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The World Health Organization’s (WHO) International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) recently concluded that the popular artificial sweetener aspartame, widely used in foods and diet drinks, is “possibly carcinogenic to humans,” an alarming conclusion because aspartame is used in thousands of low-calorie products. However, another WHO organization, the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), concluded that it is safe to consume aspartame. Can we make sense of the conflicting conclusions?

What is it about pumpkin spice that makes us obsess over it so much? Turns out it's all in our brain! Pumpkin spice hits you right in the smells and feels and that's why it's so powerful. But the science behind pumpkin spice is just as intriguing.

America’s largest anti-hunger program, SNAP, is preparing for a significant update. USDA’s updated SNAP stocking rules aim to replace the “one rice, one bean, one chicken” baseline with a seven-variety standard that reads like a nutrient-density checklist, promising richer choices for the 42 million Americans who rely on the benefit. Yet the question lingers: will the science of dietary diversity survive the politics of convenience-store economics?

For decades, expectant mothers have turned to acetaminophen as the go-to remedy for pain and fever, reassured by its reputation for safety. A growing body of research challenges some of this long-held assumption, pointing to possible links between prenatal use and later neurodevelopment issues in children. How do we balance maternal comfort against potential risks for the next generation?

Obesity has long been portrayed as a matter of willpower, with popular culture reinforcing the idea that weight loss is simply a personal choice. Yet scientific evidence shows that obesity is a complex, chronic disease shaped by biology, environment, and stigma. One of the most striking examples of the tension between entertainment and science was the reality show The Biggest Loser.

In the last four years, 27 US states have enacted bans or severe restrictions on so-called "gender-affirming care" for children—a marked increase from just one state in 2021. Some experts say the rapid shift in the legal landscape is premature because science has yet to provide a definitive answer about the risks and benefits of the drugs and surgeries utilized to transition children. Does this argument stand up to scrutiny? Let's take a closer look.

It may sound like an Alex Jones fever dream, but there are real academics proposing to deliberately infect people with a tick-borne meat allergy to mitigate the effects of climate change. It sounds wildly unethical because it is.

Rare earth elements aren’t rare, but they can be rather annoying. These bad boys are found together in Earth minerals, clinging so tightly that purifying them is the chemistry equivalent of juggling chainsaws while walking on stilts. And in a world where supply chains double as battlegrounds, they’re so important as to warrant a Dreaded Chemistry Lesson From Hell (TM)

Direct-to-consumer drug ads have long blurred the line between patient empowerment and corporate persuasion, but the FDA is now moving to rein in misleading tactics on TV and social media. However, free speech protections and post-Chevron limits on agency authority are in play.

Unlike measles or polio vaccines, which last a lifetime, the flu virus mutates constantly, so we need a new shot every year. This year’s quadrivalent vaccine targets four strains and cuts your risk of getting sick by about 40–60%. Even if it’s not a perfect match, it's always worth getting.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., cheered Tyson Foods Company’s decision to drop high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) from its branded products by the end of this year. However, nothing supports the secretary’s claim that swapping HFCS for table sugar (sucrose) makes you healthier. Science shows your body processes them the same way—and too much of either is harmful.

In an age where corporate jobs dissolve into jargon, screens eclipse books, and TikTok rewires attention spans, we may be quietly losing the very capacity to think deeply. As loyalty, logic, and literacy erode under the weight of screens and shallow work, intelligence itself may be in retreat. What happens to a society when reflection gives way to noise?

Anonymity and amplification have transformed hateful whispers into viral shouts. Social media platforms claim that their algorithms can filter out harmful speech, yet studies reveal that their judgments are uneven and often unjust. Responsibility, once enforced by presence, words spoken face-to-face, with neighbors and critics watching, may have to be reclaimed by conscience.

Ultra-processed foods have become a primary scapegoat for nearly every conceivable health problem. When researchers cannot explain the cause or increased risk of a disease, they often cite observational studies linking these products to adverse outcomes. This concern is partly justified: beyond their processing, many ultra-processed foods are calorie-dense, hyperpalatable, and often modified in texture, which can accelerate consumption by increasing the number of bites per minute.

Shield laws promise to protect clinicians who act in good faith, but today they stand at the edge of a constitutional conflict where medicine collides with politics and technology. By protecting providers when care crosses digital and geographic borders, these laws test the reach of state sovereignty and the resilience of federalism itself. They force us to consider how far protection should go before it begins to erode accountability to patients and to the society that grants medicine its trust.

AI may soon barge into the courtroom. It certainly is sitting in the entry portals. As artificial intelligence uses DNA-driven face prediction tools to corral suspects and construct lineups, law enforcement is enticed, but individual rights may be sacrificed. Vigilance is key.

Ever feel overwhelmed by endless food or information? Let’s dive into the science of enough— a simple, ancient secret backed by modern science: stop at 80% full.

Our world is shaped by forces both vast and invisible. From the ocean’s deep influence on climate to the way social media manipulates our perception of time, science reveals patterns that reshape how we see daily life. Add in questions of national power—law vs. engineering—and humanity’s struggle with food waste, and you uncover the hidden systems driving our future.

“The stricter the law enforcement, the more dangerous the drug.” That’s how ACSH advisor and Cato Institute senior fellow Dr. Jeffrey Singer describes the iron law of prohibition, which he argues is driving America’s overdose epidemic. How do we reverse this alarming trend? Legalize all drugs. Dr. Singer joins us on a special episode of Science Dispatch to make that case.

Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) are often hailed as the future of nuclear power—compact, scalable, and potentially capable of delivering clean energy anywhere it’s needed. From powering remote mining towns and military bases to restoring electricity after natural disasters, SMRs promise a flexible solution to modern energy challenges. But how practical are these reactors outside of theory, and what obstacles stand between vision and reality?

The line between difference, disability, and disease is constantly shifting, shaped as much by social attitudes as biology. A trait that seems like a simple variation in one context can become a disabling barrier in another, or be recast as a disease when medicine steps in. These boundaries don’t just describe people; they decide who gets care, protection, or stigma, and who is left out.

Against a backdrop of growing mistrust in experts—and a wellness industry that thrives on conspiracies and lone-wolf thinking—diet has become a prime target for misinformation. While gold-standard nutrition research is notoriously difficult to conduct, we still have enough evidence to separate fact from half-truths and fiction.

Cities don’t just sprawl—they metabolize. A new study shows that population, infrastructure, and emissions grow in lock-step, overturning the popular idea that bigger automatically means greener. The research rewrites the playbook for sustainable city planning and provides a great example of how science works.

Could drinking caffeine potentially weaken antibiotics in your system? A recent study says maybe.
Sounds alarming, right? But don't ditch your latte just yet—let’s dig into the facts.

You asked, we answered. Join Cam English and Dr. Chuck Dinerstein on the latest episode of Science Dispatch as we tackle your questions about health and medicine. This week, we examine the risks and benefits of protein supplements, caffeine pouches and cold plunges.