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Last year, a paper about CRISPR's potential off-target mutations that called CRISPR's safety into question received a lot of attention. The CRISPR field swiftly became defensive and publicly questioned the research. Turns out that authors of the paper also saw the flaws because they have recently published a "do-over" paper that discounts the original findings. 
 

Through modern science, the grim discovery of a Medieval woman's remains is able to tell the tale of a "coffin birth" and ancient brain surgery.

The authors had a clear strategy in mind: (1) Do a study on a common household object; (2) Produce boring data that doesn't surprise any microbiologist; (3) Write a provocative, fear-mongering headline; (4) Market it to a gullible, clickbait-hungry press, exhibiting no critical thinking; and (5) Watch the grant dollars roll in.

Nestle has launched a new candy bar with 30 percent less sugar than its current counterparts. The move is the latest in a pressured industry to cut down on consumers' sugar intake. 

Just when you thought you've seen it all, now we have "healthy" organic soda from Red Bull. In a way, that's appropriate, because the company's claims are all kinds of different shades of bull. It's almost funny. 

As the chick readies to hatch, the eggshell's inner surface weakens. How the hardness of eggshells is created by a matrix is fascinating biology. And it may give us insight into a more human problem: the hip fractures of old age.

A viral video by "Attn:", an activist website that produces extremely popular segments, is spreading lies about food processing in the United States and Europe. Don't fall for it.

Here is – formatted as scientism, rather than science – what the popular press says about Easter Candy. 

Four people have cholera in British Columbia – something that's never happened before in that area – creating quite a mystery as to how this could have happened.

Foodies – and you know who they are – may be turning against quinoa, the healthy grain. It's not because they feel guilty for having made poor people in South America suffer. Instead, it's due to "processing."

Deprive yourself of an adequate amount of sleep each night and you'll have a harder time regulating your body weight. Reinforcing that concept, the results of a recent study showed that when would-be dieters get less sleep their ability to lose body fat becomes more difficult.

I had the distinct pleasure of being a reviewer for the 2018-2019 Community Grants program for Komen this Fall. This is what I learned.

Newer tests can substantially speed up the determination of the causative pathogens in outbreaks of foodborne illnesses. However, because they don't provide all the detail of older culturing methods, they could make it more difficult for clear epidemiological results. A combination of methods is likely the best way to go.

Dan Berger, Ph.D. is a patent agent, who knows how nuances can result in billions of dollars going to one company rather than another. Even minor errors in drug patents can have enormous consequences. Given the stakes involved, we asked him to discuss what goes on inside pharmaceutical companies, and how their decisions ultimately affect consumers like you.

The coverage of the Uber-caused fatality in Arizona continues to mislead us about our autonomous future. And since aircraft's history of automation can tell us about the likely path forward, why aren't we listening?

Just how easy is it to get sick on a plane? Researchers from Emory University decided to find out, and to identify the factors that determined whether passengers exited the plane with or without an infection. Their findings are surprising, with one big influencer being the seat you were assigned.

Considered a win for free-range parenting, a new Utah law that goes into effect in May modifies the definition of child neglect. It allows kids "of sufficient age and maturity ... to engage in independent activities.” But what does it mean that such an action had to be taken in the first place?

A father was not permitted to board a Frontier flight with his 4-day-old infant because the airline’s policy insists on a newborn being at least 7 days old. Is such a policy sensible or not?

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force just recommended that all light-skinned children beginning at the age of six months receive skin-cancer prevention guidance. That's a stark shift from its 2012 recommendations when the panel advised this training start at age 10.

In our latest #KuriousKiddos segment, Elliot and Sullivan want to know whether or not the legend of swallowing gum is true.. Will you become part Wrigley if you swallow the rubbery goodness?

Just ahead of barbecue season, here's something to stress about: grilling and charring red meat, chicken, and fish at high temps could lead to high blood pressure, according to a recent study from the American Heart Association. But don't cancel your upcoming BBQ invites just yet — it's all in the way you cook your burger, and how often.

The latest data from the Centers for Disease Control on obesity trends are mixed. Adults – especially women – continued to gain, but the same wasn't true for younger folks. Maybe, just maybe, there's hope on the horizon for diminishing the obesity epidemic.
 

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Congress is considering changes to the privacy of our health data, specifically, our medical histories involving drug abuse and rehabilitation. Why are they treated differently? And should we change the rules? Balancing confidentiality with a physician's need to know is not always a simple decision.

The ratio of tuberculosis cases comparing immigrants to native-born Americans is more than 2:1. Standardizing these numbers paints an even starker picture. The incidence of tuberculosis is almost 15 per 100,000 immigrants, while it is only 1 per 100,000 native-born Americans. The good news is that tuberculosis is curable, and the disease is in decline all over the world.