ACSH has gotten into it (again) with Carey Gilliam, a self-inflated journalist who just won't shut up about glyphosate, even though no one cares what she has to say. This time my buddy Cameron English was the "target." Not that he needs it, but I come to his defense!
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As "fat acceptance" gains cultural traction, a growing coalition of health care providers and advice websites downplays the dangers of obesity to appease social justice activists. LiveStrong offers yet another example of the intellectual tap dancing this charade requires.
Remember the 1983 movie, War Games, in which a teen played by Matthew Broderick hacked into a military computer system? He was asked, “Shall we play a game?” and he responded, “Sure, how about thermonuclear war.” Well, Twitter has gamified conversation and turned discourse into a different kind of “thermonuclear” war, without the missiles.
A non-profit seeks to disrupt the way we finance scientific research
Before it was the Big Apple, it was the Big Oyster
Eating monkey brains, what could go wrong?
There is no such thing as junk food.
Academic collaborators with industry?
Lawyers and Courts practicing medicine?
How to find a good doctor.
A hilarious take on TV’s medical ads.
If you read only one thing this week please consider the hypocrisy over the ban on mentholated cigarettes. We are made of stardust, and our energy within might mean we are made of music. Once upon a time, Barnes and Noble was a predator; nowadays, has it become a benefactor? The Scream, not the picture, but the sound?
Food producers and manufacturers, both large and small, want to increase their products' appeal to today’s discerning consumer. One way to market is at the point-of-sale, providing trusted and attractive labels that speak to the buyer’s health, environmental, moral, and social concerns. Who controls food certification labels, what do they mean, and do they deliver as promised?
It’s summertime when we fire up our grills and move the cooking outdoors. Whether you use charcoal, propane, or wood as your fuel, scientists have linked the high-temperature cooking of meats to the formation of potential human carcinogens. This may cause some to pause and ask, “Are charred meats safe to eat?” While the long-term effects of consuming grilled meats remain debatable, some methods will help lower potential cancer-related compounds and improve the flavor and juiciness of your burnt offerings.
Hillel was an ancient Jewish Talmudic scholar becoming the President of the Sanhedrin, the ancient Jewish “Supreme Court.” He was asked one day to teach a possible convert all of the Torah while the applicant stood on one leg. You can find what he said in the footnote [1]. My purpose in mentioning the story is only to introduce the idea that we can learn much from standing on one leg.
Knowing our genetic structure is just the tip of understanding what makes us.
A public health victory in the time of COVID
The trees are talking to one another
For some, the gift of blood is more of a saleable commodity
Some thoughts on the "debate" between Drs. Jeff Singer and Ardianne Fugh-Berman. Such as it was. The video is now available. Have a strong stomach.
While for COVID, as with all diseases, an ounce of prevention, the vaccination, is worth a pound of cure, Paxlovid, there are other treatments. The website, Information is Beautiful, designs infographics – in this case, for the many therapies helpful and not. The size of the circle is an indication of media attention.
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.
Can science inform the abortion debate?
Are you more likely to die from heat or cold?
Could it be that part of our institutional problem is bullshit jobs?
Ten things wrong about science reporting – I tried to avoid them all, not always successfully
If there's any reason to doubt the veracity of Physicians for Responsible Opioid Prescribing (PROP) there is now more. The group lied about the results of a June debate on the cause of the opioid crisis. We caught it.
The FDA recently attempted to ban JUUL vaping products and announced a proposal to cut nicotine levels in combustible cigarettes. The policies are designed to reduce tobacco use—but will they? We have our doubts. Join us for episode 10 of the Science Dispatch podcast.
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
A few years ago, transgender athlete Lia Thompson was the 462nd-ranked men’s swimmer in the country. Today, Thompson is No. 1 nationally in the women’s division. Does Lia have an unfair advantage? What does the science say?
Nicotine is an addictive substance; it is THE addictive substance in tobacco, although tobacco’s combustion products are responsible for most of its adverse health effects. Nicotine has been in the news a lot between the plan to remove JUUL, a nicotine delivery system from the market, and the FDA proposal to require cigarettes to have lower nicotine levels. I asked myself a simple question for which I did not have a ready answer, what amount of nicotine is necessary to get you addicted – what dose makes the poison?
What meditation can teach us about listening to others?
It is time to BBQ – a chemistry lesson you can eat
Does science uncover new “truths” or continue to enslave the “already exploited?”
AARP’s conflicted interests
There's been a lot of news, some of it fear-mongering, about Pfizer's Covid drug Paxlovid. Some people are having their symptoms return after completing the five-day course. Does that mean there is something wrong with the drug, or it's simply a property of the virus? Drs. Henry Miller and Josh Bloom try to provide an answer in Issues & Insights.
As a bipartisan group of Senators seeks a regulatory path away from gun violence, “One proposal being discussed would possibly incentivize states to enact red flag laws on an individual, rather than national, basis. But for some Republicans, red flag laws are already too invasive of a regulation.” [1] Are red flag laws helpful, or more safety theater? A new study provides some useful information. I wonder if the Senators will take “the science” into account?
Every action we take, every discovery or innovation we make, has consequences, many of them unintentional. Consider artificial sweeteners (AS), developed to fulfill many needs: to reduce calories in processed foods such as soft drinks, lower glycemic indices for patients with diabetes, and aid dieters in weight loss. Now, scientific literature reports that AS, like microplastics, are emerging as trace pollutants in our waters and soils.
Anti-GMO, anti-pesticide groups have tried to distance themselves from the political instability in Sri Lanka, fueled in large part by the disastrous organic-farming policies they told the country to pursue.
As part of a healthy diet, US federal guidelines recommend that adults eat 1.5 to 2 cups of fruit and 2 to 3 cups of vegetables per day. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention note that only 1 out of 10 Americans eat enough of these foods containing essential vitamins, minerals, and fiber. There can be barriers to consumption. Fresh fruits and vegetables are pricey and have limited availability in some communities. They also have short shelf lives. Frozen and canned foods are more accessible and can be stored longer. Are these options to fresh just as nutritious?
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