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Put aside the concept of international governance, what does science say about the complex system we call Earth
A fish tale of adaptation, immigration, and relationship all in a steelhead trout
How to win an argument
Let’s talk about guns

Science Magazine editor-in-chief H. Holden Thorp recently declared that researchers need to get off the sidelines and into the gun-control debate. His call to action was wrong in every possible way.

Along with our usual dietary advice about eating moderate amounts of many different types of food, physicians often suggest we reduce our sodium intake because of the deleterious effects on our blood pressure and heart. A new study suggests that the recommendation about salt is about to come tumbling down.

A new study compares our spending on cancer and cancer mortality rates with other high-income countries. You know the findings before I begin; we spend more to “get less.” But is mortality the correct metric?

The Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) is an important non-profit organization founded in 1948 and headquartered in San Francisco. It published an online survey of not only the “whos,” like demographic statistics but also some of the “whys” on COVID vaccination acceptance or hesitancy.

From the academic center of the city by the bay comes a new study on e-cigarettes – in this instance, looking at the modeled health costs. Is their conclusion that “healthcare utilization and expenditures attributable to e-cigarette use are substantial and likely to increase over time” true? I will give them a B for the math but, at best, a D for the underlying assumptions and narrative.

A new study sheds light on a worrying trend at the Food and Drug Administration: the agency appears to be funding low-grade vaping research and using it to justify strict e-cigarette regulation.

Searching for a better way to explain health and science.
Parasites, friend or foe?
Does reading a newspaper make us better informed?

Britain may soon approve a gene-edited tomato that boosts vitamin D intake. Let's take a look at the science and politics surrounding this important development.

According to the Office of the Inspector General of Health and Human Services, 1 out of every 4 Medicare beneficiaries admitted to the hospital in 2018 experienced harm. Do I have your attention? Good, because the reality may be quite different when you know more about the study underpinning that headline.

On Episode 3 of the ACSH Science Dispatch Podcast, we examine how food shortages caused by the Ukraine war have pressured Europe to abandon its long-held GMO phobia. Is this the silver lining of a tragic situation? We then discuss the value of pesticides, using a recent NPR story about giant spiders as a springboard.

Every year there are approximately 400,000 medication errors involving hospitalized patients. Many are medications given at the wrong time or not at all. Of those 400,000 somewhere between seven and 9,000 [1] of those errors result in the death of a patient. RaDonda Vaught, a nurse employed at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center, caused the death of a patient with a medication error. I have been thinking about Ms. Vaught a lot lately.

Uterine transplants are not new. The first successful uterine transplant was done in Sweden in 2013.  America boasted its first successful uterine transplant three years later at Baylor. But these were in cis-women born without a functioning uterus. Now, an Indian doctor is proposing uterine transplantation for trans-women. The reaction in the bioethics community is mixed.

COVID has made travel more difficult. Between a shortage of pilots and other staff, changeable weather, and varying mask rules, travel days between one place and another are often grueling. I know because I just finished a bit of an extended vacation. The CDC’s current guidance is not especially helpful.

Disparities in COVID-19 outcomes by race or ethnicity have often been reported, deplored, and attributed to socioeconomic factors. It’s clear that vaccination is the main tool for slowing the spreading of the virus; here we examine disparate vaccination rates by race and ethnicity. However, among such disparities, there is an important distinction between equality (sameness) and equity (fairness).

You can be blindfolded, throw a stone, and probably hit a writer who gets the opioid crisis all wrong. Today, let's throw one at German Lopez of The New York Times.

For reasons I cannot fathom, we are treated to yet another clinical trial about IV Tylenol and whether it can decrease the amount of morphine needed by pain patients in the ER. Here's your hint: No.

Recent coverage in the Washington Post illustrates how the media (and even some in the scientific community) have exaggerated the risk COVID-19 poses to the elderly and downplayed the efficacy of vaccination in this age group.

A recent study has helpfully advanced our understanding of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Some journalists exaggerated the paper's results in their rush to publish stories. Fortunately, other reporters helpfully and publicly corrected the errors. This is how the media should always operate.

Marijuana is being decriminalized across the US. Most are celebrating, but there is a real (and sometimes serious) public health threat that tags along. Most of you will be unaware of what you're about to read. Dr. Roneet Lev, the former head of the Scripps Mercy Hospital emergency department and also an addiction specialist shares some eye-opening information in the following interview.

On Episode 2 of the ACSH Science Dispatch Podcast, we examine New York City's now-defunct COVID vaccine mandate. Did it work, why or why not? We then dive into recent research showing that diet soda can help you safely lose weight, despite popular claims to the contrary.

A recent study showed that Pfizer's Paxlovid, the most effective Covid drug, failed to prevent infection when given to people who were exposed to the virus but had not yet become infected. Bad news, right? Actually, no - it's quite the opposite. Here's why.

Retailers have begun to ration infant formula, as the supply is hovering above 50% out-of-stock in several states. Due to supply chain disruptions, recall of products due to pathogen contamination, and inflation, some pharmacies are limiting purchase to three units per customer. This has caused a shockwave among parents of infants.

Introducing the ACSH Science Dispatch Podcast — the weekly show where we separate science fact from science fiction.

New research suggests that vegan diets promote weight loss. There's a little bit more to the story, though.