaningless?

Drug discovery is a long, tortuous and impossibly difficult job. A group at the University of Warwick has come up with a mathematical model that seems to be a very big step in streamlining the process. But is it really? To answer this we need to take a look at how drugs are discovered.