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The FDA recently decided that simple CRISPR-induced changes in plants did not represent genetic modification. Then why do those officials feel differently about the same CRISPR-induced changes in animals? 

New research from The Scripps Research Institute in San Diego found that protective IgG antibodies, one of five major classes of antibodies, may not be the most important ones when it comes to fighting off a flu infection. This insight may help make future flu vaccines and other treatments much more effective.

This year's theme for this nonsense culture is "Homeopathy for Pregnancy and Childbirth." With no shortage of stories where kids have been hurt or killed at homeopathy's hand, it seems wholly appropriate to point out specific instances showing how dangerous this foolish practice really is.

A science fair that recently took place wasn't giving out blue ribbons for homemade volcanoes. Rather, the projects were original research done by some of top-notch, high school talent, with the winners pocketing hefty cash awards. In the world of research, check out what this generation of future scientists finds both interesting and important.

The reason The Population Bomb was so terrible is not that its predictions were wrong; most scientists make incorrect predictions. No, the book is terrible because of how it made people in the developed world feel about people in the developing world. Namely, that they are little more than hungry cockroaches who shouldn't be fed.

The U.S. space agency recently launched sperm specimens, from humans and bulls, to the international space station. There, astronauts will conduct experiments on the impact of microgravity on sperm’s motility and function.

The attention paid to concussions, and the long-term brain damage they cause, has been an essential advance in injury prevention. But an important by-product of that research reveals how microconcussions  – hits to the brain that don't produce visible symptoms – also need to be minimized so as to limit future cognitive decline.

A new, 50-page study manages to say in 17,701 words something that has been obvious for years: The replacement of OxyContin with abuse-resistant OxyContin was the driving force behind the surge in heroin deaths. Oh, really.  

Rumor has it, millennials don't bother with the flat sheet, and we just can't even. 
The flat sheet isn't the only thing millennials have shunned, though. Here's a full list of all things killed off by the avocado toast eaters.

Americans are increasingly choosing alternate sites of care, specifically retail clinics, urgent care centers and telemedicine. Their choices reflect a balancing of care, convenience and price. But in the end, what's the true overall cost of this shift?
 

A guide to those in college considering a career in medicine, or others contemplating a shift into or within healthcare and its related professions.

1. NPR used us to fact check the claims of a California judge who declared that coffee must come with a cancer warning - because the beans are roasted and IARC has declared everything a carcinogen. Various regional NPR sites also carried us. The links are at the bottom.

After examining a quarter century of federal traffic crash data, researchers found a 12 percent higher incidence of a fatal accident taking place on April 20 after 4:20 pm, the unofficial start time of the drug's holiday.

Physicians are beginning to modify their prescribing habits. The new consensus is practical, it can be started today and it doesn't involve Congressional hearings, lawsuits or new regulations.

Despite widespread national attention, there's no sign that the ongoing drug overdose epidemic is getting better. Meanwhile, the CDC just released two reports, the first of which gave an overview of drug-related mortality rates.

Those with celiac disease need to maintain a 100% gluten-free diet. This makes the results of a new study, showing that gluten is sneaking into these diets, both surprising and disheartening.

An article late last year in the Journal of the American Medical Association should not just have come with a well-hidden edit showing the conflicts six months later. It should have come with a warning label stating that no real science was involved.

Mary Shelley popularized the work of Luigi Galvani, work that continues today. And while electricity does not reanimate the dead, bioelectricity – Galvani's legacy – may have a role in our embryologic development.

Anti-aging pills and creams get a lot of hype. But does anything actually extend lifespan? Scientists have known that "caloric restriction" extends lifespan in other animals for decades. But now they show that it may work in humans, too.

One of the biggest goals of autism research is to determine its cause. And one of the best ways to achieve that is to rule out the things that don't cause it. So let's acknowledge this month by doing just that.

We know that lack of sleep is a factor in auto accidents, and getting more of it is the answer. But what if someone exists in a perpetual sleepy state and doesn't realize it? What's the solution? Researchers from a Boston hospital looked to find out.

Damaged by the environment, tomb robbers and time, a severed mummified head from the early Middle Kingdom was finally identified. All thanks to science!

A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that middle-aged adults, who went on to lose the majority of their total wealth during a two-year period, had a 50 percent greater chance of dying within the next 20 years than those whose wealth remained stable, or had increased.

It's no secret that carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE), a nightmare infection, is spreading. There are now about 200 cases identified in the United States. But most people don't know how scientists determine whether a bug is resistant to a given antibiotic or not. It's really pretty simple, so here's a quick primer. 

High blood pressure is not a static event, it's dynamic, the result of multiple causes changing at different rates. Treating high blood pressure, or any disease, as a static process makes our models more inaccurate.