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Pop Quiz: What's the average body temperature? Answer: 98.6° F (but you probably knew that). But a new study suggests that our new normal is a bit lower: 98.2° F. Why would that be? And does it matter?

The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, part of HHS, just announced an award as much as $285 million to Paratek, a publicly-owned Boston-based biopharmaceutical company that focuses on infectious disease research, to develop a new antibiotic for anthrax. But, will pull incentives – rewarding companies for the successful development of new antibiotics – be enough to keep large, private companies in the field of antibiotic research? ACSH advisor Dr. David Shlaes explains.

The rate hit an all-time low of 1.73, which is well below the replacement rate of 2.1 births per woman. Despite this, the nation is projected to add roughly 65 million to the total population over the next 30 to 40 years, representing an increase of about 19 percent.

Here's what we have for you this time: Why Doctors Think They're the Best ... an introduction to the beautiful writing of Robert McFarlane ... a nod to Dr. Aaron Carroll and the fight to debunk bad healthcare claims ... and finally, considering two views of climate change: the "gradualist" and the "catastrophist."

The idea was promoted with much fanfare. And to be honest, it made a lot of sense. For the 5% of patients who are chronically ill, the superusers that use up to 20% of our healthcare resources provide them with the necessary additional support. In the tradeoff, their health will improve, and our costs will decline. With similar coverage, the New England Journal of Medicine says that there was no improvement in outcomes. But there's more to it. Let's take a look.

Seattle is usually the poster child for the consequences of bad policies. But on vaccination, this northwestern city finally got one right.

In these sensitive times, stereotypes are a big no-no. Hopefully, this doesn't apply to chemicals, because there is one group of them called esters. They smell really nice, even though the two components that combine to form esters can smell like foot odor or vomit. A stinky chemistry lesson. Hold your nose and read.

From JAMA Pediatrics to Yahoo Finance, our work continues to be cited and published all over the world. Check out where we recently appeared.

This article was initially printed in PRIORITIES, our quarterly periodical.

“There has been considerable time passed (5-10 years) from the initial alarm and subsequent legislation at all levels of government concerning the presumed links to traffic accidents/deaths with increased texting while driving.  Was there ever any evidence that texting while driving resulted in increased accidents/deaths?  Or, did texting while driving just replace other distractions for those same drivers, who would have had their accidents anyway?”

Infectious diseases, such as influenza and tuberculosis, kill millions every year. But an infectious disease can kill in another way: by causing cancer. The good news is that many of these infections are preventable or treatable.

If you were about to undergo a significant operation – OK, even if you were just going “under the knife” for a minor one – what would be your biggest concern? We're figuring simply surviving the operation is high on the list, if not #1. Taking this thought experiment a step further, would it matter that the time period to ensure your survival was one month, 90 days or a year?

When last I looked, J&J had $325 million in judgments against them in lawsuits over talc baby powder and its presumed role as a cause of ovarian cancer in several women. Even the International Agency for Research on Cancer, the people that believe hot beverages are probably carcinogenic, "… has since concluded there is only 'possible' evidence that perineal use of talc-based body powder may be carcinogenic." A new study in JAMA looks at four cohort studies with long-term information on talc use and subsequent self-reported ovarian cancer. It seems that possible may be too strong; they found no linkage.

2020 has gotten off to a rough start for both vaping supporters and critics. A new policy by the Trump Administration has both sides angry, and a new anti-nicotine policy by U-Haul, the self-moving company, appears to be blatantly discriminatory.

It's a New Year and we begin with watermelon-flavored Oreos (huh?) ... a look at now and then ... and the mainstream media finally realizes that the opioid epidemic was not about prescribing pain medications for pain.

The new year brings a succession of ads prompting us to make healthy promises, to eat less and exercise more. The basis for the “science” behind those calls to healthful resolutions is called the Additive Energy Expenditure Model. But don’t be afraid; that merely means exercising more burns calories that you can use to eat something special.

Many public health officials have called for mandatory vaccines to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. The motivation for this policy is understandable, but forcing parents to immunize their kids emboldens the anti-vaccine movement. By incentivizing people to vaccinate and holding them legally accountable when they don't, we can preserve individual autonomy, maintain herd immunity and undermine the anti-vaccine movement.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest is often consulted by the media as a legitimate voice on scientific issues. On some topics, such as the worthlessness of many dietary supplements and the dangers of raw milk, CSPI is absolutely correct. On other topics, such as sugar substitutes and pesticides, it spreads misinformation.

Norovirus has hit the U.S. hard and early this winter. It's not enough to simply stay away from people who are sick. There are innocent-looking, healthy evil-doers out there whose bodies are secret virus factories, and they are just as "happy" to give it to you as the guy with his head in the toilet.

For a first-year surgical resident, the appendix (specifically, it’s removal) represents a prized surgical operation. For trained surgeons, the appendectomy is usually an urgent affair that requires giving up sleep or angering patients who have their office care delayed. Understanding the “true” role of the appendix requires both the hygiene hypothesis and the microbiome.

Last year, we wrote about four prescription drugs people hate. It isn't as easy to find drugs that people love, but we came up with four, each remarkable in its own way. You may be surprised by what made this curious list.

Americans are uniquely litigious. There are reforms that could be made to the legal system that would fix this, but lawyers are financially incentivized to resist them.

Esai Pharmaceutical just got FDA approval for a new sleeping pill called Dayvigo. Is it any good? Plus - a rant about the "addiction specialist" fools who might want to overregulate it. It's worth reading this horrendous article just for the rant.

As is the case every year, 2019 was full of junk science, bogus health claims, misinformation, and outright lies. We debunked scores of them this year, but the following list is what we consider the top 10.

In between the fa la la la la, I had time to read about snowflakes and avalanches, an example of surprise billing that makes me ashamed for my profession, an article on the year's best articles, and for all of you readers, a discussion of how to read a book.