Podcast: Why Soda Taxes Fail; Seeding Clouds With Silver; Climate Change Causes Heart Attacks?

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China is 'seeding' clouds to increase rainfall and fight a severe drought. Will it work? A large body of research shows that soda taxes are ineffective, so why do public health experts continue to endorse them? Finally, has climate change increased the number of heart attacks we suffer? No.

Join our directors of bio-sciences, chemistry, and medicine Cameron English, Dr. Josh Bloom, and Dr. Chuck Dinerstein as they break down these stories on episode 20 of the Science Dispatch podcast.

Much of the planet is now in the grips of a severe drought. This has prompted China to try cloud seeding to try to squeeze some water from the clouds. Is this real? Does it work? The Dreaded Chemistry Lesson From Hell is included at no extra charge.

Sugar-sweetened beverages, SSBs, contain added sugar, or in some cases, noncaloric sweeteners, and are nonalcoholic. As global waistlines have increased, so have taxes on these “bad boy” products – now implemented in “45 countries, including numerous subnational local jurisdictions.” A systematic review considers the impact of these taxes on raising revenue and improving health.

Climate change is real; we contribute to it. But warmer temperatures aren't driving unprecedented increases in the number of heart attacks we suffer.

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