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A healthy lifestyle and a few inexpensive medications are as good as expensive surgery or stents in treating chronic heart disease. Translating this study to the real world is going to be tough because many patients prefer not to alter their lifestyle. No one minds the pills, but stents just seem simpler than changing how one lives.

Healthcare consolidation involves economies of scale and standardization. Neither is a guarantee of better outcomes. For patients on dialysis, in fact, consolidation has made their care worse.

Here's what's on the reading list this time 'round: Perhaps the rats were not the cause of the plague ... More on software that fails us, as the NTSB prepares its final report on Uber's fatal crash ... There is much to be grateful for in our world ... And cutting corners to get your child in college is not limited to ethically-challenged Americans.

Microsoft Japan decided to try an experiment: Three-day weekends, every weekend. It might be reasonable to assume that productivity would fall in proportion to the number of hours lost, i.e. a 20% drop, right? But that's not what happened. Microsoft observed a 40% increase in productivity.

Loneliness, as compared to solitude, resulted in a 2-to-3 fold increase in one-year mortality. For social creatures like us, loneliness can detrimentally affect our health.

In a press release, the American Heart Association sensationalized research presented at its meeting, then included a disclaimer that the research may not be accurate. And the association doesn't necessarily endorse it. And then the Surgeon General posted it on Twitter.

CVS's HealthHubs seek to replace the neighborhood physician with their supersized drug store. Is it about the Benjamins ($) or improving health outcomes? Their latest earnings call suggests it is about revenue.

The Lancet has decided that being culturally "woke" is more important than presenting evidence-based reports and opinions.

A revised proposal, regarding scientific transparency in the EPA's regulatory decisions, has raised concerns about casting more shade than light. What exactly is being proposed, and why the concern?

Responding to the urgent, ongoing need for essential and accurate information to counter the harm caused by years of medically and scientifically flawed opioid policies, ACSH is adding two world-class experts in this field – Jeffrey A. Singer, MD, and Danial Laird, MD, JD – to its Board of Scientific Advisors. In addition, Henry Miller, MS, MD, a staunch and influential supporter of patient rights, is returning to the advisory board.

How's education in the U.S. right now? According to ACSH advisor Dr. Henry Miller and co-author Andrew I. Fillat, not so great. They explain why, in this excerpt of an article they wrote for the website, American Greatness.

It's quite easy to make any drug look bad. Even those with limited intellects, such as the leaders of Physicians for Responsible Opioid Prescribing, have done a splendid job in making prescription analgesics look like the personification of death. Let's apply PROP's standards (such as they are) to some other drugs and see what that looks like.

The mainstream media would have us believe that vaping, especially among our children, is the gateway to smoking tobacco. A new study suggests otherwise.

The tragic accident, when a restaurant manager in Massachusetts died, was the result of a simple chemical reaction called neutralization. That's when an acid and a base are combined. Unfortunately in this case, the base was sodium hypochlorite, or bleach. When bleach is acidified, deadly chlorine is released. It's a terrible shame this young manager wasn't aware of this fatal combination. So you can stay safe, here's what to look out for.

Here's what we have for you: When does skepticism become denial? In a world seemingly driven by fleeting moments, can humans truly understand Earth's time? ... Was Jules Verne right? Are there rivers miles beneath our feet? ... And finally, a new form of fasting: avoiding stimuli to lower your dopamine levels.

Regardless of what time the clock says, our team at ACSH has been tirelessly advocating for science. Here's where we appeared in recent weeks.

Mercaptans (aka, thiols) are some of the vilest smelling chemicals in the galaxy. Yet, they save many lives? If you want to know why you'll have to get through this stinky article.

Here is yet more evidence that fentanyl, rather than prescription drugs, is fueling the opioid crisis. It's time to add illegal drug cartels to the list of defendants.

A serious infectious disease nearly wiped out the beloved chestnut tree. Using genetic modification, scientists have found a way to bring it back. Of course, this is controversial because many environmentalists, such as the Union of Concerned Scientists, are only in favor of restoring the environment as long as scientists aren't involved.

Nationwide mandatory labeling of menus in chain restaurants has been in place for 18 months now, and the results are starting to come in. Is it changing our food choices? Maybe, but only a teeny bit and only for a while.

The so-called War on Drugs, a spectacular failure by any measure, just got more complicated (and worse) because of vaping. New ACSH advisor Dr. Jeffrey Singer (pictured) argues that we are seeing a modern version of Prohibition decorated with vaping devices.

There's a pervasive bias in academia against scientists who work in industry. It is often said that such individuals aren’t "real scientists." The less charitable describe them as having gone over to the so-called dark side. For at least two reasons, this is a shameful and hypocritical way to characterize industry.

Genome-wide association studies are a means of identifying genes associated with traits or diseases. For those who didn't graduate college lately, here's a guide to how they work, what they find, and their limitations.

A new study shows that when we mentally tally expert opinions, we treat numeric predictions differently than those predicted by words. One of those expressions moves us towards a more extreme prediction offered by experts.

Our northern neighbor has banned flavors in vaping products since 2015. The results are mixed, and the ban represents an incomplete solution to underage use of this new nicotine delivery system. If flavor is not the only gateway, might we consider the desire to rebel and be part of a group?