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It has come to our attention that Dr. Chris D'Adamo is not the son of Peter, as we stated. We regret our error and have corrected the article.

February is Children’s Health Month, which makes it a fitting time to remember that some of medicine’s greatest victories are so complete that we forget the world that came before them. Fluoride is one of those victories. But it is, increasingly, one of our most enduring controversies.

Raw milk has long been at the center of passionate debate, with public health concerns often clashing against emerging research on its microbial complexity and potential benefits. A recent ACSH commentary appears to overlook a growing body of peer-reviewed evidence. This review highlights key scientific advances that challenge outdated assumptions and call for a more balanced, evidence-based conversation.

Glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, has been deemed safe by major regulators worldwide — yet it remains the center of one of the largest product liability battles in modern history. After billions in verdicts and settlements fueled by cancer claims, Bayer is now taking its fight to the US Supreme Court. The question could reshape how federal safety approvals interact with state-level lawsuits for years to come.

GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy are often portrayed as sudden breakthroughs, but their roots extend back more than a century. The path from early hormone research to today’s obesity medications is long, complex, and anything but smooth.

If you’re confused about what you’re allowed to eat this week, don’t worry—you’re not alone. The rules change constantly and without notice. Rest assured, jelly donuts retain their culinary splendor.

Raw milk debates tend to harden into camps, but the benefits and risks are more complicated than either side often admits. I revisit earlier claims from ACSH articles in the past few weeks, acknowledging shortcomings. The result is not a verdict, but I argue for clearer evidence, better oversight, and more humility, especially on my part, in how science is communicated.

February is filled with reminders of love and health. Beyond Valentine’s Day, February is an “awareness month” for both breast cancer and cardiovascular disease in women. Cardiovascular disease and cancer remain the first and second leading causes of death in U.S. women. Although these conditions are often discussed separately, they are deeply interconnected. Together, they form what researchers now call the survivor’s paradox—a medical success story shadowed by an unexpected and life-altering consequence.

Statins have been blamed for everything short of causing bad hair days—especially by the alternative-medicine crowd, who treat “Lipitor” like it’s a controlled substance. A new Lancet meta-analysis of the best double-blind trial data available shows that most of the scary side effects on statin labels simply don’t hold up.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. claims “petroleum-based chemicals” are inherently poisonous, but that’s chemically illiterate: molecules don’t become dangerous because of where they come from. Some of the most important hydrocarbons on Earth—like ethylene, isoprene, squalene, and β-carotene—are made by living things and are essential for plant life, animal life, or both. This isn’t hard, folks — even Eagles fans ought to get it.

Models, by definition, are approximations: useful, informative, and inevitably incomplete, because they are the only way to simplify a world too complex to grasp all at once. A new study on nitrous oxide chemistry in the stratosphere shows how even small revisions in a model’s assumptions can ripple outward, widening uncertainty and reshaping projections.

Eat romantic AND protect your ticker! This Valentine's Day, love your heart as much as you love your Valentine! 💕 Discover 4 heart-healthy foods + a bonus red wine toast — backed by real studies that slash heart risks.

When health insurance becomes conditional and unaffordable, it doesn’t just disappear from balance sheets—it vanishes from people’s lives at the moment they need it most. The expiration of enhanced ACA Marketplace subsidies is not a technical policy lapse but a predictable accelerator of opioid use disorder and overdose deaths, exposing how coverage gaps, economic stress, and fragmented care combine to turn preventable suffering into fatal outcomes.

Scientists created a form of “super ice” that conducts electricity rather than simply freezing by compressing water under enormous pressure and bombarding it with powerful X-rays. This discovery reveals how water might behave deep inside planets like Uranus and Neptune, offering insight into their magnetic fields and internal heat.

Red light therapy has gone from dermatology clinics to the wellness world, promising everything from younger-looking skin and thicker hair to weight loss, pain relief, better sleep, and even improved mood. It’s sleek, futuristic, and marketed as an effortless biohack. But when one product claims to fix everything, skepticism is the healthiest response — the consumer marketplace is flooded with underpowered gadgets, exaggerated claims, and claims that race far ahead of the science.

On this episode of Science Dispatch, we dive into the latest Kīlauea eruption and the alarming chemistry behind the air people are breathing. The volcano is releasing massive amounts of sulfur dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, hydrochloric acid, and other nasty gases—creating vog (volcanic smog) that irritates lungs, eyes, and skin, especially for sensitive groups. Here's what you need to know.

Two women in California are unhappy about phosphates and carrageenan in Costco’s rotisserie chicken. I’m fine with them—by which I mean the additives, not the women. Their lawsuit claims Costco misled customers with a “no preservatives” label, even though neither ingredient is a preservative, which makes this less a food safety issue than a masterclass in scientific confusion.

Whether it’s a chemist’s reckless sweet discovery, a reader’s ever-growing “tsundoku” pile, or scientists tracing the hidden patterns of superspreaders, curiosity turns accidents, habits, and outliers into insight. Even something as small as the em dash reminds us that the stories we tell — in science, books, or punctuation — often hinge on unexpected connections.

You've seen them on your social media algorithms: longevity influencers promising eternal youth with fancy gadgets, exotic supplements, extreme protocols, and million-dollar routines. In reality, most of what they're peddling is just a flashy overpriced rebrand of what doctors and health experts have been recommending for decades.

Science communication has exploded since the COVID-19 pandemic. While Carl Sagan, PhD, MS, was the first household name in science communication, it took a long time for the field to gain traction. But with the advent of social media came a whole new platform for people to discuss their jobs, projects, and passions. It was a brand new way of exchanging information.

How much of our lifespan is written in our genes, and how much is sitting on our plates? A new analysis suggests that while genetics matter, everyday dietary choices may matter more. The message: longevity is influenced less by destiny and more by dinner.

Some breakthroughs change humanity forever. Others, not so much. This one clips discreetly onto your underwear and monitors how often you fart – the status of your flatus. And no, it's not April Fool's Day.

At a moment when ultra-processed foods, industrial agriculture, and food subsidies are under political siege, can a New York bagel reveal the power of specialization to create abundance, and the urgent policy question of how to steer our food environment toward health rather than excess?

Hedy Lamarr’s legacy extends far beyond Hollywood glamour. Behind the screen persona was an inventive mind that helped pioneer technology foundational to modern wireless communication, raising enduring questions about how society values beauty versus intellect. Her story is a cautionary tale about the biases that shape recognition of women's intellectual achievement.

Recent research suggests that regular omega-3 intake from supplements is linked to a modest reduction in cardiovascular events—but the benefits are smaller than many headlines suggest, and not everyone experiences them. Who actually gains protection? Let's take a look.