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Amazing, recent progress in prostate cancer research has encouraged many experts (including this writer) to expect that this type of cancer will be cured -- or at least adequately controlled -- within their lifetimes. "I’m glad I had this cancer," states Dr. Paul Lange, "for it made me a more empathetic physician."

Humans are natural-born storytellers. But with science, connecting the dots is storytelling, too, and that causes plenty of confusion. Also, the Malthusians report dwindling food and rising population. Can seaweed be an answer? Finally, a story connecting these dots: the Cold War, supermarkets, market distortions, Walmart and Amazon.

Who is the "decider?" For glyphosate, the EPA claims authority over California. But for a growing list of concerns, are small minorities demonstrating influence and control over the desires of the majority?

Homebirths, formerly the norm, have been replaced by hospital births. Some say it needlessly medicalizes a normal human activity. A new study looks at whether home births in low-risk situations result in harm.

A JUUL smoker is injured by vaping, then experiences a conversion and will never use the e-cig again. A modern-day story of the sinner redeemed. If only the story was true, and not a series of half-truths wrapped in righteous indignation.

Sometimes facts beat hype. This week was one of those times. The EPA, after years of compiling and evaluating data, declared that it would not approve labels for the herbicide glyphosate that contained a cancer warning. This puts the U.S. agency in direct opposition to California's absurd Proposition 65, which would require a cancer warning label on the chemical -- even though it would be incorrect. The U.S. now joins a dozen other countries that have already determined glyphosate is safe as used.

Scientific facts and pleas for personal responsibility to protect the most vulnerable among us. Those are the immunocompromised and children too young to be vaccinated. They apparently don't matter to the selfish fools who continue to reject vaccines. These selfish people have blood on their hands, and society has not chosen to hold them accountable.

The American Council on Science and Health, a leading pro-science consumer advocacy organization, announced today the appointment of Thom Golab as president, only the third person to lead the Council in its 41-year history.

The University of California-San Francisco has become a strange place. While the university certainly hosts faculty doing world-class research, simultaneously it has become the academic home for conspiracy theorists, including anti-vaxxers and anti-biotech activists.

Just when you think "alternative medicine" can't get any worse, an article in The Week will prove you wrong. It's about leech therapy. You will learn that there is an approved use for these creatures, and also something so ghastly that you may regret reading about it. But you will anyhow. Morbid curiosity is very powerful. Just don't say we didn't warn you.

It is such an ancient debate: Does our fate rest in our hands, or in the stars? Scientists in the fate camp present some new data tying behavior to genetic expression. Should those who believe in free-will concede defeat? Let's find out.

What's an "Impossible Burger" you ask? Among other things, it contains soy protein, sunflower oil and a plant-based binder that produces the right mouth/feel properties. But, no sooner than the FDA finally approved this creation for sale, the nutrition police are now saying that it just isn't healthy enough -- and that it may possibly harm us. Give us a break.

Mass homicides are horrific tragedies. Society must do whatever's possible to understand them fully, so as to prevent them. But people also need to separate the data from the myths and the social, political and moral narratives that often form around crime.

Here's what's on tap this week: Why are seatbelts and airbags designed based on male morphology? Banning plastics is gaining traction, so are unintended consequences. Mosquitos can impact us culturally, as you need to look no further than a gin and tonic. Finally, a bit of eye candy: What those tiny holes in medicine capsules really do.

Some migraine sufferers are easily treated with triptans or opioids. Other migraine sufferers, however, aren't so lucky. Perhaps immunotherapy will provide relief. Several companies are working on injections of anti-migraine antibodies.

Reporters say the long-term risks of vaping are unknown. Here's what 10 years of science says about e-cigarette safety.

Just like airplanes, surgeons' on-time performance can improve patient outcomes. Can scheduling by algorithm make the operating room more efficient?

A story making headlines claims that this fast-food chain is using chemicals that could give you cancer. Ignore them. If you need something to worry about, then focus on possibly getting food poisoning from one of its burritos.

Sometimes groups or individuals propose breaking the patent on an important drug because it's too expensive. This is not the right way to hold down drug prices, because it will hold down innovation. Breaking a patent is theft, no matter how you look at it.

The protection of intellectual property is vital to innovation. If anyone can just take something you created -- be it a song or a drug -- without proper compensation, there would be little reason to develop anything new. That, however, is predicated upon innovators playing fairly. In other words, they cannot seek patent protection for things that are not patentable. Yet, some pharmaceutical companies are doing just that.

Can diseases be treated by modifying the genes of people with genetically-based disorders? Dr. Chris Gerry discusses CRISPR, a technology that edits the DNA in the human body. It has worked in a small number of cases. Does this mean that we have an immediate revolution in medicine on our hands? Or will it be just an esoteric experiment that will fail to live up to expectations? Maybe some of both.

What explains disparate public health threats such as senseless gun violence and anti-vaxxerism? The answer may come from Russian novelist Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, who said that the West had become too focused on personal rights at the expense of duty to one's neighbor.

Florida recently declared a statewide emergency because of outbreaks of hepatitis A. The viral infection has hit many other states as well. Here's a little info about the virus, and perhaps some clarification of its name. There are five different hepatitis viruses (A to E) that affect humans. How does one keep track? Maybe this will help.

I am beginning my eighth year as a writer for the American Council on Science and Health. It has been quite a journey, and given that New Year's is approaching, I wanted to take a moment.

Consolidation in healthcare is not limited to hospitals or pharmacies. Medical practices are consolidating, too. But more worrisome is the arrival of private equity. They are predators hollowing out companies (like Toys R Us, leaving the shell to be cleaned up by others). Is that what we want for medical practices?