Search results

Given the refreshing, restorative benefits of sleep, a question that recently emerged in the scientific community is: Since memory tends to fade with age, if we could help older adults sleep better would that help improve and protect their memory? 

We went to Washington to meet with Rep. Lamar Smith of Texas, Chairman of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee. He was intrigued by our publication, and asked that copies be sent to him so he could give it to the committee. That's part of our goal, In fact, we want it in the hands of every member of Congress.

Corporations aren’t all evil, and universities are not all saints. Most products are coming from industry work. Meanwhile, plenty of junk science comes from universities – and sometimes even from Boston's most prestigious academic institution.

In 2010, the profit for Elsevier, one of the world' leading publishers of technical, medical and scientific information, was 36 percent of its revenue – which exceeded Google's, Apple's and Amazon's. How did Elsevier do it? The company made use of a simple business model developed by Robert Maxwell.  
 
 
 
 

The disease is one of the top 10 causes of death in the world. It currently infects roughly 1.5 billion people. But researchers from Cornell University are focusing on the critically important need to develop new drugs to fight TB.

To stay in business, media outlets need viewers. So they give readers what they want, which apparently consists largely of pointless political bickering, epic acts of stupidity and naked people.

An international team of medical experts recently published a global call to action in an effort to curb the unethical, unsubstantiated use of stem-cell based therapies driving medical tourism. When greed trumps science, we all lose. 

In the 1980s, a case of gonorrhea would have been easily treated with a course of antibiotics. Today, this is not the case. An announcement by the World Health Organization calls attention to the increasing problem of antibiotic resistance in Neiserria gonorrheae – the bacteria that causes this sexually transmitted disease. 

New research indicates that extra-virgin olive oil may not be the pure, wholesome maiden you've been anticipating for your dinner night. 

Researchers have figured out how to accurately measure "a fundamental physical property" in THC, pot's primary active ingredient. This scientific achievement, never achieved before they say, lays the "technical groundwork for manufacturers to develop accurate devices" to measure impairment while driving.

Though chlorine has been attacked as being "dangerous" to one's health, it's got a health-supporting side, too. In pools it combines with nitrogen-containing compounds to take them out of circulation. How do they get there in the first place? A recent study showed that (like it or not) people pee in pools — and the presence of artificial sweeteners proves it.

Can we prevent global warming by substituting beans, which, as compared to beef, produce less greenhouse gases? Here's the underlying hypothesis.

An abundance of caution; we have all heard the phrase. And in what situations does that apply? For the most part, situations where there's a remote chance of a catastrophic outcome that puts its thumb on the scale.

Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) is back in intensive care after progressing from last month's shooting on a baseball field. Why do traumas, like gunshot wounds, require such comprehensive interventions? And why do thery carry infection risks?

When is it safe to stop vaccinating against measles? Or against other rare and infectious diseases? In short, vaccinating against them can cease once the threat of future transmission is deemed sufficiently low.

Compared to warm winters, cold winters are likelier to land more people in the hospital, particularly the emergency room. 

Junkscience.com has informed the New England Journal of Medicine that it may have been the victim of scientific misconduct regarding a paper recently published on air pollution and mortality. The contention was that material information was omitted from the work.

The growing cholera crisis in Yemen has, unfortunately, earned the title of "the largest cholera outbreak in the world." The most heartbreaking aspect of cholera outbreaks is that even though we know how to stop them, we don't.

Good news: more of us are walking than we were even 10 years ago, and over 60 percent of both adult men and women report regular walking. That still leaves us with a large proportion of couch potatoes; certain demographic groups do lag behind. Perhaps the message that needs better targeting: even moderate activity can be beneficial.

Any donor may request our latest publication free of charge, and everyone at the event got a copy. If you prefer to avoid paper, it's available as a PDF inside this article. Along with national coverage, the news was carried by regional papers from Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel and Salt Lake Tribune to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and the Buffalo News.

Preservatives help keep our food supply safe and reduce food waste. Apparently, Panera Bread is unaware of this.

Adherence to medical treatment involving multiple medications is not easy. Can electronic reminders and financial incentives help?

"The Little Black Book of Junk Science is just what it sounds like," says Dr. Alex Berezow, Senior Fellow in Biomedical Science for the Council and author of the work. "Everyone talks about fake news but it is a little harder to know what junk science is if you are not an expert. This book is a pocket-sized reference that will allow the public to do just that. Family barbecues will never be the same!"

Of all the fads to cling to, let's not jump on this bandwagon. And especially when scientific bodies, and a government agency like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, warn you not to. 

One phenomenon that continues to mystify physicians and healthcare professionals alike is the "obesity paradox," the idea that significant extra weight can actually be beneficial and provide protection in some circumstances. 
For years, studies have been released that produced competing findings – some that supported its existence, others that undermined it – only serving to muddy the waters in this area of research.