Following the multi-year drought in the west and northwest, the question being raised is whether the mighty sequoia – which requires massive amounts of water – has been weakened or otherwise compromised. While there's no precise answer to that now, arborists are seeing signs that water depletion could be a real threat.
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By demonizing biotechnology and conventional agriculture, Whole Foods has profited handsomely. But with its recent financial struggles, it would be nice if the sales downturn was the result of Americans waking up to the fact that the chain has been lying to them for years.
NYU physicist Alan Sokal thought very little of the research performed by his colleagues in the social sciences. To prove his point, he wrote a paper that used plenty of trendy buzz words but made absolutely no sense. As he later explained, Dr. Sokal wanted to find out if a humanities journal would "publish an article liberally salted with nonsense if (a) it sounded good and (b) it flattered the editors' ideological preconceptions."
Whole Foods lies 9 different times, and that is just on the landing page of its Organics section.
Energy emissions are in the news, but some claims are just more politicization of science. To paraphrase Virgil, Americans should beware environmental Greeks bearing expensive gifts.
The meme that "natural is safe" can get you into trouble in many ways. It's one that's appropriate at this time of year, when gardens and flowers are on our minds, since some plants are naturally deadly. Here are a few commonly found in our gardens and often available from nurseries, as well.
Childbirth is an unpredictable, sometimes traumatic event – in even the best of situations. Fortunately, most babies do quite well. Now, imagine having a condition where the act itself causes innumerable bones to break, making it life-threatening.
There's been enough devastation on the street caused by fentanyl replacing heroin. Now there's a new twist to the story: Fentanyl, with or without other drugs, is showing up in the form of copycats of Vicodin and Percoset. They're coming from Mexico, manufactured by cartels, which have reportedly produced overdoses and deaths.
Flight operations for the F-35 fighter jet were suspended until further notice due to multiple episodes of apparent oxygen deprivation to pilots. Aviation physiology is quite complex. Here's the impact of hypoxia, gravitational forces and altitude.
Soliris is a drug for an orphan disease, one which affects relatively few people. While these types of drugs are inherently more expensive, the market expected a price tag of $100,000 – not the actual cost of $500,000. How did the manufacturer Alexion come up with this astronomical price?
Drug shortages are being reported more frequently; physicians are asked to postpone elective care. Rather than continue to blame greed or hidden agendas perhaps we might consider the findings of the Government Accountability Office.
Here's something encouraging for people who buy pain cream for minor, short-term issues: It actually works.
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.
The common belief that hot water must be used to wash hands effectively just received a chilly reception from researchers from Rutgers University. Their study concluded that the temperature of the water doesn't matter, and that it's not linked to cleanliness. What does matter is using soap, and washing thoroughly for 10 seconds.
Medical researchers with the Navy in San Diego concluded that young male adults who watched pornography were more likely to be dissatisfied with actual sexual encounters. And the more porn they consumed the more desensitized they became to human interaction – while increasing their risk of experiencing erectile dysfunction.
When it comes to coconut oil, the greasy stuff is best used on your skin, not melted in a pan meant for eating. The 100% fat in this oil isn't healthier than olive oil, or any other cooking oil. Has mainstream media finally caught on?
Pregnancy means letting go of some of your favorite things — temporarily. As she wraps up her fifth month of pregnancy, here's what ACSH's Ana Dolaskie says she misses most. Hint: It rhymes with "shmeer."
You may have met someone – a child or adult – who was instantly friendly and inquisitive. But soon after, you felt this extrovert's interaction may have crossed normal social boundaries. It's possible you spoke with someone afflicted with Williams syndrome, a behavioral disorder that can produce both joyful and heartbreaking results.
Just because a current smoker first started with e-cigarettes does not mean that e-cigarettes caused that person to smoke. It's probably true that teenage tobacco users also consume alcohol and caffeine. According to the CDC's faulty logic, therefore, we could also conclude that beer and soda are gateway drugs.
Recently, a crazy story went viral, which called into question the media's ability to separate fact from fiction. When confronted with claims that some folks don't eat, but sustain themselves on the energy of the universe, some in the media failed to challenge this nonsense. Letting this slide can produce dangerous consequences for those who fall for it.
In what can be considered nothing short of a scientific quantum leap, it's been discovered that when you add hot water to wax it melts. Who knew? But a cadre of internet idiots would have you believe that the viral video of boiling water being poured onto an apple is evidence of toxic pesticides being released from the fruit rather than plain old melting wax. D.U.H.
When the anti-gluten craze dies down, there's another just waiting in the wings — the anti-lectin craze. According to food guru Steven Gundry, lectins are mostly what ails us. Unfortunately, they're in supposedly healthful foods such as beans, nuts and legumes. So what's a person supposed to eat?
It's one thing to read countless stories about pain patients being subjected to indescribable suffering, thanks to a thoroughly misguided, foolish CDC attempt to "address" the opioid overdose epidemic. It's quite another to actually speak with one of them, whose story is haunting and profoundly upsetting.
Sulphoraphane, found in broccoli and other vegetables of that group, has been touted as an anti-oxidant for years – but without much evidence that it has a real beneficial health effect. However, recent research suggests that it might actually be useful to help people with type 2 diabetes maintain normal levels of blood glucose.
1. Friday was the premiere of "Food Evolution", a documentary about the many beneficial advances in agricultural science we have had, in New York City and Los Angeles. I had seen it before, two weeks ago, at the University of Guelph when they flew me in to give a talk. Guelph is an agriculture town, everyone knows a scientist or a farmer, they see the benefits of science and farming, and I wanted to see how that compared to New York City, where anti-science beliefs about food are the norm.
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