GNC is screaming mad over a late decision by the Fox network to reject its commercial from the Super Bowl broadcast. This shifty purveyor of supplements, vitamins and all sorts of unsavory stuff is saying it was blindsided by the move as is threatens to sue. Instead, here's a better idea: Stop selling dangerous products – and get off the NFL's banned list of companies.

While government tried to figure out what to do with itself over the past few weeks, we were spreading science across America.

The controversy over GMOs lives on, despite the scientific community's best efforts to quell the scaremongering. In order to gather the public's concerns, the FDA is requesting comments on the topic of genome editing, in the production of plants that would be eaten by both humans and animals.

Back in the day, AARP used to stand for the American Association of Retired Persons. But since the organization offers membership to anyone over age 50 – and Americans' ideas of "retirement" have been radically altered since the organization's founding in 1958 – AARP is no longer just for those who, to borrow a phrase from the fifties, have stopped punching a clock.

ACSH's "on-site mother" Marge Bloom turns 90 on Saturday, February 4th, 2017. We get to see plenty of her, but the rest of you have not been so fortunate. Until now. Happy Birthday Marge!
                      
 
                     

The FDA confirmed the presence of of the poisonous substance, belladonna, in the homeopathic teething remedies linked to the deaths of 10 infants. More importantly, its analysis detected amounts that were inconsistent between samples, meaning some of the levels were much higher than what the product's label indicated. 

There are many good reasons to avoid illegal drugs, like addiction and overdosing. The next best is that local street chemists aren't terribly trustworthy. It's common for drugs to be mixed with other chemicals, some of which are far more dangerous than the drug itself. Case in point: Fentanyl, which is often mixed into heroin.

While a march to support science sounds like a good idea, given the agenda our Alex Berezow has decided to skip it. He had misgivings that the event, now scheduled for April 22 in Washington, DC, would be hijacked by the kind of political partisanship it should instead be concerned about – and that has indeed come true.

It’s official! Word just came in from Punxsutawney Phil as his 2017 prediction scroll—translated from Groundhogese— proclaims:

New data shows that more than eight in ten Americans "support requiring all healthy schoolchildren to be vaccinated for measles, mumps and rubella." In addition, an overwhelming number of adults – 88 percent – "believe that the benefits of these inoculations outweigh the risks."