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Many metals are too chemically reactive to be found in their elemental form in the Earth. Instead, they're found as minerals where the element exists in a different chemical form. Silver does both. It can be found as pure silver or in minerals that contain it. Some of these are spectacular.

A new role for chemotherapy is emerging – and it's not a good one. It's thought that the same drugs used to treat cancer patients may also lead to sepsis with antibiotic-resistant bacteria, resulting in infections that may be lethal.

Jacob Thompson, a 9-year-old suffering from cancer, whose request to help him celebrate his last Christmas went viral – and was met with a global outpouring of love – has died. His death was due to neuroblastoma. What exactly is it?

Unauthorized touching has been in the news quite a bit. But many of us engage in a different form when we disobey the "Do Not Touch" signs at the museum. 
 

The "all-natural" food craze has extended to pets, with some companies making raw meat products for dogs and cats. Recent research makes us question the wisdom of such a practice, since some raw cat foods are contaminated with antibiotic-resistant bacteria. That, of course, could spread to pet owners.
 

A national medical association is calling for a renewed push across the country for this life-saving training, with 16 million high school students being the primary instructional targets of cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

That a person with such a hostile view toward industry-funded science serves on the editorial board of a major scientific journal is disturbing. That she possesses no academic qualifications to justify her position as "senior editor" is a scandal.

The main difference between a cat and a lie – Mark Twain once said – is that a cat only has nine lives. As for today, the false linkage between autism and vaccinations continues.
 
 

Some members of the Old Order of Amish carry a gene mutation that helps them live longer and avoid some of the health problems of aging. Having one copy of the mutation is associated with longer telomeres and less risk of developing diabetes.

An app, using heart rate and counting steps, correctly identifies patients with hypertension. Could wearable monitors in our smartphones be used as health early-warning systems?
 
 
 

Like most scientific endeavors, depression is hard to study in humans or non-human primates. So like many researchers, neuroscientists study depression in mice. But how can you tell whether a mouse is depressed? Here's how, and it's kind of fascinating.

CO2 emissions have replaced food resources for the Neo Malthusians who are calling for immediate action before the cataclysm. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Of the four "reclones" that were born, three are alive and well. They will be monitored (hopefully) for years to come in order to provide more data on the health of clones, and their reclones. Stay tuned for a follow-up in 2027!

What's the secret to a young girl wowing the internet with her knowledge of neurotransmitters and synapses? It's how she communicates the message. 

Despite tens of billions of dollars being spent for research, testing and raising public awareness across the U.S. algae levels aren't dropping, they're rising. An investigation reveals that of more than 1,100 lakes and reservoirs studied by the EPA, an algae-created toxin that causes human sickness was found in over one third of them.
 
 

Switzerland brings to mind money, delicious dark chocolate, the Alps and watches. Now we can add homeopathy to the list, because some Swiss doctors (regular MDs, not naturopaths) are prescribing "remedies" to their patients. Some are doing so for the placebo effect, but others actually appear to believe the hype!
 
 

1. In Las Vegas Review-Journal, Dr. Josh Bloom wrote about a worthwhile effort to combat deaths due to illegal opioids which has transformed into government interfering in the doctor-patient relationship. Though bad doctors have been arrested, and "pill mills" shut down, the overwhelming majority of harm has come from illegal purchases, not cancer patients in real pain.

Newly released guidelines from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) suggest illegitimate, unproven stem cell uses might become a thing of the past.

Nearly 60 years ago, a government regulation designed to assure the public about the safety our food supply did just the opposite; it set off a panic that was completely unwarranted. Thanksgiving was ruined for millions because the government created an invalid distinction between the natural world and the synthetic one.
The regulation was called the Delaney Clause. In simple form, it said that if a synthetic chemical could be shown to cause cancer in laboratory animals, it must be banned.

Researchers studying brain trauma are calling it a breakthrough. And it's creating significant hope that doctors will soon be able to reliably identify this severe degenerative brain disease, long before it plunges its sufferers into the throes of depression, rage, memory loss, and in some cases, suicide.

Amidst the noise of the opioid crisis is a pernicious shift in power, from doctors and their patients to the government. In a futile attempt to fight the unwinnable war on drugs, many states are now restricting what doctors can prescribe. Dr. Josh Bloom whose recent Op-Ed appeared in the Las Vegas Tribune-Review, looks at this frightening trend.

The California Department of Public Health says that there's been a 34 percent increase in the number of cases of valley fever over the past year. Nobody seems to know why.

In a nod to science, Newsweek reported that there might be genetic underpinnings to obesity. So kudos, for at least that. But why not share the actual science instead of dumbing it down to, “Regardless of how much you eat, your weight may be out of your hands?” For the scientifically-literate explanation, here it is.

How did a frog that doesn't live in Louisiana get a habitat there? It was part of a sue-and-settle agreement arrangement between the government an environmental group, and it could cause the Supreme Court to dismantle the Endangered Species Act.

We're entering the danger season — first Thanksgiving, then Christmas and finally New Year's, all in about six weeks. Three chances to wreak havoc with all our good dietary intentions. How bad can it get? Pretty bad — just one holiday dinner can provide more calories than most of us should consume in a day.