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A new robotic surgical technique has been developed by scientists and surgeons at the Sheikh Zayed Institute of Pediatric Surgical Innovation in Washington, DC that removes the need for a surgeon's hands. It also outperforms manual surgery as well as existing robot-assisted surgery.

The Food and Drug Administration has issued its ruling on regulation of tobacco products, which now include e-cigarettes. Here's what that means for the marketplace, and for public health.

For someone with celiac disease, sticking to a gluten-free regimen away from home is, at best, stressful -- and it can be potentially dangerous, because it’s impossible to tell if food contains gluten. As May is Celiac Disease Awareness Month, we spotlight a cool innovation that takes the guesswork out of eating gluten free.

A recent study published in the Journal of Medical Entomology showed bed bugs strongly preferred red and black colors, and seemed to avoid light colors like green and yellow. Experts we spoke with say that makes sense, but should you toss your light bedding and go shopping for something a bit darker?

A recent paper in Nature Climate Change affirms what you may have learned in an early biology class: Since carbon dioxide, or CO2, is necessary for plants to engage in photosynthesis, a boost will rev up the engines a little.

The EPA maintains a cozy relationship with environmental groups. That's not really a surprise since the agency is stuffed with former activists. Yet those clearly-conflicted EPA officials have never recused themselves from decisions, even when being lobbied by their friends from activist organizations.

Young babies can't get flu shots, since their immune systems aren't mature yet. But pregnant mothers can get protected, and then pass their immunity to their babies. A new report shows that infants whose moms had been vaccinated had a 70 percent reduction in flu infection. There's really no reason not to do it. 

Mexico slapped a tax on soda as a way of helping control obesity and diabetes, officials there said. But now that soda sales have risen and the additional tax money is rolling in, what will they do?

What if someone offered to sell you water that promised to contain extra oxygen? And what if they promised it would hydrate you three times more than ordinary tap water consumed by peasants that didn't have your wealth? Wouldn't that make you a better parent? Shouldn't you buy it? Of course not, since it's all nonsense.

Advisers in the news, and we are everywhere.

One might say that the current conflict between tobacco cigarettes and e-cigarettes seems to hinge, for the most part, on two factors: health and price. And while there are those who insist on challenging the health safety of e-cigarettes, many worldwide may turn to them because they simply cost less. Yet the findings of a new study may throw that belief out the window.

Even after being handed greater legislative authority, the Food and Drug Administration has been unable to quell the rising tide of shortages involving acute-care drugs. According to a new report, despite early evidence of progress there still remains shortfalls in many drugs needed for acute and emergent situations.

For those of us interested in nutrition, the topic keeps coming up: What food or foods are essential for human health? For example, do we really need to drink milk? The answers to these and other questions might surprise you.

GNC is just one of many companies that has profited by selling junk to a scientifically-naive public. But, perhaps they haven't profited enough. The company is in financial trouble. And we are not losing sleep over it.

The ongoing battle over whether glyphosate causes cancer seemingly ended April 29, with the online posting of an EPA report stating that the herbicide should be classified as “Not Likely to be Carcinogenic to Humans.” But then, the report was taken down from the website three days later. Here's our summary of the findings, in the context of the 30 year-long disagreement.

Gout was long considered a disease for the nobility, since the wealthy who ate rich foods were most likely to get it. Today, journalists, invariably working for large corporations run by very wealthy people, perhaps can't resist the chance to take indirect jabs at their bosses. In a new paper, gout was found to be the subject of humor in 26.3 percent of articles analyzed.

There are bad studies, and worse studies. This one could be either: Pyrethroid pesticides, which have been used for 50 years, are all of a sudden causing autism? We think not.

Participants in the "Biggest Loser" reality TV contest are able to shed massive amounts of weigh — frequently, 100 pounds or more. But followup studies indicate that maintaining that sizeable loss isn't a piece of cake, because often the body's metabolism fights back.

In mid-2015 Canadian teens (ages 15 to 17) visited more than 4,000 stores to try to purchase e-cigarettes and, on average, they were turned away two thirds of the time. So as in any business, there are bad actors, but not all companies are simply making a buck trying to create a youth market addicted to their product.

Habituation — learning not to fear a harmless substance after being confronted with it on several occasions — exists in all animals, but was never observed in a non-neural organism. This discovery could improve existing understandings of the origins of learning.

Researchers analyzed that babies born to bilingual households tend to develop critical thinking skills before they even speak.

New federal guidelines advise primary care doctors to consider carefully when prescribing of opioid painkillers, and in an editorial a team of surgeons has recommended what the American Council on Science and Health testified to at the FDA in February; cutting back on the number of opioid pills prescribed to patients after surgery.

To retire or not to retire — an important issue for older folks. Some research suggests working folks live longer, but other studies suggest that people make beneficial lifestyle changes when they retire. What a conundrum! Take a look at both sides.

Sepsis occurs when the body’s response to infection goes into overdrive, leading to tissue damage, organ failure, and death. Sepsis has an overall mortality rate of between 20 and 50 percent, and kills more people than do HIV and breast cancer. It afflicts up to 500,000 people a year in the U.S. and millions more worldwide,.

Newsweek journalist loses his mind, Mother Jones coincidentally defends them immediately
A journalist demanding that another journalist not use a science site as a source? Someone not only doesn't want us to talk about science they happen not to accept, they demand that everyone else suppress us also? If it sounds weirdly social authoritarian, yeah, it is, but unsurprising in modern corporate media.