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If you’re in your 40s, shingles isn’t just an older-adult problem—it’s the chickenpox virus waking up decades later, and it can hit you now. Getting it before age 50 significantly raises your chances of painful repeat episodes later in life, with burning, electric-shock pain that can linger for months or even years. The good news: the shingles vaccine is safe, effective, and increasingly available (and covered) before 50.

Taking Ozempic or Wegovy? Yale researchers just dropped a bombshell: two glasses of wine now hit like four, your BAC climbs higher and stays there longer, and you might not even feel it coming. And here’s the wild part: doctors say this same effect could accidentally be the most powerful tool we’ve ever had against alcohol addiction.

Experiencing heartburn? Then consuming an acidic product like apple cider vinegar isn't the solution. The logic is simple: if you've got excess stomach acid, more acid won't help. But up is down in the world of alternative medicine, so let's take a closer look at the bad chemistry behind this "natural" treatment for acid reflux.

As daylight fades, many feel the “winter blues,” a dip in energy and mood. And for roughly 5% of adults, it’s Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a real depression tied to shorter days, not just cold weather.

Once, pasteurization helped conquer “The White Plague”, saving millions of lives from TB and other diseases. Now, legislators across the nation are inviting it back—served in a glass of “natural,” unpasteurized milk. The raw milk revival isn’t just a quirky food fad; it’s a symptom of the growing war on science waged by those who are supposed to protect us.

Generally recognized as safe (GRAS) has been the law of the land in the United States regarding food and beverage ingredients for decades. With MAHA’s stated quest to ensure that our food is made with only the safest ingredients, it seems obvious that GRAS would be on their radar. However, the selective outrage over some policy loopholes but not others tells a different story, particularly when examining the similar regulatory gaps in the dietary supplement industry.

Ever wonder what VO2 Max really means? It’s your body’s ultimate engine metric—the maximum amount of oxygen your muscles can use during all-out effort. Does aging tank your VO2 Max? Yes; unless you fight back.

A groundbreaking retinal implant, PRIMA, is restoring central vision in patients with geographic atrophy (GA), an advanced form of macular degeneration that blinds roughly 1 million Americans. Unlike drugs that slow progression, this wireless neurostimulation system captures real-world images, projects them onto a subretinal chip, and electrically stimulates surviving retinal cells to mimic natural sight. Are we nearing a paradigm shift in how we treat vision loss?

The trillions of microbes that live in and on the human body—collectively known as the microbiome—appear to have profoundly important effects on our health. This raises a potential concern: some of our most significant public health interventions—vaccines, antibiotics, sanitation—are designed to kill or limit exposure to harmful germs. Have we gone too far in our war against microbial exposure? Let's take a closer look.

Headlines are screaming about high lead levels in protein powders, scaring those who dabble in the extra intake. But is this real, or just another fear-driven story? Let’s break it down.

As a video producer with over a decade of experience collaborating with the writers at ACSH, I’ve gained invaluable insights into the world of science communication. The number one lesson I’ve learned is a simple principle that underscores the importance of rigorous evidence over assumptions in scientific inquiry. Take a look.

Every hospital shelf and pharmacy counter depends on an invisible global current, the pharmaceutical supply chain. Yet this lifeline for critical medicines is a dangerously thin, fragile network shaped as much by economics and geopolitics as by science, leaving both patients and national security vulnerable when that current falters.

A recent BMJ paper claiming health benefits of apple cider vinegar was retracted — hardly shocking given the long history of hype over evidence. While it’s clear ACV doesn’t do much good, the real question is whether it can actually cause harm. Let’s break down what the science (and a little chemistry) says.

Apple cider vinegar, one of the darlings of the nutrition world (including Dr. Oz), went from "probably useless" to "entirely useless" once a key study in BMJ was retracted. Of course, our colleagues at McGill's Office and Science and Society knew this long ago.

Is fiber the gut’s guardian angel or an over-hyped plant pulp we can happily skip? While carnivore enthusiasts swear their bellies have never been calmer since abandoning fruits, veggies, and grains, #fibermaxxing devotees are tossing chia seeds on everything. Before you trade your oatmeal for rib-eye (or vice-versa), where do the facts really fall on this crunchy controversy?

California has once again stepped to the front of the regulatory line—this time in the school cafeteria. While Washington dithers over what exactly counts as an “ultra-processed food” (UPF), California’s Assembly Bill 1264 delivers the nation’s first legal definition for school meal programs, blending nutrition science, food chemistry, and public health into one sweeping mandate. Can law meaningfully define “junk food”? And what happens when one state decides it can?

Do you know how gelatin (jello) is made? Do you know what gelatin was used as before it was food?
Watch our latest fun science facts video to find out!

When science enters the courtroom, truth can turn to jelly. Nowhere is that clearer than in the Tylenol–autism litigation, where political proclamations, wobbly studies, and phony “consensus” opinions jiggle legal standards of admissibility. As the Second Circuit weighs whether Daubert still means what it says, we should be concerned about the softened standards that plaintiffs advocate to prove scientific causation and manufacturer liability.

A new study claims that “ultra-processed food addiction” affects one in eight older adults. But how solid is the science behind that headline? Beneath the striking numbers lies a web of assumptions about what counts as “addiction” and even what qualifies as “ultra-processed.” Do the study’s definitions, measures, and interpretations measure up? Do its bold claims hold up under scrutiny?

A new Barron’s report describes more than 100 cases of suspected methanol poisoning in and around São Paulo, including at least one confirmed death. From upscale bars to beachfront kiosks, Brazilians are suddenly wary of what’s in their glass. The culprit is methanol, a chemical cousin of ethanol that’s cheap, hard to detect, and dangerously toxic. Here's the science behind the poisoning.

If you ever drank grape Kool-Aid or sucked on a grape Jolly Rancher, you’ve already met methyl anthranilate – the reason your childhood smelled like “purple.” This same molecule moonlights as a bird repellent, a fireworks perfume, and a bathroom surprise. Chemistry doesn’t get weirder, or grapier, than this.

Anuses are like martinis. Some like 'em dry and some don't. And in the bathroom, a similar debate continues. Hardly a day goes by when the bidet vs. toilet paper war fails to rear its ugly head. This is only one more reason why ACSH – flush with newsworthy articles – is the place to go to learn about this and similarly vital issues. Buckle up.

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The Legacy of Neutron Jack Welch

Once we became aware of our mortality, we wanted to know when death was upon us. While we have forsaken predictions by chicken bones or auguries, today we attempt the same predictive magic. That's at least at the population level, using new chicken bones like our co-morbidities or a frailty index. It should be no surprise that we have enlisted our latest oracle: A.I.

Those buildings we call supermarkets are laid out to encourage us to buy. It is not a coincidence that magazines and candy are displayed at the register, nor the fact that the food you really want is in the back, so you have to transverse the whole store to find it. Are our online purchases, without that physical organization, the same? Short answer: no.