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2016 was a year to forget. A rough-and-tumble election, partisan rhetoric and "fake news," and the loss of many beloved and talented people -- from Prince to Carrie Fisher -- made this calendar cycle a bit more difficult than most. Surely, 2017 must have something better in store.
To ensure that it does, we all must resolve to make it so. And as a science journalist, I can do my part by adopting these four resolutions. I hope other journalists join me.

If you have been procrastinating getting your flu shot - it's time to get to a healthcare provider or local pharmacy and get it off of your 'to-do' list. Flu statistics are watched closely at this time of year, and the last few weeks of data have shown a notable increase in the number of flu cases with experts predicting that flu activity will be increasing in the near future - specifically over the next several weeks.

Once inside a wine bottle, oxygen can combine with other compounds to provide fuel for bacteria. This is particularly true for white wine. The right amount of oxygen can deliver a pleasing libation. An insufficient amount, however, cause a white wine to deliver hints of cabbage or rotten eggs. 

Smoking is bad. Bad for mom. Bad for the unborn and born baby alike. Now, a new study reinforces its adverse effect on the developing child, with a focus on the damage done to the kidneys. 

“At the moment, Careline users who fall at home have to wait for a paramedic to help them. But under the new policy, Careline staff will go to their aid and get the user sitting up and assess the situation before an ambulance is called, in a bid to cut the number of call-outs to falls paramedics receive.”

It's surprising, but true. A California man was arrested for driving under the influence ... of caffeine! And given that millions of Americans consume 3+ cups of coffee per day, it's highly likely we're all guilty of driving while caffeinated. But does caffeine really impair our ability to get behind the wheel?

It has long been clear that the fallout from our new, overly-restrictive policies on opioid use would harm the people who truly need these medicines. What was not clear is that I would become one of them. If this scares you, it should. I sure was. 

Perhaps the strangest medical phenomenon discovered in recent years is a link between the lone star tick and an allergy to red meat.

We know that excess noise can negatively impact human quality of life, for instance, by introducing stress-inducing stimuli to a previously placid environment. But what impact does extraneous noise have on birds? Since they must rely on hearing for communication and safety, excess background noise can threaten their survival. 

I am lucky enough to spend the holidays in one of the most beautiful places in the United States - the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont.
Surrounded by stunning natural beauty on all sides - it is incredibly cold, the roads are covered in ice, and the living is uncomplicated. But, when something does happen - such as 50-year-old toxic waste from the ivy league institution down the road creeping into people's backyards - it is big (BIG) news up here.
And, that is exactly the story that the neighbors of Dartmouth College are trying to bring everyone's attention.

You've heard it before: Only eat oysters in months that end with 'R.'  If you consider this adage true, December is your lucky month — though you've only got a few days left to indulge in delicious shellfish. But if this were truly a fact, how do millions of restaurants serve up oysters year-round with no public health repercussions? Experts in the field say that's because the safest time to eat oysters is, in fact, all year long.

Medical bills are tough to understand, making the transparency of prices an impossible dream for nearly every patient. To give the consumer a better sense of what's behind these bizarre billing practices, here's a common-sense guide.

In the last week, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)  initiated a demonstration project involving the bundling of care for two new diagnostic categories. First, acute myocardial infarctions (AMI) – heart attacks including their medical and minimally invasive treatment (coronary artery angioplasty and stents) and second, coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) – surgery to improve/restore circulation to the heart arteries.
And I should care why?  ... the presumptive new Health and Human Services Secretary is expected to cancel the demonstration, but it is more important to look at the underlying economics CMS envisions because they are the savings part of Obamacare.

Carrie Fisher’s tragic death after last week’s inflight medical emergency is sadly an all too familiar occurrence. Learn how to improve your travel health and safety whenever possible.

Representing a cross between brilliant engineering and maximum product efficiency, in which the smallest particles of a valuable substance are put to extraordinary use, a team of scientists has created electrical wiring from the absolute smallest pieces of diamonds.
How small, you ask? 
The researchers used material called "diamondoids" – microscopic dust if you will, called "cages," that contain hydrogen and just 10 carbon atoms.

It is common knowledge that the information that makes us unique is held in our DNA. But, how does our DNA make our eyes brown - how does it make us who we are? In order to understand that, we have to walk through the journey of how the information held in DNA becomes protein. 

We are constantly swimming in (and dying from) oceans of chemicals. But, unlike the rest of us, the chemicals never take a day off. Not even Christmas. Ya better watch out.....

With the evidence already established regarding known upticks of cardiac (or heart-related) deaths around Christmas and New Year’s, a new study seeks to elucidate if winter is a main culprit.

Led by the World Health Organization, a group of scientists has pulled off a miracle: a vaccine that protects again deadly Ebola 100 percent of the time. It's a remarkable moment in medicine. 

Borrowing a traditions from the Chinese, 2016 could be rightly be called "The Year of the Joint." Restrictions on marijuana are melting away in individual states, but not at the federal level. The Council weighed in on this, and more.

Dipping a toe into the waters of dental issues associated with scuba diving, a DDS-to-be wants to alert divers to the fact that taking the plunge can exacerbate problems with unhealthy teeth and loose fillings.
The researcher, a student in the University of Buffalo School of Dental Medicine, began a small survey of divers on a personal instinct that underwater conditions worsen existing dental problems.

1. In a Christmas miracle, the UN Biodiversity meeting - often environmental activists lobbying bloated quasi-world-government committees - met in Cancun and didn't cave into anti-science environmentalists determined to prevent all biology from being used in agriculture.

If weight gain means anything to you, perhaps take a look at how many calories some of our favorite holiday beverages — champagne and eggnog — contain. (On the other hand, maybe just wait 'til after New Year's and the next resolution!)

We're concerned about Santa. We really are. Think of it: He's wriggling down chimneys all over the world, toting a bag of gifts, and in gratitude snacks are left for him under the tree. Nothing wrong with that, of course. The problem, however, is that the snacks are traditionally cookies and milk. This could be a serious health issue!

With gonorrhea rates climbing in the USA and other countries, an Australian research team set out to determine whether an 1879 claim that Listerine mouthwash could cure it was fact or fiction.