In Brazil, a new viral infection called Zika is doing great harm. It's causing an epidemic of severe birth defects, so much so that doctors are advising women to delay becoming pregnant. There is no treatment for it, although in non-pregnant victims the symptoms are not terribly severe.

Anti-vax sentiment gets a lot of media attention, but casual refusal of the flu vaccine doesn't. That said, it should, for no other reason than that many healthy people are putting senior citizens, and babies, and young people with immune issues at greater risk.

Vitamin D has acquired the reputation of a sort of miracle nutrient, with various studies suggesting it can prevent cancer, strengthen muscle and bones and prevent falls and fractures. But recent studies don't support such ideas thus, no new miracles in sight!

What exactly is missing from your diet that must be supplemented by an anabolic steroid? Not sure? Well, we don't know either. To find out, go ask Orrin Hatch. The longtime Utah Senator co-crafted the law that allows this insanity to occur.

Hypothesis: A tiny dose of a chemical causes a greater biological response than a small or moderate dose. Sound ridiculous? Sure does. But that idea, known as hormesis, sounds just as wacky as when Einstein outlined quantum mechanics and Wegener proposed continental drift (and we know how those turned out).

About 20 percent of cancer clinical trials recruit less than half of the target number of participants. Knowing what factors contribute to this ongoing dilemma in cancer clinical trials could shift resources in the right direction.

Hormonal contraception has traditionally been available only with a doctor's prescription. That is changing in both Oregon and California, where only a pharmacist's approval will be necessary. But, is this a good development?

Three independently-working groups have developed an effective, albeit temporary, therapy for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy to delete the defective gene and replace it with a functional gene. Although these succeeded in mice, human treatment will not be far behind.

In the film, actor Will Smith plays Dr. Bennet Omalu, who elucidated the cause of early dementia, depression and death among a group of former NFL players: repetitive head trauma from football, known as CTE, and the opposition he had to overcome to publicize it.

People tend to fear what they don't understand, and cannot control. And that adds to the apprehension people have when evaluating the safety of food produced using genetically modified organisms. But added safety may be found in a new concept: a biologically-engineered "kill switch" for GM microbes.