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The only legal difference between bourbon and rye products is their mashbill: Bourbon must be fermented from a mash that is majority corn, and rye from a majority of, yes, rye. Otherwise, the two products are identical. So it's possible for a 2 percent difference in mashbill to tip the whiskey from one category into the other.

Challenge. Accepted. Bring on the raging river.

1. A vegan group claims even 3D-printed cow milk is an abomination of their self-identification and mustn't be allowed. So they don't like our article. Mission accomplished, Dr. Kava!
Even if no cows are involved, they are against it. That means they don't want more ethical treatment of cows, they are just social authoritarians who want to force you into their world view. No wonder science pisses them off.

Recent research has made some progress in finding an effective treatment for triple negative breast cancer — specifically, cancers that don't have either growth factor or hormone receptors. These are the most difficult to treat successfully, since there are no targeted therapies for them.

Sleep deprivation, even after one week, can induce changes in metabolic pathways involved in cholesterol metabolism and create a pro-inflammatory state. Together, they contribute to the development of atherosclerosis and the risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

Though malaria affects half the world’s population, Europe is giddy that at least it isn't touching them. No new cases were reported last year. It must feel good to be part of the epidemiological 1 percent.

Something is rotten in Denmark. Researchers there published a ridiculous study on all the things that BPA doesn't do. But if you believe it — and you shouldn't — there could be some utility. You see, BPA might make female rats swim faster, perhaps one of the most critical problems facing the world today. Science thanks you.

Earlier this year, the EPA issued its “preliminary assessment” of imidacloprid, the first commercially available, widely-used neonicotinoid pesticide. But its assessment wasn’t so favorable (or accurate) for cotton and citrus crops. But as guest writer Henry Miller explains, in reaching its conclusions the EPA ignored persuasive scientific evidence.

Aerated chocolate is all the rage— bringing you the same, delicious taste of chocolate, without— apparently, the same amount of calories. But is the weight-conscious chocolate all it's cracked up to be?

Would you feed your baby milk produced by yeast? Or milk produced by a 3-D printer? Both are on the horizon, but you should have plenty of time to make that decision since they're still in the development stage.

To cope with high pollen levels during vigorous exercise should an athlete pop a couple of antihistamines? There’s no definitive answer, but new research finds that 27 percent of genes activated after vigorous exercise become blunted in their responses during a three-hour recovery period, if exercisers had taken strong doses of antihistamines.

The organic food industry of deluding the American public into thinking that it doesn't use nasty chemicals to grow its produce. Except, that's a complete lie. One of the pesticides it uses is more toxic than what's in a can of Raid. Here's the buzz ...

The Tampa Bay Times recently ran a story that would have been unsurprising to many of you. It found that much of the locally-sourced organic food being served in one restaurant was actually nothing of the kind. There's a simple reason for that: Organic is just a process, or marketing, or both, since there is no real difference in the food.

Late last year, ACSH testified at the White House on the impact of the FDA's "deeming regulations," granted to it by the 2009 Tobacco Control Act, to cover all tobacco products. This was after numerous agencies and officials had been asked for guidance on this complex subject. The Council issued its recommendations, and it looks more and more like our advice will win the day, at least based on a recent committee vote.

The health website WebMD supposedly gives us scientifically sound advice. So why is it following in the footsteps of the Natural Resources Defense Council with respect to pesticide scares? As a result we think the Web Doctor's health advice on this issue is decidedly unscientific.

Occasionally we hear improbable stories, like one about a person who's left unscathed from a disaster that kills hundreds. In a way, we might consider this type of person to be "superhuman." Similarly, a recent study has uncovered a new subset of people who are genetically superhuman, described as otherwise healthy people who have survived despite having genes that signal fatal diseases.

Proponents of organic agriculture have succeeded in scaring many consumers about the supposed dangers of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers. But few have thought to examine the effects of those chemicals approved for use under organic rules. At least some, such as copper sulfate, are also dangerous for beneficial species such as bees.

They say money can't buy happiness, but it can certainly buy a nice house, a boat or a plane tickets to Hawaii. That has to count for something, right? According to scientists, it does. A recent study from Cambridge University found people who spend money on things they enjoy, like hobbies and other interests, tend to be happier than their peers.

Environmental groups really dislike the weed killer 2,4-D. So much so, that they routinely play the "let's scare the public by calling it something else" game. What are the rules? Just make sure that whenever 2,4-D is mentioned, also refer to dioxin and Agent Orange so that everyone thinks they're the same. But they aren't. Not even close.

Science rests on data, of that there can be no doubt. But peer through the hot haze of hype surrounding the use of big data in biology, and you will see plenty of cold facts that suggest we need fresh thinking if we are to turn the swelling ocean of “omes” – genomes, proteomes and transcriptomes – into new drugs and treatments.

A recent poll found that in defiance of what marketing claims are about organic food, anti-GMO beliefs are actually a sign of being less educated. This is a big blow to Organic Consumers Association and the attack groups they fund to say just the opposite, such as U.S. Right To Know and SourceWatch.

Though we often tout healthy eating and regular exercise as the cornerstones of good health, even the healthiest of patients are not immune to the leading cause of death in men and women in the U.S. And although rare, it is worth noting that rigorous exercise could elevate the risk of heart attack in people who may be at risk.

The Centers for Disease Control found that recent use of cigarettes by teens decreased, while use of e-cigarettes increased. So that's a good thing, right? Well, not according to the agency, which now wants us to be concerned about nicotine addition.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer, the U.N.'s epidemiological arm, has been in existence since the 1960s. But it only recently got a skeptical look from journalists and the general public, because officials declared that sausage is the same risk as cigarette smoking, plutonium, mustard gas and asbestos. So what's going on there?

Why are saturated fats healthy again? Why do the latest nutritional guidelines still have a very low cap on salt despite all the contradictory data?