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ACSH friend, Dr. Joe Schwarcz, who is the director of McGill University's Office for Science and Society, makes one short video every week in his "The Right Chemistry" series. This week we learn about "leaded coffee." Fascinating and entertaining. Treat yourself.

There is no doubt that diabetes is a significant health problem. In an attempt to forestall the onset of this disease, physicians have identified biomarkers that were to identify those most at-risk and begin to institute preventative measures. But new evidence suggests that these biomarkers have little predictive value.

Does our need for speed influence what we see and hear in the media? Short answer yes. And for Science, with a capital S, that may be not such a good thing.

It's been a pretty ghastly 14 months thanks to COVID. But, let's look on the bright side. Here are four benefits that resulted from the pandemic. Maybe.

Foam insulation is an important material used in houses and buildings. A wide variety of components are used to make insulation in various forms; some are flammable, some require toxic chemicals. However, in Germany, two groups using chemistry we learned in high school have devised an effective, recoverable, insulating foam that won't burn. It’s a simple, elegant solution using, of all things, calcium carbonate, otherwise known as chalk.

Heart failure guidelines, like many established procedures, are the result of controlled studies. Front-line physicians use them differently than anticipated by their authors. Is it different in the real world?

A new study claims that artificial sweeteners decrease the risk of cancer recurrence or mortality by more than 20%. This result is intriguing but ultimately unconvincing.

Due to the daily coarsening of civil discourse on social media, routine conflict resolution has gone out the window. If that is all kids see, then that is all they learn for their future.

The U.S. electricity grid is hard to defend because of its enormous size and heavy dependency on digital communication and computerized control software. The number of potential targets is growing as “internet of things” devices, such as smart meters, solar arrays and household batteries, connect to smart grid systems.

Virtual reality devices track our body language, which can pick us out in a crowd. A pediatrician ponders whether this is yet another way we are robbing our youth of its innocence.

A recent review identified 44% of "services" in Washington State's commercial coverage was wasted. A big chunk of that was unnecessary testing prior to surgery.

Gender disparity can and does occur. A study of the outcome of a heart attack based on both the gender of the patient and physician tries to make a case for outcomes disparities attributable to gender. It casts no light and is deeply flawed.

A new clinical guideline indicates that EKG's are not a good screening tool for atrial fibrillation. But smartwatches are already screening their owners. Is this a new case of too much information?

We have uncovered another gender disparity, not work or pay, but in beliefs about the afterlife and what awaits.

Women who have been lucky enough to survive breast cancer may face increased risk of lung cancers, according to a new study in Radiotherapy and Oncology. The study shows how this can be prevented — limiting the radiation dose to a lung, using a treatment which targets only a small part of the breast.
Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in women, with more than 266,000 new cases diagnosed in 2018 in the United States.

Companies left and right are banning plastic straws because ocean critters are important - with no evidence getting rid of plastic straws is really helping marine critters at all. While I shake my head at that, I am not surprised. The free market has spoken, companies respond to what consumers think they want.

A new trial to assess the benefits and safety of stem cell transplantation for treatment-resistant Crohn’s disease has started. The researchers will use stem cells to “reboot” the immune system so that it is more responsive to existing drugs used to treat the disease.
Crohn’s disease is a long-term condition that results in inflammation of the lining of the digestive system. It affects as many as two people per 1,000 and is becoming more common.

"Satisficing" – a made-up word created by combining satisfactory and sufficient – indicates something good, but not great. Like the Canadian single-payer health system, like Medicare for All.

It's time doctors and patients take charge of what goes on in the exam room or at the hospital bedside. Inane, tedious tasks that co-opt such visits are out of touch with real world medical practice.

A lawsuit recently filed in Brooklyn, NY against an orange juice company that uses the term "natural" on its label is ridiculous. But it does provide a perfect example of how meaningless the term is. Taken to its logical conclusion nothing on Earth is natural. Except – maybe – drinking milk directly from a cow. Udder stupidity.

Phobias are associated with various mental health issues. The strongest associations were with anxiety disorders, panic disorders, and social phobia. This does not mean that phobias cause these other problems (or vice versa), but simply that if a person has a phobia, he or she is likelier to experience other mental health issues, as well.

Results of a study about soccer and the effects that "heading" the ball has on the brain delivered one key message: women's brain matter appears to be more sensitive than men's. While this may be true, it's important that we be somewhat cautious in making too much of this, given the many limitations of the study. 

Non-Emergency Medical Transportation helps Medicaid patients keep their medical appointments. As some states expand Medicaid, they want to drop the service. A whitepaper by the industrial leaders tries to make a case for the benefit of the service using MathMagic. It doesn't, but should. 

The game, Clue Master Detective, requires eight potential weapons. The CDC finds two are the most popular.

Due to the endlessly creative ways we inadvertently harm ourselves, health officials felt compelled to step in to reduce unintentional injury.