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A new study in JAMA Surgery reports that a crucial decision – whether a breast cancer patient should undergo a double mastectomy when only one breast is affected – is heavily influenced by her surgeon's recommendation.

Most Americans are rightly squeamish about forcing anyone to do anything against their will. But allowing homeless people to do whatever they want is no longer a viable solution. When a community fails to practice proper hygiene and sanitation, it becomes a ticking time bomb for infectious disease.

Due to the opaque nature of the pharmaceutical industry’s disclosures, a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine sought to quantify a standard amount companies spent on the research and development of cancer drugs. Do these R&D costs justify such high prices and revenues?

There is ongoing discussion in the medical community and among politicians about when and whether terminally ill patients can receive access to medicines not approved by regulators. With the support of the “right to try” movement, 37 states—and recently, the U.S. Senate—have passed laws aimed at providing easier access to experimental treatments that have undergone only the most rudimentary human testing.

We sometimes think that if you give people true, scientific information they will listen. But then that theory is blown away by a reality check, such as with the case of an Australian man who continued to take supplements derived from apricot kernels – that doctors told him was giving him chronic cyanide poisoning.

Medicare doesn't dispute how much pharmaceutical companies charge for their drugs. This laxity has inevitably led to the program being fleeced by them – to the tune of over a billion dollars. And that's just for a drug that doesn't even need to be in use.

Researchers from Johns Hopkins University report that they've set a new delivery distance record by using medical drones to safely deliver human blood samples 161 miles. The experiment in the Arizona desert ferried contents that "were viable for laboratory analysis after landing," with minimal related problems.

Ever wonder if your cabinet is full of expired medication? If so, what can you keep, and what should you toss?
 

The Biohacker Summit, the largest event of its kind in Europe which promotes DIY bio- and citizen-science, dis-invited David Avocado Wolfe from speaking. In doing so, officials there not only secured a win for the pro-science community, they also rejected the wacky pseudoscience that Wolfe, and his ilk, promotes. 

You can't buy Sudafed OTC anymore. In its place is something called Sudafed PE, which is useless. Why? It's all about crystal meth. A little chemistry lesson.

It is easy to see how the peer review process has flaws. How to fix those flaws is a bit more difficult. However, at the "Peer Review Congress" a group of scientists meets every four years to do just that, when they consider ongoing problems with the quality and credibility of science and discuss potential improvements. 

For nearly two decades the federal government has provided organic food corporations with a key ally. However, Miles McEvoy, the deputy administrator of USDA’s National Organic Program, is stepping down, so the road may get a bit rockier for that industry.

Exercise is good for us, and inactivity isn't. A new study emphasizes that not only is that true, but the pattern of inactivity – as well as the amount of inactive time – can increase the risk of mortality.

Even under the best of circumstances, the five-year survival rate for pancreatic adenocarcinoma is devastating. According to the American Cancer Society, for stage IA it's just 14%. And for stage III – a horrifying 3%. 

CNN's science team must have been in a coma when they swallowed whole a nonsense study about 9/11 dust raising cholesterol in kids. They look pretty foolish, but not nearly as much as the study authors. It will be some time until anyone can "top" this. Don't hold your breath. 

Pumpkin season is here, but it's more than just a fad. There's a bit of science behind why we're so obsessed with pumpkin spice everything!

Colorectal cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death in the U.S. Finding it early can vastly improve the chances for successful treatment, but screening rates are low, even though screening is known to be effective. But if people are reminded to be screened, or are sent in-home tests, the screening rates improve. 

Despite years of research, our understanding of Autism Spectrum Disorder is limited. But the National Institutes of Health is hoping to change that, by awarding $100 million in grants to nine different groups working on various aspects of ASD. 

For decades, only three mechanisms for spreading DNA (such as antibiotic resistance genes) from one bacterium to another were known. Now researchers have characterized a fourth, adding a new wrinkle in our war on bacteria and a new page to microbiology textbooks.

Canadian researchers say they've produced software that can "accurately determine" when distracting activities are taking place behind the wheel. The new innovation, utilizing artificial intelligence, could potentially lead to the car issuing a warning and, if necessary, taking over for the driver briefly until the safety threat is alleviated.

Regarding this story's headline, Marie Antoinette never said it – but we do. Especially if those bananas are genetically engineered to enhance their beta-carotene content. Bananas are staple foods in Uganda, and the country recently decided to allow farmers to grow GM-crops. Hopefully, this will go a long way towards wiping out vitamin A deficiency there, where it's widespread.

The American Council on Science and Health writes at least 1,300 original articles on our website, produces five books, and writes science op-eds in America's largest newspapers every month. That means we get a lot of media traction. Here is who used our work this past week.

Tired of the same ole boring ways to contract food-borne illness? Look no further than chicken tartare: raw, seasoned chicken, now served at restaurants near you. 

A high school student who makes bad grades is not only setting himself up for professional failure; he's also likely making lifestyle choices that will put him on a course to bad health.

Yemen is in the midst of an unprecedented cholera outbreak. But what makes Vibrio cholerae so efficient, giving it the ability to "set up" infection in hundreds of thousands of people in one area? Here's what we know.