There are reports that the former Panamanian dictator was in a coma after suffering a hemorrhage from an operation to remove a benign brain tumor. Here are some basic tenets in neurosurgery, and how operating near the brain is often a delicate dance.

Our Best and Worst Science chart sure got a reaction – mostly from those sites selling a veil of science legitimacy while providing very little.

In a recent documentary, the religion scholar ate a small piece of human brains. That was inadvisable. Given the choice of good journalism or sensationalism, Dr. Aslan chose the latter. And from a health standpoint the decision carried risks.

A new study out this week found that American couples are having less sex as compared to couples of past generations. In addition, an earlier study concluded that today's millennial couples are also less sexually engaged, despite all the signs that would indicate just the opposite.

Soy has estrogen and anti-estrogen components. This study hoped to determine whether women with breast cancer should eat more or less soy. The study itself has good and bad points. But the media presented misleading headlines, which confused more than clarified. (What else is new?)

There has been a recent eruption (sorry 'bout that) of research geared toward discovering the first vaccine to treat and/or prevent genital herpes. You can add one more contender — Michigan-based NanoBio Corporation. The company just got a NIH grant to do Phase II trials on a promising herpes vaccine. 

A number of recent headlines imply that a new case study in the New England Journal of Medicine proves that gene therapy has cured sickle cell disease — a genetic disorder that causes tremendous pain, suffering and diminished life expectancy. Let's unpack the significance of the researchers’ findings.

The point isn't to scare people about accidental carbon monoxide poisoning, which kills, on average, 374 people per year. Given our population of 319 million, that's a minor threat. Instead, this is to show that the chaotic stuff that makes the nightly newscasts is far less likely to kill you than boring, everyday things.
 
 
 

Here's a new study that answered a question for which no answer was needed. Do people pee in pools? How about bears? To find out, you'll have to waste three minutes of your time.

Not only can beliefs in cures based on folklore  – such as traditional Chinese medicine – lead one to use ineffective or dangerous nostrums, they can also have a profound effect on the wildlife that's harvested to provide some of them. Here we acquaint readers with a few you may not have heard of.