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Besides deceiving readers about science policy, there are plenty of other reasons to avoid Slate. Perhaps best is that the online site loves posting contrarian articles using a time-tested formula to attract readers: Take an obviously-stupid statement and add a headline vigorously defending it. Whether the article is accurate, compelling or well-conceived is an afterthought.

One method widely used to control malaria is providing families with insecticide-treated bed nets. Overall, this strategy is very successful, having halting hundreds of millions of cases over the past 15 years. In some parts of the world, however, mosquitoes "learn" to avoid bed nets by biting people earlier in the day.

It is no secret that opioid drugs are big news, both because of the escalating number of heroin deaths and new rules that make them very difficult to get—even when you legitimately need them. The latter is thanks to the CDC, but did they use sound evidence to formulate their prescribing advice? It would seem not. 

Since it's all the rage these days to preach about how drugs are killing people left and right, it's only natural that drugs like Valium get dragged into the conversation. But how dangerous is it really? You may be surprised.

I can burn how many calories while shoveling?  You don't have to resolve to hit the gym this month, especially if you can easily burn 200-400 calories while doing winter outdoor activities: skiing, snowshoeing, and even shoveling. 
 
 

Erectile Dysfunction (ED) adversely impacts over 30 million men in the United States to some extent.  Depending upon the cause, treatment options can be limited.  Traditionally as a last resort when a man is ineligible or has failed less invasive alternatives, surgical insertion of a penile implant is considered.  Promising technology responsive to heat was recently tested and published.  

An untreated iron deficiency could lead to various health problems, one being Iron Deficiency Anemia (IDA). Now, researchers have discovered IDA itself could be linked to another potential problem — hearing loss. 

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has been grooming selected journalists to give favorable treatment to government findings, and even FDA ad campaigns, by inviting them to elite briefings that other journalists could not attend – or did not know even existed – as long as these special friends in journalism played by a strict set of FDA-friendly rules, as detailed in an exposé by Charles Seife in Scientific American, which confirmed what outsiders had long suspected.

The U.S. Office of Inspector General estimates that in 2013, more than 80 percent of the $438 million paid to chiropractors under Medicare Part B did not comply with Medicare's own requirements.

The US Environmental Protection Agency, the EPA, has been claiming that current air quality is causing deaths, thereby justifying the very expensive Clean Power Plan and other regulations.
Yet a new analysis of 1969-1974 data confirms the original finding that decreases in air pollution did not lead to reductions in deaths.

When we check our blood pressure, we usually do it in one arm or the other. But there's a good reason to check the pressure in both arms. A large difference between arms may be a sign of increased cardiovascular disease – and even the threat of death.  

CDC head Tom Frieden recently quit his position. We are much better off without him. Here's a look at his many blunders — be sure to have a comfortable chair.

The surge in fatal "heroin" overdoses are not really from heroin. They're from heroin spiked with, or replaced by, fentanyl, which is far more dangerous. But thanks to the power of synthetic organic chemistry, new fentanyl derivatives are unimaginably potent. One ounce of ohmefentanyl is enough to kill half the U.S. population.

For Californians, 2017's arrival means they have a raft of new laws to worry about. Some are just pure social engineering. But others matter because other states, sympathetic to California's aggressive stance on controlling science and health choices, will lobby to do the same so that the Golden State won't be alone in showing "leadership."

2016 was a year to forget. A rough-and-tumble election, partisan rhetoric and "fake news," and the loss of many beloved and talented people -- from Prince to Carrie Fisher -- made this calendar cycle a bit more difficult than most. Surely, 2017 must have something better in store.
To ensure that it does, we all must resolve to make it so. And as a science journalist, I can do my part by adopting these four resolutions. I hope other journalists join me.

If you have been procrastinating getting your flu shot - it's time to get to a healthcare provider or local pharmacy and get it off of your 'to-do' list. Flu statistics are watched closely at this time of year, and the last few weeks of data have shown a notable increase in the number of flu cases with experts predicting that flu activity will be increasing in the near future - specifically over the next several weeks.

Once inside a wine bottle, oxygen can combine with other compounds to provide fuel for bacteria. This is particularly true for white wine. The right amount of oxygen can deliver a pleasing libation. An insufficient amount, however, cause a white wine to deliver hints of cabbage or rotten eggs. 

Smoking is bad. Bad for mom. Bad for the unborn and born baby alike. Now, a new study reinforces its adverse effect on the developing child, with a focus on the damage done to the kidneys. 

“At the moment, Careline users who fall at home have to wait for a paramedic to help them. But under the new policy, Careline staff will go to their aid and get the user sitting up and assess the situation before an ambulance is called, in a bid to cut the number of call-outs to falls paramedics receive.”

It's surprising, but true. A California man was arrested for driving under the influence ... of caffeine! And given that millions of Americans consume 3+ cups of coffee per day, it's highly likely we're all guilty of driving while caffeinated. But does caffeine really impair our ability to get behind the wheel?

Perhaps the strangest medical phenomenon discovered in recent years is a link between the lone star tick and an allergy to red meat.

We know that excess noise can negatively impact human quality of life, for instance, by introducing stress-inducing stimuli to a previously placid environment. But what impact does extraneous noise have on birds? Since they must rely on hearing for communication and safety, excess background noise can threaten their survival. 

I am lucky enough to spend the holidays in one of the most beautiful places in the United States - the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont.
Surrounded by stunning natural beauty on all sides - it is incredibly cold, the roads are covered in ice, and the living is uncomplicated. But, when something does happen - such as 50-year-old toxic waste from the ivy league institution down the road creeping into people's backyards - it is big (BIG) news up here.
And, that is exactly the story that the neighbors of Dartmouth College are trying to bring everyone's attention.

You've heard it before: Only eat oysters in months that end with 'R.'  If you consider this adage true, December is your lucky month — though you've only got a few days left to indulge in delicious shellfish. But if this were truly a fact, how do millions of restaurants serve up oysters year-round with no public health repercussions? Experts in the field say that's because the safest time to eat oysters is, in fact, all year long.

Medical bills are tough to understand, making the transparency of prices an impossible dream for nearly every patient. To give the consumer a better sense of what's behind these bizarre billing practices, here's a common-sense guide.