While it remains popular to attribute the opioid‐​related overdose crisis to doctors prescribing pain relievers to patients, the evidence shows there is no correlation between prescription volume and non‐​medical opioid use or opioid use disorder.

The coronavirus has mutated to become more infectious. Does that mean it will become more or less lethal? And what implication does it have for a vaccine and herd immunity?

How old is your dog, in dog years? The widely used rule of thumb – human years x 7 – is apparently incorrect. The science behind the new formula tells us something about extrapolation and a lot about how both we, and our canine friends, age. And the Hanks-dog graph is kinda cool, too.

In the world of nutrition, potatoes seem to have fallen from grace. Meanwhile, sweet potatoes still -- largely -- get away scot-free. What is this travesty? We examine the evidence.

Maybe barbeque and beach trips were modified over the weekend in the face of COVID-19. But surely it's appropriate to have a time-tested cautionary article go with America's birthday.

Vaccines for COVID-19 get most of the headlines. But it is possible, if not likely, that a drug or combination of drugs may be quicker to develop, and possibly will be more effective in controlling the virus. Here's an opinion piece making the case that recently ran in the Baltimore Sun, co-authored by ACSH's Dr. Josh Bloom and ACSH advisor Dr. Katherine Seley-Radtke.

An interview with the editor of The Lancet where he explains those recent retractions. A story of an ecologic problem in the voice of Rudyard Kipling. A query into fishy meanings of a name.

We must dismantle the perfect storm of incivility, anti-intellectualism, and tribalism -- worsened by the sewer pipe of social media -- that has gripped our country. In its place, we must foster a culture of intellectualism, skepticism, and empathy. But that lofty goal seems unreachable in the current milieu.

Much remains biologically uncertain about COVID-19, especially when it comes to its infectiousness. For example, how many particles must be taken to allow the virus to begin to replicate within oneself? On the other hand, the virus particle itself is subject to well-established laws of physics. So, when it comes to masks and social distancing, how can physics inform our understanding? Let's take a look.

Researchers in the journal Physics of Fluids  just published a visualization of the dispersion of droplets from simulated coughing. It's worth a look.