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In a recent conversation with radio host Mark Hahn (KSCJ), I shared my optimism and also some concerns about where Artificial Intelligence is heading.

Fear sells, and nothing grabs clicks like an article with a dramatic headline warning readers to rethink every sip of possibly poisonous tap water. And especially one leaning heavily on selective science and even heavier on the allure of a product pitch. But before you start boiling your Brita, it’s worth asking: Are we being informed — or just expertly marketed to?

Is sugar the new nicotine … or maybe just the current scapegoat for our collective confusion over what’s “healthy?” Science can’t decide if sugar is a genuine addiction or a guilty pleasure, and our ever-changing regulations seem guided more by politics than hard data. Let’s see whether sugar really deserves its bad rap or if we’re simply hooked on the confusion.

The availability of suzetrigine may represent a critical step in addressing the nation’s pain management crisis. While questions remain about its cost, adoption, and long-term efficacy, its novel mechanism and positive clinical results offer a promising alternative to opioids.

Vaccination not only safeguards the health of individuals but also preserves the collective health of our communities, ensuring that many preventable infectious diseases are largely relegated to the past. The FDA performs an especially rigorous review of laboratory, preclinical, and clinical data to ensure the safety, efficacy, purity, and potency of vaccines.

Almost exactly 5 years ago – before COVID was all over the place – I decided that it was OK to ride the NYC subway. Some of us wore masks, some didn't, but everything seemed fine. Let's stroll down memory lane to a time just before everything went to hell. It's a subway trip report you don't want to miss!

Elon Musk’s Neuralink may be the latest headline-grabber, but brain-to-computer interface (BCI) technology has been advancing for decades. Initially developed for therapeutic use, it is now poised to enhance the worried well's cognition, memory, and emotional states. So, what happens when machines don’t just read our minds but start writing them?

From the hidden world of electrostatic ecology, where insects harness static electricity for survival, to the engineering feats behind rollercoasters, let’s explore forces both seen and unseen. Add in a look at how federal policy may have helped create food deserts and why automation could be making us less capable, and you’ve got reads that are equal parts science, history, and a touch of existential dread.

A warm summer night, the hum of mosquitoes filling the air, and you, slathering on DEET, waving your arms like a windmill, and — if internet lore is to be believed — chugging vitamin B1 in the hopes of making yourself invisible to these airborne vampires. Proponents claim that taking high doses of the vitamin makes humans unappetizing to mosquitoes. But here’s the catch: despite anecdotal evidence, historical speculation, and a few flawed studies, actual research doesn’t support this. Before you waste money on yet another supplement promising to keep the biters at bay, let’s take a closer look at the science.

Gatorade claims its alkaline water will hydrate you into peak performance, but it's just pricey H2O bolstered by clever marketing. Save yourself a few bucks and drink the stuff from the tap instead.

RNA interference – RNAi – functions specifically to silence, or deactivate, genes. Among other applications, it promises to be groundbreaking as a way to treat infections of bees by a commercially important parasitic pest, Varroa destructor.

Medicare is supposed to simplify healthcare for seniors. However, the plethora of options reads like a choose-your-own-adventure novel. Enter the sherpas: brokers and agents who promise to guide beneficiaries through the dizzying array of plan options, all while pocketing commissions for their troubles. But unlike the Everest sherpas, who are vested in getting climbers to the summit alive, are these Medicare guides more concerned with the mountain of money flowing into their pockets?

Dr. Mehmet Oz, poised to become the head of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), was publicly grilled by Senator Claire McCaskill in 2014 for promoting “miracle” weight-loss products with no scientific backing, exposing his role in peddling pseudoscience for profit. His testimony attempted to justify his exaggerations as audience engagement, but his contradictions and refusal to take responsibility raise serious concerns about his credibility in a regulatory position.

Newly discovered oncology drugs called “DNA-encoded tri-specific T-cell engagers,” or “DTriTEs,” engage the immune system more effectively than traditional therapies, particularly against evasive and deadly glioblastoma tumors.

Suicide often happens in moments of impulse, when opportunity meets desperation. For decades, the Golden Gate Bridge has been an unfortunate site of these tragic decisions. But a new, simple structural change is making the difference between life and death.

Have you ever met someone and instantly knew their political views by how they sip their oat milk latte, or rock a NASCAR hat? If so, you’re engaging in political projection — the fine art of assuming that people you like share your beliefs and those you despise must belong to the other side. Turns out, it’s not just you. Research shows that people instinctively project their politics onto heroes and villains alike, reinforcing the comforting illusion that the world is neatly divided into good guys (us) and bad guys (them).

Once upon a time, science communication was a niche hobby, reserved for the rare few who could translate lab jargon into something the public might understand. Carl Sagan made it look easy, but most scientists saw public engagement as either career suicide or an activity best left to journalists. Fast-forward to 2025, and science communicators, now "sci-fluencers," are everywhere.

In a new USA Today opinion piece Drs. Bloom and Jeffrey Singer ask Secretary Kennedy to reform HHS so that pain patients no longer suffer needlessly.

Recently introduced legislation would prohibit EPA from using any of its Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) assessments for rulemaking or other actions. If this legislation becomes law, would it further the use of sound science at EPA, or would it be destructive to EPA’s function and purpose?

Rare diseases - a medical condition so obscure that even your doctor has to Google. Despite their name, these diseases collectively impact millions of Americans, creating a healthcare system that’s equal parts expensive, frustrating, and endlessly confusing. With 8% of US households reporting a rare disease diagnosis and healthcare costs hitting nearly $1 trillion, it’s clear that rarity doesn’t mean insignificant—it just means a harder battle for answers, treatment, and support.

During the recent battle over FDA's decision ban the use of Red No. 3 in food and ingested drugs, few commentators answered a fundamental question: why do food makers use dyes in the first place? The press framed the answer as a corporate ploy to sell more candy, but the story's a bit more complicated than that. Let's take a closer look.

Ah, the tangled web of history—where the guy who helped bring us leaded gasoline also played a role in cancer research. Meanwhile, neuroscientists confirm what we all suspected: our brains love a good script, whether it’s recalling childhood memories or deciding which subpar healthcare statement to ignore. And speaking of questionable judgment, ever wonder how a prison turned into Big Pharma’s favorite testing ground? Let’s dive into this week’s reading, where corporate PR, memory palaces, and the dark side of medical research collide.

Warning! Sweeping changes in public health are on the rise. The latest word, according to Stat, is that the Department of Health and Human Services directed the CDC to curtail vaccine advertising and focus on informed consent. So, just what does that mean?

The fine art of saying one thing and meaning another is a skill we master before we can even tie our shoes. From toddlers who "technically" cleaned their room by shoving everything under the bed to politicians who insist they never lied but just "misspoke," linguistic loopholes are a universal human pastime. A new study suggests that kids develop this strategic wordplay early, but let's be honest—some never outgrow it.

If fad diets were a sport, the Blood Type Diet would be the comeback kid—re-emerging every few years with a fresh coat of pseudoscientific polish. Once a relic of early-2000s wellness trends, it’s now making the rounds again, championed by self-proclaimed "experts" eager to monetize dietary astrology. Does eating for your blood type hold up to scientific scrutiny? Spoiler: It’s a bloody mess.