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The COVID-19 lockdown is responsible for both the loss of economic activity and human lives. Two independent groups of researchers concluded that the lockdown may be costing more lives than it saves.

EIDD-2801, one of the most promising coronavirus antiviral drugs, just lept ahead of the pack. Merck has partnered with Ridgeback Biologics to develop the drug. It has a lot going for it. Here's why.

Infectious disease models can also describe riots. The spread of coronavirus and violent protests share many features in common, shedding at least some light on the coming summer of discontent.

While sadly, ACSH founder Dr. Elizabeth Whelan passed away in 2014, she left plenty of herself behind. After you read what Christine, her daughter, and now Eleanor, her granddaughter, have done, you'll have to pinch yourself. But this story is real. And really something. And just plain amazing. Read it and you'll see why.

"Recency bias" states that more recent memories come to mind more quickly. But specific ideas and objects that have “stood the test of time” can overcome recency bias. How do we take longevity into account when making judgments? Are old conserved ideas better than the novel? In the attention economy novel wins, but what about in our day-to-day lives?

Peer review, especially peer review of chemical safety/risk assessments, is under assault. Is something inherently wrong with the process of this area of peer review?

Some 54 scientists have resigned or been fired as a result of an ongoing investigation by the National Institutes of Health. At issue is the failure of NIH grantees to disclose financial ties to foreign governments. In 93% of those cases, the hidden funding came from a Chinese institution.

We tend to overlook how natural disasters like the coronavirus pandemic shape human behavior. Maybe that should change.

The company dedicated to discovering vaccines for herpes is back in the news. Rational Vaccines gained notoriety when its founder, the late Dr. Bill Halford, bypassed FDA protocol for vaccine development and set up a small trial on the island of St. Kitts, in the Caribbean, using live attenuated virus on volunteers who were suffering from herpes simplex. Now, three years after Dr. Halford's death, Rational is developing five vaccines for herpes and two for COVID. But his time, by the book.

Vaccines for COVID-19 get most of the headlines. But it is possible, if not likely, that a drug or combination of drugs may be quicker to develop, and possibly will be more effective in controlling the virus. Here's an opinion piece making the case that recently ran in the Baltimore Sun, co-authored by ACSH's Dr. Josh Bloom and ACSH advisor Dr. Katherine Seley-Radtke.

Although pain patients in the U.S. continue to struggle mightily to get the prescription opioids they need, at least they -- finally -- have the American Medical Association behind them. But in Canada, patient advocacy groups are also fighting the Canadian Medical Association, something that can be seen in an open letter to the CMA from the Chronic Pain Association of Canada. Here are some of the letter's highlights, especially those involving contributions from ACSH.

Given that more than 200,000 Americans have died (at least in part) due to COVID-19, there seems little to lose and much to gain by green-lighting human challenge trials in which volunteers are vaccinated and then deliberately infected with coronavirus. The U.S. should follow the UK's lead.

Plastic bottles litter most of the world. There have been ongoing efforts to find methods to biodegrade PET, a very common plastic used for bottled water. British scientists have discovered an efficient way to get bacteria to "eat" PET plastic. Here's how it works.

Europe is "catching up" to the U.S. in terms of new COVID cases. Besides the "farewell party" that Czechia threw for the pandemic, what else went wrong?

Operation Warp Speed is the name of the federal effort to quickly bring a COVID-19 vaccine to the public. Like all federal efforts, it carries both a price tag and an organizational chart.

The anti-chemical Silent Spring Institute has commissioned a ridiculous study, one that reaches a conclusion akin to pointing out that a circle is round. It's a bunch of nonsense. Here's why.

Welcome to the 15th Dreaded Chemistry Lesson From Hell. This time you will be (mis)treated to a plethora of knowledge about bismuth - information so critical that it would be hard to imagine surviving the day without it. And reader comments from Joe, the ball bearing salesman, and Candy, a decertified yoga instructor. Could there be a better way to start your day?

The West Coast is aflame; thousands are being evacuated. Before we jump to a conclusion of why, can research inform our thinking? Yes, especially for, "Communities that meet or intermingle with undeveloped wildland vegetation, creating zones known as the wildland-urban interface…."

What happens to the global economy if the medicine ends up harming those it is meant to cure?

How about a little something not COVID-19? Coffee is, far and away, one of our most popular beverages, with an estimated 400 billion cups poured annually in the U.S. Despite that figure, powered by Starbucks, McDonald's and other big brands, we aren't even in the Top 10 consuming countries. So while sipping that cup of java or mocha, let's take a look at the history of coffee.

Things pretty much suck. Three states are on fire. There are five tropical cyclones in the Atlantic for the first time ever. Our social fabric is hardly intact. And there is this annoying little virus blowing up people's lungs -- and it isn't going away anytime soon. But, thanks to the CPSC at least we can sleep at night. Dr. Duck's lead buttons will threaten us no more.

23andMe brings its special skill set of analyzing genetic ancestry to the history of transatlantic slavery, the Middle Passage. While there are few surprises, it does make a convincing case that our genes and culture are deeply intertwined.

COVID COVID COVID COVID. Enough already. We need a break. Fortunately, We got a tip about a steaming, hot story (which will at least temporarily take your mind off COVID.) Certain Haribo Gummi Bears have been causing intense gastrointestinal distress in some people who have partaken, and they're not shy about revealing this. Or is this just urban legend? Let's get to the "bottom" of this. With a mini chemistry lesson.

Can you personalize public health guidance? One-size-fits-all policy, in the era of COVID, is causing a great deal of controversy. Are the feds, the states, or local officials best equipped in deciding what measures to put in place? A new study provides a more local, county-wide view.

A whopping 62% of Americans are afraid to share some of their political views because somebody might be offended. As we all know now, if you offend somebody, you can lose your job and have your life destroyed. Michael Shellenberger, a prominent environmentalist who believes that climate alarmism is misguided, is feeling the fury of the mob.