A coffee lawsuit has turned science upside-down by requiring coffee companies to prove that their product isn’t unsafe. That is absurd, not only because it violates 400 years of common sense about coffee, but because it is impossible to prove a negative. Science also cannot prove that ghosts aren’t real. Perhaps all California residences should carry a poltergeist warning, just in case.
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A paper says up to 8,000 new antibiotic combinations could be ready for testing, but there is a big catch: It's called reality.
Given the political morass consuming all of the oxygen in the room on social media and every news outlet, a pivot to human and gorilla medical commonalities seemed a worthwhile departure.
If we can tune out, move away from, and shun people with whom we disagree, is this course of action also acceptable?
Zika virus has been around since at least 1947, causing mild symptoms. All of a sudden it went full-beast mode and started producing shrinking heads in babies, and other terrible neurological outcomes. Scientists may have figured out that one little amino acid could responsible for flipping the script.
The key to preventing Alzheimer's Disease may lie in the North Atlantic island of Iceland. Its relatively homogeneous population has been a treasure trove for genetic researchers looking for mutated genes that either increase or decrease the disease's risk.
Brutal cold temps have been circling the U.S. for some days now, with a "bomb cyclone" headed for the East Coast this week. This arctic chill brings about a very real and scary scenario: hypothermia. Since Tuesday, 11 people in the U.S. have died, after succumbing to the cold.
Do you know how to identify and/or prevent hypothermia, and potentially save a life? Let's talk about some important points..
Dr. Edward Archer believes that nutrition science is not just misguided but actually harmful. That's an extraordinary statement that requires extraordinary evidence. Does he provide it in his latest paper?
There are precedents in healthcare to tethering financial compensation to body parts, as in the case with egg or sperm donation, and surrogacy. Are organs any different?
You've heard of being in a fog while pregnant, but is there science to back this up? A little bit. Watch our video to find out.
Plus, a bonus announcement from Ana Dolaskie.
If you have high cholesterol, you may be taking some medications called statins, which are the most effective medicines for lowering "bad" cholesterol. But some people are turning to over-the-counter alternatives like red yeast rice, a nutritional supplement with cholesterol-lowering action. However, they come with safety concerns.
Plants, marine organisms and bacteria have the capacity to biosynthesize extraordinarily complex organic molecules. Those are the ones that drive chemists nuts when they try to make them synthetically. Here's the story of monensin, an antibiotic used in livestock. While it's a monumental effort to make it in the lab, bacteria can make it in their sleep.
Just the thought makes some cringe. But the truth is that recaptured, treated wastewater is safe to drink. However, as compared to tap and bottled water, how does it taste? Researchers from the University of California, Riverside set to find out, and the results of their study were not what they expected.
It used to be that breast cancer diagnosis often meant a radical surgery, removing the breast as well as underlying muscle. But in the last few decades, we've learned that such extreme measures are usually not necessary. And recent research indicates that minimal surgery (along with radiation and systemic treatment) may be all that's necessary, in some cases.
Countries that use more pesticides don't have higher rates of pediatric cancer.
Few economic opportunities, poor health outcomes, and higher death rates (both natural and self-inflicted). It is difficult to overstate the severity of the crisis facing rural America.
If the goal is guaranteeing the safety of children, as well as protecting the general population being from infectious diseases, then why is the act of shaming playing any role in vaccine compliance?
With a viral video of an Eagles fan being so joyful over his team's advancement to the Sunday's championship game – that he runs into a pole – we thought we'd ask: How healthy is it to be a Super Bowl fan?
Not only is science journalism susceptible to the same sorts of biases that afflict regular journalism, but it's uniquely vulnerable to outrageous sensationalism – this or that will either cure cancer or kill us all. So to promote good outlets while castigating the bad, we partnered with RealClearScience to create a handy chart.
Instagram set off a social media firestorm by removing a photo deemed offensive; it was of a young boy with a congenital syndrome, replete with facial deformities. And, it wasn't the first time this occured.
Three separate bills have been introduced in the U.S. Congress that are designed to drive a stake into the vampire-like Independent Payment Advisory Board. It has no members, little funding and bipartisan support for its demise.
If integrative medicine wants to be taken seriously, then they need to provide data obtained from actual scientific studies. There is no complementary science.
There's concern that our sources of dietary protein are not sustainable and alternatives are sought. Among them: insects. A new report looks at their benefits and risks as a dietary staple.
Virtual reality devices track our body language, which can pick us out in a crowd. A pediatrician ponders whether this is yet another way we are robbing our youth of its innocence.
Poor people are forced to eat junk food because of cost, and that's why they are obese. Right? That's a great narrative, but it's simply not true. Here's how it really is.
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