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Dr. Vivek Murthy, President Biden’s nominee for Surgeon General, previously did a credible job, and presumably if confirmed, that will be true once again. But with the Washington Post reporting that his income last year was $2.6 million, some see a possible conflict of interest.

A new study out of Barcelona -- one that was not peer-reviewed -- suggests that vitamin D reduced COVID deaths by 60% and admission to the intensive care unit by 80%. However, the results are highly flawed.

According to the CDC, food allergies continue to be a growing problem for children. Peanut allergy is the number one food allergy among children, and its incidence has increased by 21% since 2010. What happens to our body when we have a peanut allergy, and why are some schools declaring themselves nut-free?

On Feb. 20, a large headline from CNN crosses my screen: ‘’Chemicals in plastics damage babies’ brains and must be banned immediately, expert group says”. A shocking, scary headline based on cherry-picked data that misleads the public. What are these chemicals that must be banned immediately?

We are surrounded by sounds creating a soundscape just as the land and buildings create landscapes. They are distinctive. The sirens and traffic of Manhattan, the silence punctuated by honking geese and their splashdowns in the nearby pond. The oceans, too, have soundscapes, humpback whales, the snap of a predatory snapping shrimp stunning its prey, and increasingly, the sounds of men and women.

The risk of radiation on a trip to Mars, the dark segments of our DNA, the role of "caste" in defining the elite, and how will our war with COVID-19 end?

Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube are well-known for the misinformation they spread, not as content providers – but as platforms. But Amazon? How could the superstore behemoth sow the same problematic information? For the answer, one only has to look to its algorithm.

There are numerous opinions about the best way to handle (or perhaps end) the COVID pandemic. They range from more strict lockdowns, to "let's open as quickly as possible" coupled with the hope to keep it in check. A pandemic expert picks the first way. It's very unpopular. Is it even a realistic choice?

March 5, 2020, was my last trip on the hideous New York City subway. At that time COVID has just begun to hit the city. By any measure, the last year sucked (as does the subway) but now that I'm inoculated I'm able to ride the damn thing again. Here's the one-year anniversary update of the trip report from last year. Things are much different now.

A century ago, the Flu Pandemic was bimodal. Its first peak was in late winter of 1917, before returning with vengeance in the fall-winter of 1918. COVID-19, too, has shown a seasonal variation, with its early peak last year and another rise now that seems to be fading away. So, some questions: Where do these viruses go? Do they leave at all? What makes them seasonal? Let’s explore.

How will the COVID-19 pandemic end? Will it burn itself out, find an equilibrium more like the seasonal flu, or will it continue to rage despite all we try?

Richard Lawhern of the ACSH Board of Scientific Advisers points out that US national policy for regulating prescription opioids doesn't lack for data. It instead drowns in persistently biased anti-opioid misrepresentation of the data we already have.

Why do books smell? Dr. Joe Schwarcz, a professor of chemistry at McGill University's Office for Science and Society explains in his own unique way in one of his own unique (and wonderful) videos from "The Right Chemistry" series. (And a way to poison readers that may or may not work.) Enjoy.

Safety data based on more than 17 million Pfizer and Moderna COVID vaccinations was just published in a JAMA online article. How safe were they? Very.

It's no secret that people have bad reactions to some prescription drugs. But not all drugs are equal. Here's a look at four drugs that are rather unpopular.

Flawed, idealized metrics like life expectancy are often used to report success of a nation or its health delivery apparatus. A new study suggests the lion's share of curbing premature death may not reside there.

A Pew Research Center article, "Rapid Opioid Cutoff Is Risky Too, Feds Warn" takes an honest look at the suffering created by the radical, misguided anti-opioid jihad. It's a shame that its author, Christine Vestal, also included quotes from Andrew Kolodny, who denies the mess that he and his friends made while claiming that very few patients were "inappropriately tapered." Like herpes infection, Kolodny never goes away.

E-cigarettes remain controversial. They are frequently offered as an effective bridge to smoking cessation. But that path may be harder than we anticipated.

Roaming through your body is a group of specialized immune cells which act stealthily and authoritatively. They "ask" other body cells to show them identification ("papers please!"). If they fail to provide adequate ID those cells are killed on the spot. No questions asked. Scientists are now recruiting these cells to help in the fight against cancer.

It's no walk in the park to be born, for mom or baby. A new study hopes to shed light on just how stressful an average, uneventful delivery is on the fetal head and brain.

Like educators who "teach for the test," hospitals and health systems are able to quickly learn and adapt to new rules, especially those that come with financial rewards and penalties.

A 16-year-old girl uses her social media account to post this question: Should I kill myself? Sixty-nine percent of people who responded said yes. So she did. This isn't the plot of a twisted new movie. This, according to a report coming from Malaysia, actually happened. There are four important points to discuss stemming from this tragedy.

When it comes to delivery location, the stakes are too high to add a risk factor or hurdle to childbirth. Hospital births are the safest choice.

Michelle Obama’s memoir, Becoming, sold 10 million copies in just six months.  Random House Chief Executive said, “It could be the biggest selling autobiography ever.”  In addition to people buying her book, they are shelling out big bucks to see her speak about it. If Let’s Move Childcare had that success rate, childhood obesity would be eradicated like the bubonic plague. But that didn't happen. Here's why.

While some argue that a continued decline in the birth rate will merit a failed replacement rate for the overall population, it's time to take a pause and appreciate the nuances in these observed trends.