A new study shows that when we mentally tally expert opinions, we treat numeric predictions differently than those predicted by words. One of those expressions moves us towards a more extreme prediction offered by experts.

Our northern neighbor has banned flavors in vaping products since 2015. The results are mixed, and the ban represents an incomplete solution to underage use of this new nicotine delivery system. If flavor is not the only gateway, might we consider the desire to rebel and be part of a group?

Some chemicals are so dangerous that even experienced chemists hate to use them. Here's a real doozy. Diazomethane is an explosive, highly toxic gas, which is a carcinogen. It is made from another toxic carcinogen and the chemical that makes Drano work. Aside from that, it's just fine.

From what may have been the first fake science news to the actual road between farm and table (with a stop to admire the writing of NY Times restaurant critic). It's autumn in New York.

Dr. Pinker is an excellent writer and thinker. Perhaps his greatest contribution to our national dialogue is his insistence, backed up by considerable research, that life keeps getting better and better. However, he seems to miss the mark in a recent essay titled "Why We Are Not Living in a Post‑Truth Era."

Dr. David Shlaes, an expert in microbiology and infectious diseases, argues that the numbers of patients today in the developed world with highly-resistant infections are insufficient to drive an adequate market for antibacterial drugs to fight against these resistant pathogens.

We're now nearly two years into taxing sugar-sweetened beverages. The current data on individual household purchases shows that these taxes are slimming wallets more than waistlines. And of the four cities considered, only Philadelphia showed a persistent decline in consumption, reaping all the "benefit."

Bancroft, a popular author, claims that "soft-spoken, gentle, and supportive" men are actually emotionally manipulative abusers of women. Perhaps it shouldn't come as a surprise that an author who spreads destructive, evidence-free psychobabble is also an anti-vaxxer.

Human physiology is complex. Homeostasis tells us that our physiologic responses maintain us within a specific range. Fractal physiology tells us that, over time, our responses become less responsive. And those changes can be seen years before clinical disease is apparent.

ACSH advisor Dr. Wolfgang Vogel was not pleased about how the 1998 settlement money between the tobacco industry and state governments was spent. Little of the $246 billion actually went to smoking cessation programs. Will we see the same irresponsible use of funds obtained from lawsuits against opioid makers?