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Hannah Arendt felt that authority and responsibility were entwined; physicians are no longer the sole authorities of medical care. So in a rush to be "in charge" who remains accountable?

Dr. Henry Miller, a former FDA deputy commissioner, used to be a big fan of the New York Times' coverage of science and medicine. But no longer. He takes issue with an editorial that accuses the agency of reducing its scrutiny of new drugs. Dr. Miller explains why the Times is off-base: the development of precision medicine.

You don't need to purchase an air purifier for your house. You have a built-in air purifier called the respiratory system.

Ships could be floated to developing countries which often lack the capital for large construction projects. And they could simply plug a ship into their power grid, buying electricity like any consumer.

Recently, we received a very nice note from a reader, who happens to be an organic chemist: "A quick note to thank you for making the world of complex science accessible and easy to understand for the guy in the street. As an organic chemist... I understand, first hand, that it is a gift to be able to convey science and convert it into action for people whose live are made safer with practical knowledge. Awesome job."

Observers claim that a study identified several clauses in old Coca-Cola research contracts, those that “could suppress ‘critical health information’ and indeed may have already done so.” And while “the documents contained no firm examples of Coca-Cola suppressing unfavorable research, … the study's authors say "what is important is that the provision exists."

The mad rush to rid this country of demonic prescription analgesic drugs (mainly Vicodin and Percocet) has put pain patients and their doctors in an unprecedented dilemma. What can they do for pain when real drugs are unavailable? Many have turned (or been forced to turn) to the epilepsy drug Neurontin, which is used off-label for pain. But does it work? Please read this and find out.

Before any misinformation spreads, it's important to unpack the real significance of surpassing a due date for mother and infant.

Successful organ transplantation requires that a logistically complex series of events take place well beyond the scope of an ideally-matched donor and recipient. As the applications keep expanding, delivery-focused technology is a boon for healthcare.

Two studies look at how you can use words to spin non-significant findings into published studies, and how falsified data spreads unchecked from one meta-analysis to another.

Pop quiz: What do The New York Times, Jeffrey "the yogic flying instructor" Smith, and the National Resources Defense Council have in common? Answer: They all shamelessly lie about glyphosate to make money. (And you get extra credit if you answered "They are all bad sources of science information.")

Certain foods, due to their effect on blood sugar levels, precipitate the release of molecules which are associated with inflammation. Excessive consumption of refined carbohydrates, french fries or soda isn't going to trigger that response. While those who eat this way may have significant negative health issues, it won't be due to so-called “inflammatory” foods. To suggest so is junk-science and a lack of common sense.

What do investors think about antibiotics companies? Not much. Paratek, priced at just $5.42, has a 36% short ratio -- or tradable shares being shorted by skeptical investors. Companies with market caps under $200 million do not bold well, either. Anyone who doubts that the antibiotic market is broken needs only ask the investors.

A group of researchers studying drinks seeks a genetic source of our taste. And one important questions emerges: Are some people genetically wired to drink bitter or sweet beverages more often?

Are Giant pandas closer to bears or raccoons? It turns out that based on their eating habits, they share qualities of both. Perhaps pandas are not the vegetarians they seem to be.

Who better to tell us what drives our choice in foods than marketers? We pay more attention to those front-of-the-package claims than to the nutritional information hidden on the back. What a surprise.

It's hayfever season, and this year it's brutal. People will be buying all kinds of drugs to stop sneezing and dry up runny noses, but most of them won't work very well. And if you dare wander into the abyss of online decongestants, you better read this article. That is, if you want to understand the thousands of products (mostly bad) that companies are hawking. This is nothing to sneeze about.

A couple of years ago Panera Bread went crazy. Those high up in the corporation decided that selling really great tasting food was no longer a sufficient strategy. No, they reasoned, if Panera Bread wanted continued success it needed to go on a full-frontal assault against science. 

Time for another hideous chemistry lesson. No one requested a tutorial on this interesting metal. But guess what -- you got one anyhow! Palladium, named after a Greek goddess and worth more than gold, also keeps our air clean. There's plenty of interesting stuff you'll learn here (if you can stand to read this).

Digital health is coming, and many services are already coming to a smartphone near you. As the first guidelines from the World Health Organization indicate, the obstacles aren't technological. They're regulatory.

The disposable cup was meant to be a public health initiative. But over time it has become a societal concern, just like plastic bags.

As banning plastic -- especially bags -- becomes "a thing," biodegradable or cloth bags are taking their place. But how degradable are they?

Different people respond to cannabis in different ways, making a blood THC level difficult to legislate.

The medicines we swallow contain inactive ingredients, and among those ingredients are 38 known allergens. Are they a cause of concern? Perhaps, but just for a very, very few of us.

Professional societies annually release guidelines designed to standardize and improve care. But implementing those standards is harder than they -- or frankly, most of us -- think. A concerted effort to improve surgical care across the United Kingdom is falling short.