Dr. Norm Borlaug, a member of our Founder's Circle, was a big believer in advancing an evidence-based, pro-science approach to food production. The Nobel Laureate also saw the need for debunking the fear-inducing myths that a generation of environmental groups began creating in the 1960s.
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The kettlebell is one of the least known, most mysterious pieces of exercise equipment there is. Yet it's excellent at toning muscles all over, and it burns calories quickly and efficiently while simultaneously producing cardio and strength benefits. In fact, many people swear that this odd, dopey object has fortified their exercise mentality.
In a nod to science, Newsweek reported that there might be genetic underpinnings to obesity. So kudos, for at least that. But why not share the actual science instead of dumbing it down to, “Regardless of how much you eat, your weight may be out of your hands?” For the scientifically-literate explanation, here it is.
For those who want raw fish, such as sushi, freshness is absolutely mandatory. However, old fish is still problematic even if cooked. So a group of Taiwanese researchers developed a semiconductor sensor that detects fish freshness in 60 seconds.
Surgical techniques and medical care does change with the generations. How is a surgeon suppose to keep up? Can you teach an old-doc-dog a new trick or two?
E-cigarettes are "effective in helping people quit smoking" and "95% safer than smoking."* Additionally, there are "no health risks to bystanders."
What evil, conniving, greedy, Big Tobacco-loving, propaganda-spewing group of shills says that? The UK's National Health Service (NHS).
Carey Gillam is a well-known anti-GMO activist who rejects the scientific consensus, regularly reports easily provable lies, and works for an organization that gets most of its money from 9/11 truthers.
Orthorexia, or "clean eating" is as much a belief system as it is a dietary prescription. Believers eschew "normal" eating, thinking that only their particular restrictive versions of proper diets will provide optimal health. But the restrictions that such diets adhere to could be unhealthful, to say the least.
The Trump Administration has convened a panel to address America's opioid epidemic. Its first mission should be to find convincing data to identify the actual cause(s) of the problem. That will be much harder than it sounds, since ideologues are always in plentiful supply.
A major thread in public policy debates about the opioid crisis is an asserted need to “solve” it by limiting production of opioid analgesics, and reducing medical exposure to potentially addicting drugs. But will these steps produce a remedy? Will our addiction and overdose problems improve with such a one-size-fits-all policy? Almost certainly not.
To stay in business, media outlets need viewers. So they give readers what they want, which apparently consists largely of pointless political bickering, epic acts of stupidity and naked people.
An abundance of caution; we have all heard the phrase. And in what situations does that apply? For the most part, situations where there's a remote chance of a catastrophic outcome that puts its thumb on the scale.
The Environmental Working Group has once again released their Dirty Dozen list — the fruits and veggies they say are covered in pesticides. One minor detail: organic produce contains pesticides, too, but that doesn't quite fit their narrative.
Nearly a century ago, Lord Carnavon, who attended the opening of King Tut’s Tomb, died shortly afterwards, in April 1923. At the time, the sensational media linked his death to supernatural causes activated by the curse of the mummy’s tomb. More recently, this tale was rationalized by suggesting that his death was due to ancient disease causing microbes, lurking in the tomb, rather than supernatural influences.
Governments gave subsidies to farmers, who implemented political beliefs about biodiversity, like planting flowers among their rows of food. Did any of it work? Sort of. But there's more to it than that.
Ideology, not medical reality, has infected much of modern parenting. The most compelling pediatric articles -- centered around misguided activism that still persists -- focused on infant feeding, vaccines and mom-shaming.
Metabolomics is an emerging field that studies the "unique chemical fingerprints that specific cellular processes leave behind." In this case, it's applied to what we eat. And coupled with machine learning, this may well give us very personalized diets to improve our health.
Repetitive head injuries are par for the course for football players. Do factors such as the number of years played or the age when the athlete first started playing have long-term effects?
Whether one is sick or well, the end of life tends to have its own unique story and reaction. There can be sudden deaths of less surprise to us than the final act of an unrelenting terminal disease. But why are we almost always a bit surprised to learn of someone's death?
Preservatives help keep our food supply safe and reduce food waste. Apparently, Panera Bread is unaware of this.
As if having Gwyneth Paltrow's "lifestyle" brand in the U.S. isn't bad enough, the company's vaginal egg-lined path now leads north, with products available to be shipped to Canada. Now Canadians, too, will be able to waste a ton of money on GOOP's nonsense.
Seven years ago, the global public health community declared the eradication of rinderpest, a severe viral disease of cattle. But today, Bulgaria says it's dealing with an outbreak of ovine rinderpest. They are two different, but closely related, viruses. Here's some insight into what we know.
ACSH President Hank Campbell sat on a Q&A panel for an anti-agriculture film called "Poisoning Paradise," knowing they were going to yell about corporate conspiracies. And he thinks everyone who cares about science should. Not for the activists who want farmers extinct, but for the people who walk out when they see how environmentalists behave. Because those people can be reached.
A recent Politico story, topped with the headline "The great nutrient collapse" deserves a closer look. The atmosphere is literally changing the food we eat – for the worse. In the article's conclusions the underlying science is both interesting, and a bit more constrained.
If you are concerned that we aren't wasting enough time in court with stupid lawsuits fear not. There's another one in the works about the label of what is little more than fizzy water with a little flavoring. The case was written up by Popular Science, but to a chemist, Unpopular Science would be more accurate.
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