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A study published this month in the Journal of the American Medical Association reveals that your daily caffeine fix might be doing more than just perking you up—it could be protecting your brain from dementia.

Fruit flies’ exposure to radiation from the basis of modern federal radiation directives, the debate over how we calculate radiation risk has resurfaced with new Executive orders. The consequences reach far beyond academic quarrels.

Newly published data indicate a quiet shift in hospital nurseries that may signal a broader change in how Americans view routine medical prevention. Hepatitis B vaccination is no longer as widespread at birth as it was just a few years ago. Whether this marks a temporary fluctuation or the start of a sustained trend carries implications that will unfold slowly and measurably over time.

On this episode of Science Dispatch, we take a look at the radiation oncology experience from the perspective of a patient (and radiation expert) who endured 28 mornings of this common but misunderstood therapy. What does the science say about efficacy and side effects? Perhaps more importantly, what can other patients expect from this experience?

There’s no shortage of spectacularly bad advice about dietary fat these days. None quite compares to the Soap Diet — a theory I involuntarily tested decades ago, courtesy of my mother. It's even worse. Probably.

A system that allows drug makers to profit from restricted access will never liberalize on its own—and patients will continue to bear the cost.

Metabolic Health is your body's internal systems: blood sugar levels, blood pressure, lipids, and inflammation. Poor metabolic health can drive up insulin resistance, a main culprit of heart disease, type two diabetes, among other issues.

Constipation is often treated as a simple plumbing problem, too little movement, too much delay. But emerging research suggests that, in some people, the culprit may not be sluggish muscles or faulty nerves, but rather an unexpected partnership between common gut microbes quietly reshaping our intestinal environment.

Food has always carried meaning, but in contemporary nutrition culture, it is increasingly treated as a moral test. In the unqualified world of wellness and nutrition influencers, foods are no longer discussed as more or less nutritious; they are labelled good or bad, clean or dirty, virtuous or problematic. Framing nutrition this way shifts the focus away from health and toward judging both food choices and the people who make them.

New York City’s nation-leading cigarette taxes have pushed pack prices into the $14 range—and pushed consumers into the black market. Evidence from littered-pack studies shows most cigarettes smoked in the city evade local taxes altogether. If policymakers want to see how this escalates, Australia offers a cautionary tale.

A failed private lawsuit accusing major food companies of engineering addictive food has been resurrected by San Francisco’s city attorney, recasting contested nutrition science as a public nuisance. The new complaint invites judges—not legislators or regulators—to redraw the boundaries of what constitutes acceptably safe food. At stake is whether litigation will become the new tool for reshaping America’s dinner table and designing healthy menus.

On this episode of Science Dispatch, we dive into the latest Kīlauea eruption and the alarming chemistry behind the air people are breathing. The volcano is releasing massive amounts of sulfur dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, hydrochloric acid, and other nasty gases—creating vog (volcanic smog) that irritates lungs, eyes, and skin, especially for sensitive groups. Here's what you need to know.

You've seen them on your social media algorithms: longevity influencers promising eternal youth with fancy gadgets, exotic supplements, extreme protocols, and million-dollar routines. In reality, most of what they're peddling is just a flashy overpriced rebrand of what doctors and health experts have been recommending for decades.

Eat romantic AND protect your ticker! This Valentine's Day, love your heart as much as you love your Valentine! 💕 Discover 4 heart-healthy foods + a bonus red wine toast — backed by real studies that slash heart risks.

Stories about celebrities taking propanolol, a beta-blocking drug, are all over the place. It's being used to ward off stage fright. Does it really work, or is it just more celebrity nonsense? Hint - it works.

The term 'exploding trees' has been trending on social media, given the frigid cold temps blanketing the Midwest, and some influencers out there are fueling the misinformation. So what's the science say? Hear us out.

Imagine a world where your pill could actually tell your doctor: “Yes, I’ve been taken.”
That’s no longer science fiction. MIT engineers have created a revolutionary smart pill that reports from inside your stomach the moment it’s swallowed.

Ladies, what if you could screen for cervical cancer from the comfort of your own home—no awkward exam, no long drive to the doctor, just a simple swab you mail in? This isn't some distant future... it's a brand-new guideline that's about to change everything for women's health, and it's a massive win that could save countless lives.

Lonvi Biosciences says the answer is yes: citing a Nature Metabolism paper, its CTO claims “living 150 years is entirely practical” with a monthly three-day dose of PCC1, a grape-seed–derived “senolytic” meant to wipe out inflammation-spewing senescent “zombie cells.” The catch is that the longevity boost so far is in mice—not humans—so selling PCC1 as a life-extension breakthrough is a classic leap from intriguing lab biology to premature, hype-heavy promises.

The story everyone knows about the opioid epidemic goes like this: Big, bad Purdue Pharma aggressively marketed its potent painkiller OxyContin, hooking legions of unsuspecting Americans on the pharmaceutical equivalent of heroin. It's a compelling tale—and it's wrong in almost of its particulars. Let's take a closer look.

A rare moment of bipartisan progress has emerged with the Senate’s unanimous passage of the FDA Modernization Act 3.0, pushing the FDA to finally align its regulations with modern science and end animal testing. Supported by an unusual coalition of industry, patient advocates, scientists, and animal welfare groups, the Act represents both a scientific upgrade and a long-overdue ethical shift in drug development.

TikTok, or its wellness category #HealthTok, is notorious for spreading misinformation about various science and health topics. Recently, influencers have zeroed in on Gout and the main culprits of cause. Except, most are wrong and focus entirely on fads, often touting their own wellness routines or supplements to curb the painful condition.

Anti-vaxxers have found a powerful new weapon: the plaintiffs’ bar. Armed with repurposed federal claims and fueled by political momentum, they’re launching lawsuits that threaten a century of legal deference to vaccines — and courts are beginning to split, inviting Supreme Court intervention.

With all that's going on nowadays, do we really need to worry about chemicals in our underwear? Let's take a *brief* look.

If you're a parent of young children, chances are the Elf on the Shelf comes to your home during the holiday season. You give it a name, prop it on a shelf, and instantly you have Santa’s personal surveillance drone watching your family's every move. But how exactly does the little tyrant do it-- watch our every move and report back to Santa, that is? We'll help you explain the fun, light-hearted science to your curious kids.