Even in 2015 over 100 years after aspirin and heroin were discovered there's still no good (or even acceptable) way to treat pain, especially when it's chronic and severe. This unmet medical need is now a very hot topic, especially since the FDA recently approved OxyContin for children.

An agency in Bangladesh announced that life-saving Golden Rice has passed trials in contained facilities and will soon move on to open-field tests. If all goes well, the crop will finally be approved for farmers to grow. It's been a long fight to receive approval, but success now appears to be at hand.

Clostridium difficile (C. diff) is one of the many bacteria that inhabit our gastrointestinal tract. Normally, it is harmless. But when patients receive intensive antibiotic therapy, especially in hospitals, it can overgrow and become life-threatening. Fortunately, a new study shows it can be controlled with a common-sense approach.

The FDA approved a DNA screening test of cerebrospinal fluid that can tell a physician in under an hour if a patient has viral or bacterial meningitis. If you are familiar with the differences between these two types -- one of which can be fatal -- you know this is a big deal.

Cause-specific mortality using death registries and their nationwide health insurance system lead the authors to project an estimated 20 percent of all adult male deaths this decade in China will be linked to cigarettes

Needle exchange programs where addicts can exchange dirty syringes for clean ones are effective in preventing the spread of HIV, a finding that's highlighted in a new CDC report. But in terms of curbing the overall drug abuse problem, the programs themselves remain controversial.

It is certainly true that activists and websites preying on their audiences lack of scientific literacy often exploit that ignorance and engage in fear-mongering, but this does not account for their total success. Activists use two other emotions to get positive outcomes for their causes: outrage and empowerment.

Another Listeria incident has occurred in organic cheese.

A new study claims that people who undergo weight loss surgery have higher rates of suicide attempts than those who don't. Is this really true? Maybe, maybe not. A flaw in the study makes it impossible to tell.

Ever thought of refreezing meat or fish you thawed for dinner (but didn't cook) but chose not to because you felt it might not be safe to eat later? Well, refreezing can be safe under the right circumstances, if you follow the proper guidelines.