Search results

When the recent publication of a paper in Nature Methods claimed that using the CRISPR-Cas9 technique may cause unexpected mutations to occur, you might say that produced a collective gasp in the scientific community. But those who discovered CRISPR-Cas9 are not taking this criticism lightly – and they're fighting back.

Excessive ice stalls a climate change expedition, the merits of a pillow-based exercise regimen ... and more news that's a bit, shall we say ... loonie.

Yemen's cholera outbreak is hitting epic proportions, with over 100,000 cases currently reported. And with more than 14 million people lacking access to clean water and sanitation, the beleaguered country is at the beginning of what some are predicting to be a complete collapse. 

Though pneumonia and infection are among the litany of known complications after water birth, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) just reported two cases of Legionnaires’ Disease in newborns in Arizona born this way. Further investigation identified an infant death in 2014 in Texas from Legionellosis. 

Columbia University Professor Jeffrey Sachs is one of the world's most influential public intellectuals. His war against global poverty is commendable, if not always congenial. His expertise is rightly sought by national and international media outlets.

People with type 2 diabetes who are not using insulin, are typically instructed to monitor their blood glucose levels regularly. But a new study suggests that doing so may not provide any long-term benefits for controlling those levels. This could be the end of what has been the standard of care for these patients.

Edgar Allan Poe had a fascinating but strange mind, and perhaps he wasn't truly mad to think a raven was after him. Turns out, if you wrong a raven, it will shun you... Forevermore.

Summer campfires are fun; even more fun when you can roast some delicious marshmallows! But roasting the perfect marshmallow takes a bit of skill, and a whole lotta patience!

Multiplying an estimate with another estimate leaves you with imprecise information, no matter what the number. And naturally, using those imprecise numbers to drive policy is a bad idea. It's time to recognize that.

Diagnosis and treatment are linked. A new study sheds light on how improvements in one inform the other, or in other words, their dance of accommodation. 

If we want the Environmental Protection Agency to protect Americans from true health hazards, it needs to be reformed so it stops inventing health scares.

ACSH President Hank Campbell gives a bootcamp on biotech to science communicators, the EPA would prefer not to have awkward questions asked, and more outreach this past week.

Science media is fractured. But other tribes, like environmental activists, have clearly been successful and have put aside their differences and flourished by working together. What separates them from us? 

There's been a significant decrease in the number of American adults who use tanning beds, according to results of a recent study. By analyzing voluminous survey data, researchers concluded that indoor tanning plunged 33 percent from 2010 to 2015. 

One way to motivate people to exercise is for them to get a dog. After all, unless you live in the outback and let the animal run free, having a dog means walking it — except in a few circumstances. Australian investigators described the owner- and pup-associated reasons for a person to increase their walking level.
 

Good news for everyone who writes science: Alan Alda is as terrified as the rest of us about getting it wrong.

The annual World Science Festival was held last weekend in NYC and we were lucky enough to attend some of the events. One of the highlights was a panel conversation moderated by Carl Zimmer, talking to scientists about science and discussing the most pressing issues for today's scientific community. 

Does getting food assistance from the federal SNAP program mean that people improve their diets? Not so much — at least according to recent nutritional research. Is it even reasonable to expect it to do so?

The FDA just released a list of 25 eating establishments in California, Texas and Oklahoma that received – and may have already served – tuna steaks that tested positive for hepatitis A. The agency is urging those who ate either raw or undercooked tuna from these restaurants within the last two weeks to receive a post-exposure vaccine.

Although most images of sleeping babies are cute, all too frequently they portray an unsafe sleeping environment containing pillows, stuffed animals, blankets – with the babies placed stomach down. All of this sends the wrong message to new parents. But a new educational campaign from the New York City Department of Health is trying to correct this problem.
 

Bourdain, the bad boy chef turned journalist, is far more effective than any of the marches, or journalist headlines or thought pieces. It's hard not to come away from watching his CNN program without a new found respect for the work of scientists.

Childbirth is an unpredictable, sometimes traumatic event – in even the best of situations. Fortunately, most babies do quite well. Now, imagine having a condition where the act itself causes innumerable bones to break, making it life-threatening. 

Reducing sodium consumption to ward off hypertension, stroke and heart disease has been the goal of nutritionists for many years. They warned that much of the sodium intake comes not from the salt added at the table, but from processed foods. But a new study indicates that the sodium content of such foods has decreased over a recent 15-year period.

Federal health officials have identified a clear link between the increase in domesticated chickens and the rise in Salmonella incidents. And the statistics indicate that close contact with these adorable chicks and egg-laying birds is accelerating the spread of disease to humans in the home.

If you're in the mood for some Americana, it doesn't get much better than this. Marvin "Popcorn" Sutton, a colorful character at the very least was one of this country's most prolific and best-known moonshiners. If you're in the mood for a chemistry lesson or want to go into the business, here's your chance.