Search results

Using patient safety as a bargaining chip, and a tactic of delay, is unseemly at best and immoral at worst. 

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is considered by many to be the greatest composer ever. And his 27 piano concertos may be his finest work. But Mozart had a formula for the 27 and he used it over and over again, so they were all similar in certain ways. A little music theory plus, a very special treat at the end.

A major thread in public policy debates about the opioid crisis is an asserted need to “solve” it by limiting production of opioid analgesics, and reducing medical exposure to potentially addicting drugs. But will these steps produce a remedy? Will our addiction and overdose problems improve with such a one-size-fits-all policy? Almost certainly not.

In the media, it's not uncommon to see the words "bacteria" and "virus" used interchangeably. However, they are far from the same thing. In response to a recent Post article that made this microbiological faux pas, we feel the need to clarify and explain the differences.

Ironically, from the bacterium's perspective, the very enzyme that it uses to protect itself from antibiotics becomes complicit in its own demise.

Vical continues to push its VCL-HB01  herpes vaccine through development. Larry Smith, Ph.D., the senior VP of Research, answers some questions about where things stand now and what to expect in the near future. 

When one stops to consider the particular circumstances of a 104-year-old's recent decision to end his life, it's difficult for many who sympathize with his plight not to see the judgment as anything but reasonable. However, that's just one view. What's yours – in this case, and pertaining to the topic of voluntary euthanasia in general? We like to hear from you.

1. Tech Times seeks to inject some science into police violence discussions and uses our work to do it. In the ongoing debate over gun ownership, a lot of papers are produced but not all of them make sense. "Virtual lives lost" is one such metric. Like virtual water, virtual money, and virtual emissions, pretend assets can't be utilized. If someone dies young, is is correct to assume they will live to be 80? Not really, which is why average life expectancy is a flawed notion.

Walmart apparently has some big plans for its pharmacies and it will involve you. A whistleblower document from the company reveals what steps it will take to (wrongly) address the overuse of painkillers. You will be graded on your probability of misusing not just opiate drugs, but also sedatives and stimulants. Since when does Walmart tell our doctors what they can or cannot give to their patients? 

If integrative medicine wants to be taken seriously, then they need to provide data obtained from actual scientific studies. There is no complementary science.  

Only 15% of new homes utilized solar panels. The California Energy Commission now requires all homes to have them because they're good for the environment and they "save you money." But as you may have guessed, there's more to the decision than that.

The recent self-death by 104-year old scientist David Goodall brings to the fore a key question: Whether to deem deterioration from advanced aging – beyond having an incurable disease – as another reasonable consideration for euthanasia. 

The trees that produce the cocoa beans that serve as the raw material of chocolate suffer from infections. The latest in gene editing technology may be used to produce infection resistant cacao trees, and, in doing so, keep our M&M and Snickers cravings met.

McKinsey, a global business consultancy, believes that homelessness in Seattle is the result of wealth. They even have a correlation to "prove" it. We created a graph to show that the real cause of Seattle homelessness is the number of victories by the Husky football team.

At the heart of the matter is an individual's right to choose how and how long to live. It should not be surprising that opinions are all over the map.

The foundation was started by Henry A. Wallace, whose fortune was derived from starting pro-science endeavors. Given that legacy, it's hard to imagine Wallace not turning over in his grave given that his descendants are using money to smear science. But that is actually what's happened. 

This new work, "Factfulness," is all about giving us the means of debunking and separating the reality of life from the dramatic narratives we create instinctively or are told about. It continues the teachings and wisdom of Dr. Hans Rosling.

In California, Robin Hood robs from the poor ... and gives to the solar industry.

Saunas, for the most part and for legions of adults, enjoy a warm reputation as being good for you. And a recent study of Finnish men and women seems to add more credence to sauna's health benefits, in defending against stroke. But were these favorable results skewed because this activity baked into Finland's culture?

Shaming and blaming isn't part of improving patient safety or resolving the opioid crisis. Healthcare workers and Congress frequently blame others and rarely take personal responsibility, and that's not a culture that fosters reflection and meaningful improvement.  

In high school, I took organic chemistry, microbiology, genetics, and anatomy & physiology. Without a doubt, I received a world-class science education, despite growing up in a largely rural area that wasn't wealthy. So for Teacher Appreciation Week, I'd like to thank the middle school and high school leaders who greatly shaped my life.

Only 10 finalists remain in a science competition that began in 2016, one which promises a huge payday for the best solution to America's ever-worsening algae crisis. Massive green, choking blankets of algae are formed by excessive phosphorus runoff. The best idea that separates the mineral from water has the potential to revitalize waterways from Florida to the Great Lakes, and beyond.  

It's refreshing that the First Lady's program shines a needed light on neonatal abstinence syndrome, also known as newborn opioid withdrawal. Despite the issue's ever-escalating importance, it was mostly ignored in the media's recent coverage. So here's what it's about.

Dr. Michael Dourson, who sits on ACSH's Board of Scientific Advisors, discusses changes at the EPA. He notes the public interest is best served when science is replicable, and when it's not access to underlying data is vital to independent analysis. Without quality risk assessment, we can't create effective national regulations.

Race, age and other demographic factors are commonly controlled in epidemiology studies. It makes no sense to compare one group to another group if researchers do not bother to control for confounders – that is, factors like race or age that can cause researchers to draw the wrong conclusion.