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In March of 2016, a game called "Tom Clancy's The Division" was released. Unlike other "shooter" games such as "Destiny" and "Call of Duty", "The Division" has a compelling science story.(1) And the plot began on "Black Friday", the busiest shopping day of the year.

Welcome to our three part series discussing the science behind director Kathleen Gyllenhaal's latest documentary, IN UTERO.  "To Avoid Adult Dysfunction Start 'IN UTERO'" took a deeper look at the health ramifications of toxic stress in prenatal life and its role in contributing to adult disease.  Part I of our Q&A with Gyllenhaal emphasizes health, Hollywood, how a story gets told and the parallels between funding for film and scientific research. 
Welcome to our three part series discussing the science behind director Kathleen Gyllenhaal's latest documentary, IN UTERO. In Part II of the Q&A, we explore her insights into motherhood and the impact of her recent film.  

The Epstein-Barr virus has always been a bit mysterious. It is responsible for mononucleosis, and is suspected of being a cause of chronic fatigue syndrome, although this disease remains poorly understood. The concept of viruses causing cancer is not new.

Data from emergency room visits shows that over a four-year period roughly 30,000 of them, each year, were for sports-related eye injuries. And that a majority -- two-thirds of females and 60 percent of males -- involved patients under age 18. Injuries were also categorized by sport or activity, to better understand how they occurred, providing information that can help parents.

Florida is in the middle of a major 'not in my backyard' brouhaha at the moment and biotechnology is at the center of the debate.

In its latest issue of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, the CDC estimates the worldwide impact that vaccination against measles. The results are both encouraging and breathtaking. What would happen if there was no measles vaccine? Roughly 1.5 million people would die of the disease every single year.

Outside of the Western world, insect consumption is common. The Chinese, for instance, will eat just about anything that crawls on six (or more) legs. Centipedes and fried scorpions appear on the menu. Not only is entomophagy widespread, it's also probably healthier for people -- and the planet -- than eating other animals.

It's widely believed that a low basal metabolism predisposes a person to weight gain and obesity. And it makes sense since a low BMR can be a substantial part of a sedentary person's energy expenditure. But a recent study couldn't find such a connection, so the old I'm fat because I have a slow metabolism excuse won't hold water, at least according to this study.

In March, Genocea’s GEN-003, became the first-ever effective herpes vaccine in human clinical trials, generating intense, worldwide interest. But now, Rational Vaccines just announced the first results of its own herpes vaccines, which may represent a substantial improvement over 003. Here's our interview with Rational's Chief Science Officer, William Halford, PhD.

Anyone remotely familiar with the scientific method understands that just like a ruler or a telescope, statistics is a tool. Scientists use the tool primarily for one purpose: To answer the question, "Is my data meaningful?" Properly used, statistics is one of science's most powerful tools. But used improperly, statistics can be highly misleading.

There are some unanswered questions about the long-term health safety of e-cigarettes. Studies have suggested that "vaping" is safer than smoking because it doesn't expose a person to the inhaled toxins found in cigarette smoke that can cause cancer. A recent study published in Mutation Research has furthered this thinking, showing that e-cigarettes do not cause mutation in DNA. 

For a scientist, a trip to Whole Foods is equal parts amusement and Dante's Inferno. These guys are selling some crazy stuff (along with some damn fine pie).

As with most politicized topics, science gets quickly drowned out by activists' hyperbole and exaggeration. The American Academy of Pediatrics says that the benefits of circumcision outweigh the risks, though it falls short of giving the procedure a blanket endorsement.

What we eat – as opposed to how much – is a hot topic, and meat consumption is often scrutinized. A study that tracked almost 100,000 Americans for five years found that non-meat eaters were less likely to die – of any cause – during the study period than meat eaters. Now not all studies agree, however, as some show no difference at all in longevity between meat eaters and non-meat eaters. 

Many natural remedies do not work. Despite those who swear by herbal medicines and other traditions that stretch back, in some cases, thousands of years, modern science often cannot verify the claimed benefits. But that isn't always the case. Occasionally, scientists confirm that a traditional remedy indeed does work, and one such example has been reported recently in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

More than 40 million people across the country watched the Cubs win Game 7 of the World Series. Thinking about America in 1908, when the Cubs last were champs, could be one big reason why their story has resonated with the public. So we compared some of today's public health issues to those of 108 years ago. 

Ideology is a double-edged sword. Dedication to a set of beliefs can be admirable, but when it leads to inflexibility and obstinance in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, it is a dangerous thing. Such ideological rigidity -- often found among the adherents of various philosophical, religious, and political doctrines -- can lead to the rejection of evidence-based inquiry, which serves as the bedrock of modern science.

Homeopathic products are a scam. It's a multi-billion dollar business pedaling its goods for any ailment imaginable, despite any evidence that they're effective. But this sketchy enterprise took a hit this week, one that may result in a change in the industry. The Federal Trade Commission announced several changes as to how homeopathic products must be labeled for marketing. 
 

There are a variety of prescription sleep aids available. Some are far better than others. We took considerable time to tabulate and compare commonly-used insomnia drugs. Here's hoping you can stay awake long enough to read about it.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest, an activist group known for nuisance lawsuits related to health issues and scaremongering just about every food in the modern world, wants the Department of Agriculture to put warning labels on bacon. Yes, bacon.

What do consumers think about organic or genetically modified foods? Demographics don't seem to make a difference, but according to a recent survey "food ideology" does.

Americans take comfort knowing that competition works to keep prices in check, which keeps businesses on their toes while they deliver price-trimming benefits to consumers. However, when it comes to the market for medication that treats erectile dysfunction, that assumption simply and shockingly does not apply.

To start the second week of our Christmas song, we're presenting seven wacky weight-loss diets — ranging from blood types to tapeworms — that have all reached fad proportions at some point. Read them ... and avoid them!

Even if you have healthy, adult teeth and gums your dentist may recommend X-rays be taken every year. The dental profession, however, says otherwise. Annual preventive X-rays, called bitewings, for healthy dental patients are not necessary, according to the American Dental Association.

Lost in the synthetic-natural debate is something that actually matter. It is called semisynthesis, and it has saved many lives. Here's how it works.