Search results

1. Leave it to the weird health and science group at Consumers Union to declare not only that acrylamide causes cancer, but that they know how to prevent it.

The health insurance company is attempting to support of the federal government in its effort to curb the rampant over-prescribing of opioid drugs. However, large, sweeping changes to physician prescribing is a one-size-fits-all approach to a crisis that desperately needs anything but.

With the nation's exploding opioid epidemic, Eugene Monroe's quest to steer NFL players away from widespread use of painkillers and possible opioid addiction continues to receive attention. And publicly confronting the most popular sports enterprise in America -- from within, as a current player with the Baltimore Ravens -- will surely get you noticed. As will calling the NFL's chief executive a liar. Part 2 of 2.

The debate about endocrine disruption is intense, in large part because the research is inconclusive. In turn, there's a great deal of uncertainty on this topic. We highlight the documents that may shed light on a workable approach to the issue.

Mitochondria, the power stations of human cells, provide energy for cellular metabolism. But how these evolved, and how are they constructed, has long been the subject of scientific curiosity.

World population growth is a hot-button issue. A large segment of the public seems to believe that humans will continue to reproduce until we run out of food and water. Basically, we're just like cockroaches or bacteria. No serious demographer believes that -- as world fertility has been declining for years -- but facts haven't killed off this pernicious myth.

Researchers from Boston report that eating white potatoes, even as potato chips, are linked to developing high blood pressure (the increased risk is small). But we question whether anyone should change their diets because of studies like this that show only associations, not causation.

WebMD is not just a purveyor of medical advice -- and it has veered far off course. From scary diagnoses to fluff pieces that belong in Cosmo, WebMD should certainly consider changing its platform.

Herbivores, both in nature and the human self-identification kind, think plants love to be eaten. But a recent study shows that may not be so -- they may be biting back.

What you see is not what you get: That's a clichè, but also true when it comes to optical illusions. And the latest visual trickery on the Internet will have you going nuts!

How the first randomized, controlled trial helped take down the second greatest General in French history.

A small examination of causes promoted by many educated -- but completely misguided -- advocates against science. Guest writer Marvin Schissel, an author and member of the Council's Board of Scientific Advisors, explains.

U.S. Public Interest Research Group has been caught attributing identical quotes about environmental issues to various people. Are any of them real?

The Antarctic sea sponge, Dendrilla membranosa, may provide an answer to fighting MRSA, or methicillin-resistant staphylococcal infections. A Florida university research team has identified a sponge extract, which it named darwinolide, that in a laboratory was able to prevent 98 percent of MRSA growth.

Before you go all science on us, let's be clear: We're not advocating you stop drinking something because you can't spell it. In fact, we are saying just the opposite. If we lived by that mantra, we would dehydrate, since we'd have to forgo Dihydrogen Monoxide (water, duh.)

American Council advisor, and infectious disease expert Dr. David Shlaes has been writing a blog called "Antibiotics—the Perfect Storm" since 2009. Today, he features a guest blogger, Dr.Tamar Ghosh, who leads the Longitude Prize for the Innovation Lab at Nesta, a charity that is devoted to increasing the innovation capacity of the UK.
 
Dr. Ghosh writes about the biggest science prize in the UK:

Currently, breastfeeding is seen as the best (and some would say, only) choice for feeding babies. And many have fought for years to make this position a cultural norm. But the flip side of this position is that feeding formula, although a perfectly reasonable choice, has come to be seen as a dereliction of a mother's responsibility to guard her baby's welfare. Shouldn't feminists fight harder for freedom to choose?

Eugene Monroe does not come off as the stereotypical, egocentric, multi-millionaire ballplayer looking for league clearance to get high. Conversely, the veteran left tackle for the Baltimore Ravens, who claims not to smoke, has willingly become a marijuana missionary, to help his NFL brethren ravaged by injuries steer clear of addiction to -- and premature death from -- painkillers.

An environmental group is scaring the public about hydroxyapatite in baby formula. The problem is it's natural calcium, and even sold as supplements.

If you want to find a hotbed of homeopathy, anti-vaccine, anti-GMO and other wacky anti-science rants, look no further. Pinterest is the 13th most popular website in America and the 32nd in the world. It's more popular than CNN. We here at ACSH fully intend to rectify this situation. We hope others join us in doing so.

Epigenetics is the all the rage in the scientific community, in that all that we know or don't know seems to be a result of this field of study. Researchers from Georgetown University published a study recently linking pre-conception influences in the father as a significant contributor to epigenetic changes in offspring.

Two Australian manufacturers have developed an anti-viral prophylactic that it will be available to Olympic athletes. Ansell, the world's second biggest condom maker, in teaming up with the Starpharma, maker of the anti-viral agent, says its product provides "near-complete" protection against the mosquito-spread Zika virus. But unfortunately, while the effort sounds worthwhile, it's essentially just window dressing for a major health concern that's gripped a jittery public.

Every time I think that this nightmare might be over, he's back in the news. This time, the rights to the former doctor's 2010 book have recently been acquired, and I fear my nightmare is going to become a Hollywood film. Why are Wakefield's supporters so effective at getting their message out than those on the side of science? In response, what do we need to do?

Pfizer just announced new restrictions on the sale of seven drugs that can be used for lethal injections. Is this decision a genuine, moral stand, or simply a public relations gambit?

According to a new Danish study, obesity isn't as bad for health as it used to be. More exactly, the BMI associated with the lowest mortality risk seems to be higher than it was 40 years ago. But given some of the problems associated with using BMI to estimate obesity, we're not so sure that these results apply to everyone.