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The activist group Friends of the Earth and its cheerleaders at The Guardian say soaring pesticide use is poisoning millions of people and killing thousands. True to form, they have misused the evidence to make their case.

“Anthropomorphism—the tendency to attribute human characteristics to nonhuman objects (Epley et al., 2007)—is a universal phenomenon” It is often used in marketing to strengthen our ties with some products, from Microsoft’s ill-fated Clippy to the widely successful California Raisins. A new study suggests that when we anthropomorphize foods, we may buy more but eat less. Why would that be?

Our lives today have become politicized by many issues, including vaccination. Research shows that Republicans largely ally with the anti-vax stance, following the example of their national leader, while Democrats lined up to take the jab.  Does it matter whether you resist vaccination because of “the (false) science” or “the politics?” The answer is yes. Let’s focus on the politically averse, 60% of the anti-vax population.

Mandating vaccination isn’t the greatest governmental policy. Catherine the Great knew that back in 1768 – more than two hundred and fifty years ago. Maybe politicians should look to history for ideas on what works when influencing population behavior. Perhaps they should also eschew involving themselves in scientific matters where they are ignorant.

Contrary to the story pushed by activist groups and reporters, recent research has shown that genetically engineered crops and the pesticides often paired with them have yielded impressive environmental benefits.

Not that they asked my advice, but if a group is going to pour food on a famous oil painting, in a protest against oil companies, don't you think that they should have at least chosen the right food?

It is that season when the federal government and the health insurers begin to play trick or treat with Medicare plans for those over 65. As a public service, here is the difference between Medicare and Medicare Advantage.

The real art of the deal
Being conscious is different from being awake
Should we stop teaching algebra?
Reality is an illusion.

Some cancers can be detected based on the fungi that grow within tumors, researchers say. Could this discovery lead to a life-saving screening technique? ACSH debated a pair of "fat acceptance" advocates on Dr. Phil. Let's take a closer look at the discussion.

This Halloween, don't be fooled into thinking that your choice of candy will help destroy or save the planet. Environmentalists and reporters will tell you otherwise. They're mistaken.

While urban dwellers' thoughts turn to pumpkin spice lattes, many in our rural communities begin to plan traditional fall hunts. In the United States, game meats are not required to be inspected by a state or federal agency when the hunters consume the meat. In most states, wild game species that may be legally hunted may be harvested only for personal consumption. With no third-party oversight, hunters and trappers must take personal responsibility in handling, processing, storing, and transporting game meats to guarantee wholesomeness and safety.

If you've ever tried to figure out which drugs are causing overdose deaths the CDC site doesn't offer much help. Why? Because the way that the agency categorizes drug classes is scientifically flawed at best or deliberately misleading at worst. Either way, it's a mess. But NIST, a subsidiary of the Department of Commerce has taken CDC's own graph and relabeled it so that the answers are clear and accurate. The difference is striking.

Sepsis is an overwhelming infection: bacterial, viral, or fungal. It requires immediate medical attention and intervention. EPIC, the company with the largest share of the electronic medical records market, developed an algorithm to help physicians timely identify at-risk patients. An independent study shows that it is not helpful. Is this healthcare’s 737Max moment?

President Biden recently took a small step in the right direction by acknowledging that people shouldn’t be caged for smoking cannabis and questioning the DEA classifying it as a Schedule 1 drug. Hopefully, it will spark Congress to take more definitive action.

Swing, “an intangible rhythmic momentum in jazz,” give the music movement, especially in the back and forth between the soloist and the group. For professional musicians, it is a bit like pornography, meaning they can’t define it but know it when they hear it. A group of physicists thinks they know the why of swing.

Dr. Jay Joshi explains PRN and how it can help or harm pain patients.

The US congress is considering enacting a market incentive to incentivize the research and development of new and needed antibiotics. They are balking at spending a few billion dollars over several years in spite of rising antibiotic resistance and a paltry pipeline of new antibiotics. Without this money, we will watch any hope of fighting the onslaught of resistance whither and die. But our senators and congresspersons are getting cold feet. You have got to be kidding!

TV medical dramas tell compelling, heartfelt stories about doctors and their patients. They're also chock-full of inaccuracies that distort our understanding of science and medicine.

Large segments of the science community have endorsed outright absurdities in recent years—biological sex is a "spectrum," obesity is a social construct, men can get pregnant. The list goes on. I make the case at BigThink that science is rapidly destroying its credibility by genuflecting on progressive political activists.

Cancer from radioactive gold? Like there isn't enough to worry about. But during the 1930s and 40s, it happened. A small number of rings were illegally manufactured from radioactive gold and there were consequences to ring fingers decades later.

Yet another study shows that Neurontin is a poor substitute for prescription opioids, so why do physicians continue to prescribe it? Twitter recently put a warning on an ACSH obesity story. Is social-media censorship here to stay?

Just what we need, another dangerous street drug. It's called xylazine aka Tranq and is approved only as an animal sedative. But it's increasingly being used along with fentanyl, making both more dangerous. And there is no antidote. Our drug policy continues to result in more dangerous drugs on the street - something we should have (but did not) learn long ago. And a short DCLFH for all you masochists out there.

We love our dogs and puppies. They are faithful, non-judgmental companions who delight in our presence. Many pet owners return this affection by feeding them treats. But some human foods and household products are poisonous to dogs. Can we kill them with kindness?

After many years of sensational reporting about the cancer risks from Bayer’s Roundup weedkiller, with the main ingredient of glyphosate, it appears that the tide may be finally turning in the courtroom. When presented with complex science, juries understand it and get it right.

“…the pandemic is over.” – President Biden.
Really? It clearly depends on how, where, and when you look. Overall, we see trends of increasing daily cases, stable death rates, and decreasing case fatality rates. There are significant peaks in these outcomes, up to 100-fold in cases and 10-fold in deaths.