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E-cigarettes remain controversial. They are frequently offered as an effective bridge to smoking cessation. But that path may be harder than we anticipated.

Roaming through your body is a group of specialized immune cells which act stealthily and authoritatively. They "ask" other body cells to show them identification ("papers please!"). If they fail to provide adequate ID those cells are killed on the spot. No questions asked. Scientists are now recruiting these cells to help in the fight against cancer.

It's no walk in the park to be born, for mom or baby. A new study hopes to shed light on just how stressful an average, uneventful delivery is on the fetal head and brain.

Like educators who "teach for the test," hospitals and health systems are able to quickly learn and adapt to new rules, especially those that come with financial rewards and penalties.

A 16-year-old girl uses her social media account to post this question: Should I kill myself? Sixty-nine percent of people who responded said yes. So she did. This isn't the plot of a twisted new movie. This, according to a report coming from Malaysia, actually happened. There are four important points to discuss stemming from this tragedy.

When it comes to delivery location, the stakes are too high to add a risk factor or hurdle to childbirth. Hospital births are the safest choice.

Michelle Obama’s memoir, Becoming, sold 10 million copies in just six months.  Random House Chief Executive said, “It could be the biggest selling autobiography ever.”  In addition to people buying her book, they are shelling out big bucks to see her speak about it. If Let’s Move Childcare had that success rate, childhood obesity would be eradicated like the bubonic plague. But that didn't happen. Here's why.

While some argue that a continued decline in the birth rate will merit a failed replacement rate for the overall population, it's time to take a pause and appreciate the nuances in these observed trends.

Uh oh, we're in trouble. The "Mexican Blood Flu" is upon us. We've never heard of it, but it sure sounds nasty.
Rumors of a superbug virus that kills 70% of the seniors over 55 who become infected are flying around the internet via emails and a Facebook Page, which is hosted a group called Wake Up America and Stand United. Is this something you should worry about? Better read this.

On climate policy, Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez believe there is no middle ground. AOC said, "You're either fighting for our future or you're not," which sounds an awful lot like, "You're either with us or against us." This is wrong and counterproductive.

With the hope of increasing accessibility for a burdensome medical issue, can this application actually make a dent as a screening or diagnostic tool?

Sometimes you just have to speak your mind. A TV ad demonstrates the power of language to further demean medical care.

More and more frequently, prior scientific work is not "reproducible." But is it a crisis? And does reproducibility lead us to "truth"? A study of how science may find truth discovers that the diversity of scientific approaches may be crucial.

A story that's gone viral (again) claims that McDonald's touchscreen menus are fecally tainted. Is it true? No. The global headlines saying otherwise are total lies. So, on what basis are these folks making that ridiculous claim?

Another day, another chemical scare: this time, baby clothing. According to the NGO Green America, there are 8,000 chemicals used to manufacture clothing and some of those are gonna harm your kid. That's why the group is going after Carter's, the biggest manufacturer of kids' clothing, including OshKosh B’gosh! Classic shakedown? You tell me.

Jimmy Carter is reportedly doing well, recovering from surgery for a broken hip sustained after the 94-year-old former president fell at his home. With falls among the top five leading causes of preventable death, context is paramount.

A recent paper gives us a preview of precision medicine, and the breadth of the undertaking should humble us. Consider it medicine's moonshot.

Years after his TV show, Bill Nye experienced a resurgence in popularity. But instead of the old, nerdy-but-lovable Bill Nye, we got Bill Nye 2.0, a somewhat cantankerous scold who clearly knows less about science than he leads on.

Since the focus of pharmaceutical research has shifted from oral, small molecule medications (pills) to biologics (injectables derived from living sources) the price of new drugs has soared. Biologicals are more difficult to manufacture and purify than traditional medications. Biosimilars are analogous to (but different generic versions of traditional drugs). But the difference creates a unique set of issues. ACSH friend Dr. Robert Popovian and colleagues recently wrote about some of the complexities of biosimilars.

The Trump Administration now requires drug advertising to provide a medication's list price. Manufacturers that were initially resistant have reconsidered and have agreed. The only group losing here are patients, who are no closer to lower drug prices or better information than before.

Everyone is perpetually confused about how often nutrition experts change their minds about the health impact of consuming eggs. In the past several weeks alone, two powerful studies -- of course, contradicting each other -- were published in major medical journals. One states that eggs will prevent heart attacks; the other that they will lead to heart attacks and death. What's the real message? ACSH advisor Dr. David Seres explains.

A 50-year-old man’s rare condition caused by a catastrophic stroke leaves him unable to move, speak or perform basic functions like chewing and swallowing. All the while his mind is intact. The diagnosis is called “locked-in syndrome,” and here's a look at this terrifying condition.

Is it possible to separate the roles of our genetic inheritance from our environment? Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and polygenic scores have tried to look at the genetic component. But it turns out that polygenic scores vary as much with our "not inheritable characteristics" -- like years of schooling -- as they do with our race or ethnicity. 

Promising work just published in the journal Nature Medicine offers hope when antibiotic resistance, in an extremely sick patient, renders limited treatments.

If you've ever had the pleasure of having a kidney stone, you certainly don't need a lesson about pain. But just in case that wasn't sufficient, here's some more: a lesson about the chemistry of kidney stones. There will be a quiz. Hope you pass it.