It's nearly impossible to get every last drop of liquid foods out of their containers. Ketchup and syrup are among the worst offenders. Up to 15 percent can be wasted due to such inefficient packaging. But a team of engineers, mostly from Colorado State University, has devised a solution to the world's sticky container problem using a super-hydrophobic material.
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We know how the flu is spread. We know the importance of getting a flu shot. But what we may not know is the difference between the strains, and how they are named. While a bit "inside biology" for some, here's what these names mean and how they come about -- a look into the virology behind the influenza virus.
Much current nutrition research aims to clarify possible links between eating and getting various diseases. Is diet really responsible for cancer? For multiple sclerosis? Hard to tell, because it's really hard to know what people really eat.
A water birth video recently went viral without much mention of safety. Proponents of this fringe delivery method are solving a problem that we don't have. Human birth is an unpredictable and often traumatic journey — so why add a risk factor to an already-risky endeavor?
The international protest "March Against Monsanto" was never based on truth. The movement perpetuated myths about GMOs to demonize a company that has a really bad PR department. But now that Bayer is buying out Monsanto, what is MAM to do? It's now promoting everything from anti-vaxxer propaganda to historical conspiracy theories.
Kratom is, in plain terms, an opioid, like codeine or hydrocodone, plus components of a psychoactive drug. For that reason, we applauded the DEA when they decided to make it illegal. Kratom is a drug, whether it is "natural" or not, is irrelevant.
In March, we talked about the first-ever effective vaccine against genital herpes. Now, there's news of two vaccines that may be as much as 100 times better than that. Although they haven't even entered human clinical trials, there's cause for optimism and here's why.
With antibiotic resistance a growing threat, scientists are on the hunt for new ways to treat bacterial infections. One of these, called phage therapy, uses a special kind of virus that only infects and kills bacteria.
Beer is chemically complex. Many different molecules are responsible for its wide variety of tastes and colors. Some of the least studied are those produced as a result of the Maillard reaction. Famous in kitchens worldwide, this reaction is responsible for the browning of meats and bread that occurs at high temperatures, when amino acids and sugars chemically combine.
Due to increasing antibiotic resistance, microbiologists are on the lookout for unconventional ways to kill bacteria. Atypical methods range from phage therapy, in which bacteria-killing viruses are unleashed upon the microbes, to the use of "bed-of-nails" surfaces that physically rip bacteria apart.
In some circles high sugar consumption, especially from sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB), has been considered to be virtually the root of all evil when it comes to health issues. But a recent study tried -- and failed -- to find a link between high SSB consumption and cancer survivors. Thus any supposed link with cancer recurrence or cancer mortality wasn't supported by this report.
A new non-profit group, The Fed Is Best Foundation, supports feeding newborns with formula in their first few days of life, primarily to reduce the possibility of jaundice and hypoglycemia. Although its message of respecting parents' choices -- no matter what feeding method is used -- is a good one, the proposed link between delayed feeding and autism takes the matter away from science and into the world of speculation.
This Saturday marks the beginning of flu season -- which spans the months of October to May -- so that means it's time to get your flu shot. The ideal time is to get vaccinated before the end of October. The CDC has issued immunization guidance with a few changes worth noting, which we have for you here.
Who comes to the rescue of animal healers when they themselves need healing? According to a recent CDC survey, one in six practicing veterinarians has considered suicide. One veterinarian's insight on the challenges of veterinary.
The Council has been given access to the The National Plan for the Elimination of Cholera in Haiti, drafted by UNICEF, the World Health Organization and the Haitian government to develop a new strategy to deal with this crisis. The UN needs to do today -- right now -- what it should have done years ago.
Actor Ben Stiller recently chronicled how early diagnosis of prostate cancer, using a routine blood test, saved his life. And he's urging all men over 40 to discuss the PSA test with their doctor. However, we here at the Council and other organizations have been critical of it, so it's fitting that we review where science stands on the issue.
Aside from occasional high-profile cases and Hollywood movies, brain tumors rarely take center stage. But when they do, it tends to be an ominous story. The CDC recently reported brain cancer surpassed leukemia as the most common cancer-causing death in children aged 1-19, but no age is safe. Here's the first of a two-part series elucidating fact from fiction.
Makers of gluten-free food are well aware of two main consumer groups that buy their products: (1) Those who have to for medical reasons, and (2) those who want to because they think they're healthy. But if consumers' misconceptions are not corrected, more and more of them without gluten sensitivities will continue to falsely believe that avoiding gluten is somehow better, and smarter and healthier.
New research supports using so-called traffic light labeling, in addition to numeric labels, to help consumers make healthier food selections. When both types of labels were combined on food items, consumers' choices were based less on taste than they had been when only numeric labels were used.
When it comes to food -- shopping for, eating and disposing of it -- it's surprising how lack of awareness frequently factors into each area. Apparently this was a recurring theme given the tepid news coverage following last weekend's World Food Day, coupled with a recent consumer survey regarding food consumption and waste.
If fisherman might be inclined to keep his favorite fishing spot a secret, but sometimes it helps to tell others. They may return the favor and tell you about other great places. It's a dilemma that also faces hunters. When should you share information, and when should you go at it alone? A new study might have some answers.
When you order expensive tuna, how do you know that's excellent kind that you're paying for? How many of us would really know if another fish of lesser quality had been substituted? As it turns out, the fish may very well not be the high-end selection you asked for, regardless of its menu price.
Prescribing drugs is a valuable tool in our work, and we should not let medication prices be controlled by forces whose primary concern is the stockholder. Our role as physicians is to advocate for our patients; high drug prices lessen our ability to use the drugs our patients need. It is time for all of us to speak up.
It appears that drug companies are still pushing the use of antibiotics in livestock feed, because it makes the animals grow better. The industry maintains that it's no threat to humans. But our advisor, Dr. David Shlaes, thinks otherwise. And he happens to know what he's talking about. And then some.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) was founded with a noble goal - to put an end to environmental claims based on weak observational anecdotes, like Rachel Carson claiming that she knew people who sprayed DDT in their basement and died (1) or that cranberries were going to poison everyone.
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