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Cause-specific mortality using death registries and their nationwide health insurance system lead the authors to project an estimated 20 percent of all adult male deaths this decade in China will be linked to cigarettes

The FDA approved a DNA screening test of cerebrospinal fluid that can tell a physician in under an hour if a patient has viral or bacterial meningitis. If you are familiar with the differences between these two types -- one of which can be fatal -- you know this is a big deal.

Even in 2015 over 100 years after aspirin and heroin were discovered there's still no good (or even acceptable) way to treat pain, especially when it's chronic and severe. This unmet medical need is now a very hot topic, especially since the FDA recently approved OxyContin for children.

An agency in Bangladesh announced that life-saving Golden Rice has passed trials in contained facilities and will soon move on to open-field tests. If all goes well, the crop will finally be approved for farmers to grow. It's been a long fight to receive approval, but success now appears to be at hand.

Another Listeria incident has occurred in organic cheese.

It is certainly true that activists and websites preying on their audiences lack of scientific literacy often exploit that ignorance and engage in fear-mongering, but this does not account for their total success. Activists use two other emotions to get positive outcomes for their causes: outrage and empowerment.

Needle exchange programs where addicts can exchange dirty syringes for clean ones are effective in preventing the spread of HIV, a finding that's highlighted in a new CDC report. But in terms of curbing the overall drug abuse problem, the programs themselves remain controversial.

There is a dearth of information about the transmissibility of the flu virus through breast milk from mother to infant. However, a new study using a ferret model finds that transmission might be possible.

The findings may seem obvious, but they hold a lot more substance. Experts say when a woman is trying to conceive, having intercourse more often triggers the psychological changes that improve the chance of conception, even outside of the ovulation window.

A new study claims that people who undergo weight loss surgery have higher rates of suicide attempts than those who don't. Is this really true? Maybe, maybe not. A flaw in the study makes it impossible to tell.

Many may think the Ebola epidemic ended when major U.S. news outlets stopped covering it. However, the epidemic has raged on for over a year in West Africa. But there is some good news: the three countries at the center of the epidemic have not reported any new cases in over a week.

Weight-loss surgery has been shown to help control weight and improve metabolic parameters among obese diabetics. This new study, which produced very impressive results, shows the actual degree of improvement of various types of surgery.

While the U.S. Court of Appeals for the NY region threw out a lawsuit by parents seeking to allow religious exemptions for their kids, the matter remained unsettled. Until now. The U.S. Supreme Court has decided not to review the decision, which now puts an end to this debate -- with a welcome outcome.

A news report says Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson was associated with a supplement maker, and actually took a regimen of products to treat his prostate cancer diagnosis. After hearing his dubious views on vaccines during the debates, this latest discovery makes us feel even more uncomfortable about his commitment to sound science.

Ever thought of refreezing meat or fish you thawed for dinner (but didn't cook) but chose not to because you felt it might not be safe to eat later? Well, refreezing can be safe under the right circumstances, if you follow the proper guidelines.

Mother Jones is once again in a panic. That's because the public might engage in evidence-based decision-making if the American Council on Science and Health is not stopped -- so a writer there engages in yellow journalism.

A new study suggests that certain plant-based (organic) pesticides that are used in organic farming kill bees something that they're not supposed to do. But the study is flawed. Although these botanical pesticides do kill bees, the conditions under which they were tested render the entire study meaningless.

Students with peanut allergies have forced many schools to ban these nuts. However, scientists are working on a solution: trying to create a peanut without the allergenic proteins. They report they are close to a finished product, but regulatory questions abound as the definition of "GMO" is examined.

Dr. Tu Youyou was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for her discovery of artemisinin, a very important anti-malarial drug. While this is being touted as a triumph of ancient Chinese medicine over modern western, it's nothing of the sort. Dr. Tu used the same methods that chemists have been using for many years.

Over the past few days several European countries have announced they'll opt out of an EU law permitting the cultivation of approved GMO crops. However, Romania bucking the trend and aligning itself with science, has proudly announced it is opting-in.

A study claims that infants given corticosteroids to treat asthma may face stunted growth in their future. However, the coverage of the study misses the point: despite the concern about potential height, asthma is still a deadly disease and steroids are still an effective treatment.

Beta-blockers have been integral in the treatment of heart disease and high blood pressure since the invention of Inderal almost 50 years ago. But new research indicates they may not be the medical miracle they were once considered to be.

Two new studies, which deal with the extra information a calcium scan can contribute to risk calculation for predicting coronary heart disease events over a 10-year course, found that coronary artery calcium scores of very low or zero reduced the likelihood of CHD events by about half. This can eliminate the need for statins.

A second research group, this one from Portland State University, says it's testing a single-pill cure for malaria. That now makes two studies that look very promising. The availability of a single-pill cure would go a long way toward wiping out the infection in Africa, where it still kills more than 400,000 children each year.

A recent online article attacks several Nobel Prize winners whose contributions to humanity saved many millions of lives.