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The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is a giant among anti-science groups, a $100 million per year juggernaut that is able to bully companies into writing checks in return for calling off the invective among the many satellite organizations in its orbit.
Republicans in the Senate seem to have finally had enough.
The NRDC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit prohibited from political activity but they refuse to disclose their donors so there has long been a belief that their dislike for one political party is not based on genuine concern about the public. Due to their giant coffers, they are able to wield an outsized level of mindshare amo

Remember when the Kennedy name used to mean something?
Well toda

Every time we as a society face an emerging pathogen (think H1N1 in 2009 and Ebola right now), scientists race to create a vaccine so we can start mass immunizations to protect the public. But why do we do this only for human diseases?

The association between maternal use of antidepressants, especially selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) during pregnancy, and birth defects in newborns and infants, has been the topic of much discussion in recent years. A new study, published in the BMJ, finds a small increased risk of two SSRIs (Paxil/paroxetine and Prozac/fluoxetine) with some birth defects, but not others (including the most commonly used SSRI,

Ever since the Vioxx withdrawal in 2004, studies have linked nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to elevated risk of cardiovascular events (CVD). A boxed warning by the FDA on these common painkillers is now going to be augmented with stronger warnings.

Environmentalists want you to worry that plastic is causing the uterus of pregnant women to change. Here is the actual science.

Medicare announced that the program the federal insurance coverage for over-65s will reimburse caregivers for end-of-life planning discussions. Can we just discuss this without falling prey to that old death panel hysteria c. 2009?

In a way, science achieved a win in the battle over GMO crops in Europe.
However, since it's Europe the result ends up being more of the same for this increasingly anti-science continent.
The EU faces a vote on a proposal to loosen restrictions on growing GE crops and as the vote looms, countries like Ireland are trying to determine whic

California gets a lot of criticism from us for often not being on the side of science. But in the past few months, they ve done some serious good for the public health.

In an opinion column in today s New York Times, Drs. Dariush Mozaffarian of Tufts University and David S. Ludwig of Boston Children s Hospital describe the historical trajectory of official nutrition advice that has led to the demonization of dietary fat. Beginning with the 1980 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, an official goal has been to get Am

Each year since 2005, The Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI) has awarded the Balles Prize in Critical Thinking, a prize that recognizes excellence in the promotion of science and reason, to individuals (sometimes more than one) who have taken on any number of controversial topics.

Politicians and community leaders have long used the line that marijuana is a gateway drug when trying to sound tough on drugs. The idea is that marijuana makes you more sensitized toward trying harder and potentially more dangerous drugs. Some data back this up as most hard drug users also used marijuana.
However, the overwhelming majority of marijuana users never progress to other drugs, which has lead many to back down on the gateway claim. But a new st

A newly-approved Novartis drug combination showed impressive efficacy in reducing cardiac death and morbidity from congestive heart failure, one of the most common ailments taking the lives and health of America s senior population.

The evolution and spread of genetic disease is fascinating because genetic diseases (spread through inheritance only) really shouldn't exist. They are caused by having alleles (versions of a gene) that are detrimental to health and biological fitness, so they should not remain established in a population.

It has long been known that women live longer than men, on average. What has remained a puzzle is why. Some new studies provide intriguing insight.

In 1816 the ubiquitous stethoscope, in modern times a symbol of medicine itself, made its first appearance - but it may be coming close to extinction.

An informative Washington Examiner article by T. Becket Adams hits the nail on the head in explaining the major problem plaguing science that ACSH has worked to combat: junk studies, and the sloppy media coverage that ensues. The piece also includes quotes from many experts associated with ACSH.

Since about 1990, the PSA blood test has been dramatically over-utilized as a screening test for prostate cancer. That changed in 2012 when a federal panel advised against its routine use. Now, a urologist says, let s try PSAs again. Really?

If you just read the headline, you d be confused. It says More People Dying From Cancer, But the Risk is Lower. Sounds like a total contradiction, but it s a red herring.

One medical topic that is now widely debated is breast cancer screening especially when should women begin being screened, and how effective screening is in decreasing deaths from the disease.

Hank Campbell, founder of Science 2.0, named ACSH president

Recently we wrote about the importance of family planning services and the significant role they play in public health. And now, a recent New York Times article covers Colorado s success in reducing unwanted pregnancy by giving away free long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs) to teenagers and low-income women as part of a program called the Colorado Family Planning Initiative (CFPI).

The Green Revolution, pioneered by Dr. Norman Borlaug, a co-founder of ACSH and a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, is credited with saving perhaps a billion people from starvation. India was a prime beneficiary of increased crop yields in the 1960s. Now a second green revolution is needed there.

A couple who had adapted the vegan diet fad in Pisa, Italy had to rush their infant to a hospital because their child was suffering from severe malnutrition. At 11 months, the child could not sit up or crawl.

Saxenda (liraglutide) is a drug currently prescribed for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. A new study has demonstrated that the drug may well be useful in helping people lose weight, even if they are not diabetic.