The average cell phone holds an estimated 25,000 germs — in every square inch — making it one of the nastiest things you touch daily. And marketers, to sell you stuff, want to obtain a swab sample from it to analyze, then compare what's found to an archive of particles. But what about those who handle their phones on the toilet? Yuck.
Other Science News
The process to become a naturopath has been packaged to resemble actual medicine. The degree earned even contains the word "doctor," as in Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine. But in comparing the education that physicians and naturopaths obtain in order to prepare for their professions reveals a significant difference.
A paper was recently published in Cancer on who, and why, patients seek second opinions on prostate cancer. Despite recommendations from both the National Cancer Institute and the American Cancer Society for cancer patients to seek second opinions regarding treatment, there is little substantive medical literature on the behavior surrounding this option.
More than 40 million people across the country watched the Cubs win Game 7 of the World Series. Thinking about America in 1908, when the Cubs last were champs, could be one big reason why their story has resonated with the public. So we compared some of today's public health issues to those of 108 years ago.
Don't be fooled by the rocks that she's got: Jennifer Lopez is just your average, everyday molecular biologist. Or, at least, she might be if a new TV show continues moving through the production pipeline at NBC. Her co-star will be a technique called CRISPR that has the ability to edit the genes in our DNA in a truly revolutionary way.
A research team consisting of an anthropologist, a geographer and an archeologist just released a study that is providing scientists insight as to how ancient seafarers likely used climate conditions to discover and eventually populate some of the "most remote regions on Earth."
The American Lung Association of California is claiming that a big push in the use of Zero Emission Vehicles would save Americans billions of dollars in health costs each year. What's more, the group adds that it would also save thousands of lives. Unfortunately, those are just wild promises and not much more.
The news regarding antibiotic misuse is, needless to say, bleak. But the work being done by Dr. Sara Cosgrove and Dr. Pranita Tamma offers a ray of hope. And an arm of the Dept. of Health and Human Services seems to agree, financing their work with $16 million, which is a lot for that governmental agency.
The American Medical Association is seeing the switch to brighter, longer-lasting LED street lamps as troubling, even raising some health concerns that it's calling potentially "harmful." But to us, those concerns seem baffling and overblown, because when its policy statement is examined it's hard to discern what the concern is all about.
When it comes to food -- shopping for, eating and disposing of it -- it's surprising how lack of awareness frequently factors into each area. Apparently this was a recurring theme given the tepid news coverage following last weekend's World Food Day, coupled with a recent consumer survey regarding food consumption and waste.
The death of a young, vibrant, single mother is beyond tragic. When that death could have been avoided, it is infuriating. When it is at the hand of a chiropractor, it is time for things to change.
It's known that predatory open access (pOA) journals have low standards. But the story of the paper submission of Dr. Alexandre Martin's son, Tristan, underscores just how unethical they are. If published, Tristan would have plagiarized his work without ever having been aware of it. Did we mention that Tristan is seven years old?