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Finnish smokers who are faced with a greater distance to walk to obtain cigarettes are more likely to quit the habit than those whose access hasn't changed over time. If that is true in other populations, it might be another way to influence smokers' decision to quit.

Honey bees are at record numbers; wild bees are fine. So why are activists still promoting a Zombie Beepocalypse? ACSH Scientific Advisor Prof. Allen Felsot settles the matter.

Joe Mercola has hit rock bottom, which is no small task considering he's been a bottom dweller forever. But this time, he's crossed the line by suggesting that pesticides, environmental pollution, and vitamin deficiencies are the cause of Zika microcephaly. By doing so, he is actively putting babies at risk. Shame on him.

There has been a lot of talk in the last week about high prices for medications. But before allowing the smoke and mirrors of the modern media, politicians, insurance companies, and manufacturers to completely cloud the issue; consider a tag line I see more and more at the end of direct to consumer medication advertising. “If you take certain Company A medicines, and you cannot afford them, you may be surprised to learn that Company A may be able to help.”
Before we go off to blame the playa, perhaps we should consider the game.

When the latest trend generates buzzwords from its devotees like "detoxify" and "rejuvenation" and "cleansing," and with the celebrity set hopping on board, that usually means it's time for the level-headed among us to tap their inner skepticism before the purveyors of cool have us all bamboozled and reaching for our wallets. Welcome to the wonderful world of infrared saunas, and the dubious health claims that come with them.

1. A new study adds another layer to the debate about e-cigarettes and vaping. Though the government has determined in advance they must be harmful and a gateway to cigarettes, a survey finds it is just the opposite.

There was a time when the International Agency for Research on Cancer did fine work. It knew how to separate health threats from health scares and if its officials tackled something, it was important. Yet today IARC claims hot water and bacon causes cancer. What went wrong? Frankly, officials ran out of cancer-causing agents so they started inventing them. And now we have this glyphosate fiasco.

Haiti did not have a single case of cholera until October 2010 -- 10 months after a devastating earthquake leveled the country on Jan. 12 of the same year, killing up to an estimated 300,000 people. 

Our public health strategy tends to be reactionary rather than preventative. Thus, instead of focusing most of our efforts in preparation for what is coming next, we are dumping limited resources on battles already fought. This is a dangerous gamble, considering that the Ebola virus has deadly cousins.

When it comes to picking someone who exudes terrific health, physical stamina and excellence in aging, a great choice would be Laird Hamilton. Given the surfing legend's sculpted physique, what principles does he live by? And in regard to maintaining his overall health and fending off back pain as he ages, does his approach make sense for the rest of us?

With only my own stupidity to blame, I got into a Twitter "discussion" with an anti-DDT zealot. Big mistake. All I got was a stomach ache. Not sure what he got from it.

Researchers have discovered that two mutations in the estrogen receptors in breast tumors are linked to the length of survival — even if the tumors have spread. Knowledge of such mutation can inform treatment decisions and benefit patients.

The occupational groups community & social services, and transportation & material moving, had the greatest percentage of workers who met two or fewer cardiovascular health metrics. That means these workers may be at the highest risk of cardiovascular disease as compared to everyone else.

Of the 20 "Best" hospitals ranked by U.S. News & World Report, the Center for Medicare Services (which released its list a few days earlier) only agreed with one, giving it a 5-star rating. The two scoring systems came to some very different conclusions. So what does that mean for you?

People prefer to ignore scientific reality in favor of politically correct myths. Specifically, we incorrectly interpret (positive) statements that describe the world as it is to be (normative) statements that prescribe the world as it ought to be. This confusion impedes scientific progress.

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1. Nigeria Today has an article called 2 Things to Avoid if You Want to Live Longer. They certainly get one thing right - if not a secret to living longer, at least wealthier.  That thing is not bothering with most supplements. They cite us as warning that it's the wild, wild west in supplement land - ironically, the kind of thing supplement buyers actually believe about science.

The recent UNICEF report "From The First Hour of Life" looks at the present state of infant feeding, with particular focus on the benefits of breastfeeding, highlighting the barriers that exist and providing recommendations to overcome them. However, much of the data used to support these recommendations appear unrepresentative of a global population. This article will serve as part 1 of a series of articles attempting to validate the report in its entirety.

No one expected the DEA to claim marijuana is medical without any studies proving it, but it surprised the research community by removing a bottleneck on supply.

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"Use by" and "sell by" labels are not about food safety, although it's easy to be confused by them. In fact, they're only pointers about when a food's quality might not be at its peak.

Obesity is considered a risk factor for several types of cancer — breast and colon cancer, for example. But some cancers might be considered risk factors for obesity — or at least weight gain, according to a recent study from Columbia University.

Traditionally, science has been a refuge from this hyperbolic nonsense. But no longer. More and more scientific journals are wading into partisan politics. Current Biology, in its most recent issue, has published a feature article that is every bit as ghastly as it is incoherent.

In December 1912, Charles Dawson, an amateur antiquarian and solicitor archaeologist, presented part of a human-like skull to the world, claiming it was the “missing link” between ape and human. However, new dating technologies in the 1950s revealed that these bones were nowhere near old enough to make up such a link. But now new evidence points the finger of suspicion even more firmly at Dawson, and suggests a sole hoaxer was responsible.

You wouldn’t want to be cared for by a doctor who doesn’t wash his or her hands. You wouldn’t want to be operated on with instruments that weren’t sterilized? So why would you want to be treated by a doctor wearing a white coat that hasn’t been washed in a week? Many white coats are covered in bacteria like MRSA -– and they are dirty. So it’s time to hang them up for good.