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Many question the culpability of Australian midwife Gaye Demanuele in the wake of investigations into the death of Caroline Lovell during her home birth in 2012. And while Demanuele played a major role in Lovell's passing, a closer look may show the real culprit: homeopathy.

The urine of premature infants is chock full of progenitor cells, which could have major clinical significance in restoring function to damaged kidneys.

It's well accepted that being obese, or even overweight, isn't good for you. But some data suggests that these states might actually be healthy — a situation known as the obesity paradox. A new study suggests that this apparent contradiction is tied to the metric used to decide who's fat and who isn't — the BMI.

We've known for a while that excess body fat (as in overweight and obesity) can raise the risk not only of chronic diseases like diabetes, but also some types of cancer. A new report indicates that the number of types of cancer may be more than we have thought.

While you were out barefoot skiing this summer, we were holding down the fort in steamy Manhattan, defending evidence-based science and medicine and debunking hype. (But we're not complaining; that's what we do!) So, in case you missed it, here are the top 10 most popular articles we published this summer.

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) V has relegated the terms substance abuse and substance dependence, replacing them with substance use. Substance use disorders (SUD) are characterized as mild, moderate, or severe according to the new diagnostic criteria which require evidence of impaired control, social impairment, risky use and pharmacological indicators (tolerance and withdrawal). The actual substances in consideration include alcohol, cannabis, hallucinogens, inhalants, opioids, sedatives/ hypnotics/ anxiolytics, stimulants, and tobacco. 

We thought that our fellow scientists and physicians — our peers — who joined Theranos in order to increase its transparency and communication would be willing to talk about their role on the advisory board, and the developing technology. But, after we tried to engage them, boy were we wrong.

We always hear that pediatric and veterinary medicine are similar. But is this true? We often thought there were commonalities, but after becoming a pet parent and experiencing the other side, Dr. Jaime Wells is certain. Let’s journey through the lessons she's learned.

There is nothing like a 5,000 percent hike in the price of an old, generic drug to make people furious. There is never a legitimate reason for this. But while people are screaming at drug companies (with reason), there is a lot more going on behind the scenes than meets the eye.

Once the weapon of choice for prepubescent teens, cyberbullying is now deployed, with ruthless efficiency, against PhDs who have committed the unspeakable crime of conducting research on, and publicly advocating, GMOs. The goal is straightforward: Biotech scientists must be destroyed professionally. Failing that, they must be destroyed emotionally. 

The Polymerase Chain Reaction was developed in 1983, and since that time it's become one of the most commonly-used techniques in labs across the world. The ability to amplify one region of DNA using PCR was an incredible advance to many fields of scientific research. 

When the word "natural" gets attached to any food or beverage, misunderstandings are sure to follow. Because without looking closely, the impression one receives usually is that "natural" is "better," and the process creating that natural product must be "healthier." Often that's not the case. Take "natural wine," for example.

Some men would give their right testicle to have access to contraception that doesn't involve pleasure-killing condoms or cringe-inducing surgical snips. Biology, unfortunately, has made targeting contraception at the female reproductive system far easier than targeting the male reproductive system.

Often times news stories originating from the Galapagos Islands off the coast of Ecuador focus on animal preservation efforts that have fallen short, fragile habitats spoiled by humankind and endangered species of one form or another. But recently it was about a slow-moving, four-legged centenarian tortoise known as Diego, who has been credited with single-handedly bringing his subspecies back from the brink of extinction.

Bayer, the German conglomerate, has agreed to buy Monsanto, the seed and pesticide company, for $66 billion, ending speculation about the acquisition. Now, the speculation turns to American anti-science groups and how they will continue to demonize a company that isn't part of evil America, but instead is based in the Europe they love to invoke.

It is a widely held view that once a medicine has left the pharmacy, its safety and quality cannot be guaranteed. Which means that a vast amount of prescriptions get thrown away despite having never been unsealed and touched by human hands. But there's talk now about how newer packaging technologies can provide safeguards and potentially allow for the reuse of medications.

“every time you hand somebody a slice of the cake a tiny little bit comes off, like a little crumb, and you can keep that. […] pretty soon you have enough crumbs to make a gigantic cake.”
 
Medicare pays physicians 106% of the average cost of the drug; the 6% to cover administering the drug – a crumb, Solomon Melgen recognized the crumb. Does his name sound familiar?

Last year roughly 17,000 car occupants nationwide needlessly died because they failed to take just three seconds inside the vehicle to virtually guarantee their safety. The three-point seat belt, a Swedish engineer's breakthrough invention in 1959, remains the single most effective automotive safety feature ever created. But it's being ignored too often, which explains the current, sharp rise in traffic fatalities -- and the nation's biggest one-year spike in 50 years. 

As many as half of lab tests ordered may not be necessary, and cutting back on them can not only minimize the "ouch factor," but it can also lower medical costs. Some research has been done in this area, producing some eye-opening conclusions.

Activity trackers of all sorts have become must-have piece of technology — the theory being that they can encourage people to move more. But can activity trackers added to standard behavioral interventions help people lose more weight and maintain the weight loss longer? A recent study says ... not so much.

The scientific review process should be rigorous, fair and unbiased. However, a new study in JAMA indicates that none of those may be true, finding that those who author a paper influences how stringently the data are judged. 

A warning just published by the British Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency alerts women and their healthcare providers that some medications and herbal preparations can interfere with the efficacy of emergency contraceptive pills.

How should scientists respond to the rising tide of anti-scientific sentiment in the world? The backlash against modern technology is widespread: Protests against genetic engineering, vaccines and "chemicals" are just some of the areas of concern. What can scientists do to address this problem?

Earlier this month the FDA required that a "black box" warning — the most serious category — be placed on the "super hepatitis C drugs," such as Sovaldi and Harvoni. It doesn't make a lot of sense. An overreaction? That's what we believe. Here's why.

Recognizing the rapid rate of technological change in U.S. households, the American Academy of Pediatrics announced new guidelines for Children's Media Use that can be applied to all kids under 18, including infants. This welcome news gives parents a roadmap for navigating the often-perilous topic of determining the right amount of time that children can spend staring at computers, smartphones and TV screens.