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When statins and angioplasty aren't enough to prevent a heart attack, it may be possible to minimize damage to the heart by using a photosynthetic cyanobacterium. While still in the preliminary stages, research indicates that the oxygen produced by these non-pathogenic bugs could help keep the heart going.

A new therapy involving a medication requires the approval of the FDA. Not so for a new surgical technique or device. For my surgical brethren, we need a good idea and our “can do” attitude takes over, and we try out a new technique, instrument or operation, studies can wait.

New mothers learn how to protect their new arrivals from sudden infant death syndrome. But when it actually comes to implementing those safety practices while in a sleepy stupor, that's when dangers arise. So researchers developed a "mobile health program" delivering safety reminders  – when they needed to be seen – which helped moms keep their newborns safer.

Sometimes health advice is just too good to be true, like these beauties: "Eat pomegranates to prevent cancer" ... and "Organic food will make your kids smarter." But as for "Use sunscreen to treat an autoimmune disease" ... what? That's not possible, right? Well, the truth is that last one, as crazy as it sounds, just might be real. 

An interesting finding, that a sunscreen chemical may be useful in treating multiple sclerosis, gave us an unexpected treat: an opportunity to pound the chemical-scares industry. The sunscreen ingredient, homosalate, like just about every other chemical in the world, has been called an "endocrine disruptor" by groups like EWG. Too bad the paper that's cited as proof shows that it's not one at all. 

Corporations aren’t all evil, and universities are not all saints. Most products are coming from industry work. Meanwhile, plenty of junk science comes from universities – and sometimes even from Boston's most prestigious academic institution.

A new report by the Dutch government states something we've known all along: Genetically modified mosquitoes are safe to use to combat the spread of viral infections. Although critics may still think that the modification process is scary, they have nothing to worry about. Besides, the Zika virus is much, much scarier.

The national media is alive with the report; coffee intake is good for you! And evidently, the more the better. The data, of course, is a bit more – shall we say – nuanced.

Does your blood type – specifically, your Rh factor (positive or negative) – matter in your daily life? Not in the slightest. But when pregnant your Rh status can matter, especially if it's negative.

It never ceases to amaze me how easily people can be manipulated into worrying about nothing simply because the "nothing" is portrayed as (but really isn't) scary, while at the same time pay no attention to a "something" because it is portrayed as healthy (which is just as wrong).

A new, headlines-grabbing study reports that CTE, a type of irreversible and degenerative brain damage, was found in the tissue of 110 of 111 late NFL players tested. Does this mean all pro players will eventually be diagnosed with CTE? No, not exactly. But this news does mean that the league's long-term health has been thrown for a big loss.   

Can we prevent global warming by substituting beans, which, as compared to beef, produce less greenhouse gases? Here's the underlying hypothesis.

Though chlorine has been attacked as being "dangerous" to one's health, it's got a health-supporting side, too. In pools it combines with nitrogen-containing compounds to take them out of circulation. How do they get there in the first place? A recent study showed that (like it or not) people pee in pools — and the presence of artificial sweeteners proves it.

New research indicates that extra-virgin olive oil may not be the pure, wholesome maiden you've been anticipating for your dinner night. 

Versed, in the same drug class as Valium (but better), may be the only pleasant thing you'll experience in the hospital. Once it takes effect, you won't care what happens. Even if you're helicoptered into Damascus with a yarmulke on your head. It's that good but it doesn't completely knock you out. Its chemistry is pretty cool, too. 

Can we trust Bloomberg on science when their journalists are copying and pasting industry talking points from Organic Consumers Association?

Junkscience.com has informed the New England Journal of Medicine that it may have been the victim of scientific misconduct regarding a paper recently published on air pollution and mortality. The contention was that material information was omitted from the work.

Compared to warm winters, cold winters are likelier to land more people in the hospital, particularly the emergency room. 

David Everette was simply walking to a store when making the absolute wrong decision during a fierce thunderstorm cost him his life. Instead of racing for shelter, the North Carolina resident took shelter under a tree. The tragic incident underscores the importance of knowing what to do – and what not to – when lightning is even remotely nearby.

Some medical diagnoses are like fad diets. Everyone you know has chronic Lyme disease or gluten intolerance, if not out-and-out celiac disease (whether a medical test confirms it or not). But many are just junk medicine, just as many fad diets are junk nutrition.

A drug used to treat depression appears to work by blocking the detrimental effects of stress on brain structure.

Adherence to medical treatment involving multiple medications is not easy. Can electronic reminders and financial incentives help?

Two major league teams recently raised sun-protection awareness with their fans, many of whom often sit for hours exposed to the strong summer sun. The Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves are spreading the word (and the sunblock), having installed free sunscreen dispensers at the ballpark, all part of MLB's Play Sun Smart campaign. 

TCSPI wants to ban food coloring. Seeing Red, is a slick marketing of ideas blending health studies with some misdirection promoting an agenda to “revoke approval for all food dyes.”

The Center for Science in the Public Interest wants to ban food coloring. Seeing Red, is a slick marketing of ideas blending health studies with some misdirection promoting an agenda to “revoke approval for all food dyes.”