We're entering the danger season — first Thanksgiving, then Christmas and finally New Year's, all in about six weeks. Three chances to wreak havoc with all our good dietary intentions. How bad can it get? Pretty bad — just one holiday dinner can provide more calories than most of us should consume in a day.
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Nearly 60 years ago, a government regulation designed to assure the public about the safety our food supply did just the opposite; it set off a panic that was completely unwarranted. Thanksgiving was ruined for millions because the government created an invalid distinction between the natural world and the synthetic one.
The regulation was called the Delaney Clause. In simple form, it said that if a synthetic chemical could be shown to cause cancer in laboratory animals, it must be banned.
Newly released guidelines from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) suggest illegitimate, unproven stem cell uses might become a thing of the past.
Whether your goal is to increase strength, decrease body fat or improve overall performance, adding supplements to your daily regimen can give you that extra edge. But with thousands of products on the market, choosing the ones that are right for you can be overwhelming.
That said, here are some of the more popular supplements on the market today, separated into three categories:
An Englishwoman named Laura Plummer is in jail in Egypt on suspicion of drug trafficking 290 tramadol tablets. The tablets (available on prescription in the UK) were found in her suitcase when it was examined at Hurghada international airport on Egypt’s Red Sea coast on October 9.
Senator Rand Paul's medical difficulties evolve after being assaulted while mowing his lawn.
1. In Wall Street Journal, Dr. Alex Berezow talked about how reliant we are on GPS. Technology is a great thing, of course, and I bet we would adjust pretty rapidly without it, but there would be a lot of tourists in Washington, DC looking for the White House and ending up at the other 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue that is four miles away. That's how goofy the nation's capitol is laid out.
A new opinion article in Biology Letters – "Studying placebo effects in model organisms will help us understand them in humans" – dives into the possibility of studying the placebo effect in animals other than humans.
The odd case of a stricken man arriving at a Florida hospital with no ID, no family member – but with a bold tattoo stating that critical, life-saving intervention be withheld – is serving as a bizarre but essential reminder to the rest of us to raise a difficult, yet frequently-skirted, topic.
Of the four "reclones" that were born, three are alive and well. They will be monitored (hopefully) for years to come in order to provide more data on the health of clones, and their reclones. Stay tuned for a follow-up in 2027!
CO2 emissions have replaced food resources for the Neo Malthusians who are calling for immediate action before the cataclysm.
Some members of the Old Order of Amish carry a gene mutation that helps them live longer and avoid some of the health problems of aging. Having one copy of the mutation is associated with longer telomeres and less risk of developing diabetes.
What was the co-founder of Rational Vaccines thinking when he injected eight patients with a live herpes virus formulated as a vaccine at the Holiday Inn? What was previously a sordid tale, lurches towards the criminal.
“I was sick with the flu” is a refrain heard each winter. But many who say it are actually mistaken. The flu is caused by an influenza virus, which is confirmed by specific testing. So if you weren't specifically tested for it and deemed positive, then it's possible you didn't have it.
If the fear mongers about GMO foods don't get their way, new strains of potatoes genetically engineered to contain beta-carotene and alpha-tocopherol (vitamins A and E) could potentially reduce vitamin deficiencies in areas of the developing world, where potatoes are staple foods.
New research shows that compromising circumstances in the bedroom – like having sex – and being a female in public play a significant role in the decision to whom we administer CPR.
A website that's purportedly focused on rigorous science journalism has published a conspiratorial anti-glyphosate rant, written by an environmental activist with no relevant academic credentials.
A baby was born from a living donor's transplanted uterus. Following in the footsteps of Swedish success in this area, this achievement provides significant hope for those with uterine factor infertility, or UFI.
Coin collecting is a nice, peaceful, and generally-safe activity. But not when you swallow them. Throw in a few razor blades and an iron shackle and it gets a bit riskier. But is it as risky as a Chipotle meal?
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."
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.
This year, I don't want you to go to the doctor.
That seems obvious. Most people go to the doctor when they are ill, and I don't want you to be ill or have an accident. But I don't want you go to the doctor even if you are well.
For a civilized nation, we can be mighty uncivilized. If you're a pain patient and cannot get the meds you need, you know this only too well. As Christmas wishes go, how about a return to sanity and compassion where people don't have to beg for relief? We have precious little or either right now.
Injuries aren't always what they seem, and not all scars and bruises are the same. They can tell a very different story. For instance, are you certain that item you re-tweeted of suspected abuse was actually that?
Waze, a driving navigation app, has moved from traffic advisor to traffic director as it's user base grows. But does this new algorithmic overlord have special responsibilities?
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