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“Organic” might be the most abused word in the English language. Chemists, farmers, and marketers all use it—and none of them mean the same thing. The result is a label that can make Oreos, cigarettes, and even bottled water sound like health food. Tampons too.

As mental health issues such as depression and anxiety become more prevalent, the question arises: Can artificially intelligent chatbots provide the necessary therapy and emotional support? For someone lying awake at 2 a.m. with no one to call, a chatbot might feel like a lifeline, offering comfort and reassurance. Yet when it comes to complex emotions, is artificial empathy enough to truly help?

For more than half a century, US regulatory policy on chemical and radiation risks has rested on a deeply flawed scientific foundation. Researchers such as Dr. Ed Calabrese and whistleblower Dr. Paul Selby have spent decades documenting how a pivotal scientific misrepresentation at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in the 1950s misled regulatory agencies and distorted risk assessment for generations. The ripple effect of this error persists, influencing regulations, shaping policy, and framing cancer risk in ways that may not accurately reflect reality.

We like to think that our successes are earned and our failures are due to bad luck — but chance plays a far bigger role than we admit. A new study of simple coin tosses reveals how even in transparently random events, people perceive streaks of wins and losses as meaningful signals, demonstrating that small stories often outweigh big data in shaping what we believe.

Gold standard science (GSS). It's a simple idea: Conduct the best, unbiased scientific research possible. However, as with many simple ideas, GSS has been co-opted by MAHA as yet another tool to promote pseudoscience and boost financial gains.

For decades, expectant mothers have turned to acetaminophen as the go-to remedy for pain and fever, reassured by its reputation for safety. But science rarely deals in absolutes. A growing body of research challenges this long-held assumption, pointing to possible links between prenatal use and later neurodevelopmental issues in children. How do we balance maternal comfort against potential risks for the next generation?

With the Supreme Court’s ratifying Tennessee’s ban on trans-care for youth despite conflicting science and international discord over their safety, society is faced with a broader concern: who decides these morally-fraught issues: politicians or physicians– especially when science hasn’t accumulated enough evidence to provide an answer.

First, it was hexanitrogen; now it’s manganese diboride. Chemists keep finding molecules that sound more like comic book villains than rocket fuels. But this weird, high-energy compound packs far more punch than aluminum, the workhorse of today’s boosters. And a Dreaded Chemistry Lesson From Hell! Just for the hell of it.

Unless you live under a rock, you're aware that pickleball has become the fastest-growing sport in America, attracting tens of millions of players, especially geezers like me. Sure, injuries are common, if not required. But there are real benefits. Let's explore the madness.

Blood sugar spikes have become the latest villain in wellness culture, thanks to influencers peddling hacks to “flatten your curve.” But here’s the thing: for healthy people, glucose rising after a meal isn’t a crisis—it’s biology doing exactly what it’s supposed to. Before you panic over a perfectly normal blip on a fancy sensor, remember that your body already has the system figured out.

This week, Antoni Gaudí’s curvy cathedrals remind us that straight lines are for mortals, while curves belong to God (and occasionally zoning boards). Then we tackle the trolley problem—imagining whether you’d rather kill one person or five, all in the name of AI ethics. The Vatican’s star-gazing reminds us that the Catholic Church and science weren’t always sworn enemies. At the same time, New York’s original gambling kingpin, Arnold Rothstein, shows us that organized crime and casinos were cozy long before corporate licensing boards showed up.

Blood sugar spikes have become the latest villain in wellness culture, thanks to influencers peddling hacks to “flatten your curve.” But here’s the thing: for healthy people, glucose rising after a meal isn’t a crisis—it’s biology doing exactly what it’s supposed to. Before you panic over a perfectly normal blip on a fancy sensor, remember that your body already has the system figured out.

Eating more calories earlier in the day may improve your insulin sensitivity, boosting your metabolic health and aiding weight management. Was "breakfast like a king, dinner like a pauper" right all along? Maybe. Recent genetics research might help validate this age-old nutritional wisdom.

Americans are regularly exposed to low levels of radiation during CT scans, fueling media speculation that this routine medical procedure is driving an epidemic of cancers. Is there any truth to the CT scan-cancer association? Let's look at the data.

A new study reveals that when formulated to meet healthy guidelines, even UPFs can support weight loss and enhance key health markers. The real story isn’t just about “processing” — it’s about context, composition, and whether people can stick with the diet in the long run.

Smartwatches and glucose monitors have become the new digital worry beads, a fidget for your health. The sales pitch? You’re taking control of your life. The reality? More data, more confusion, and doctors trying to explain why your watch thinks you’re broken. In the future, will hypochondria be by subscription?

Never let it be said that we at ACSH don't drop everything (including our pants) to get you the biggest, juiciest stories. Here's one. Dude Wipes, the maker of a male-oriented product designed to give guys sparkling sphincters, has changed its logo. Have a seat.

What drugs does the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) block patients and doctors from accessing that Canadian patients and doctors can get? To address the question, we compared the contents of the American Drugs@FDA database and the Canadian Drug Product Database. These government-run databases provide the most current information on the approval status of most drug products in these two countries. We identified 69 drugs that have received market approval in Canada but not in the US. It’s easy to imagine that removing barriers to drugs approved in other comparator countries like Australia, Canada, the European Union, Israel, Japan, and Switzerland could improve access to dozens, if not hundreds, of additional medicines.”

Have you heard of fibermaxxing? It's all the rage on TikTok, or HealthTok, as influencers literally "max out" on their daily fiber intake for wellness-- and undoubtedly views. But introducing your body to fiber it hasn't seen before comes with some unpleasant side effects.

Great conversation, like great musical performances, depends on rhythm, trust, and the willingness to riff on each other’s ideas instead of drowning them out. If we listened online, the way musicians do, our digital debates might transform into something closer to harmony than noise.

History tends to spotlight the giants of science, while the quiet architects of community health slip into obscurity. Dr. Eva Salber’s work transformed maternal and child health, empowered underserved communities, and reshaped public health education—yet her name rarely surfaces alongside medicine’s most celebrated figures. It’s time to bring her voice, and her vision, back into focus.

The current assault on science, research, and academia is calculated. Pulling federal funding from universities, labs, and entire agencies may allow the Trump Administration to claim they are “saving money,” but it also has another side effect that I suspect is the real reason: scientists, researchers, and academics are arbiters of truth and reality, and if you can remove them then you can control what you want reality to be.

Seventeen experts out, a “clean slate” in. Secretary Kennedy sold the purge of ACIP as a “clean sweep” of conflicted interests. But the data suggest the real conflicts of interest were largely cleaned up years ago. Is this progress or smoke and mirrors?

While surgical education has always relied on mentorship, the rise of artificial intelligence offers a new way to measure and refine skills; however, data alone can’t teach mastery. It takes a human, with empathy and nuance that no algorithm can fake, to turn metrics into meaningful lessons. The best learning didn’t come from smooth sailing but from frustration and mental sweat, suggesting that a bit of discomfort may be the sharpest “scalpel in the training room.”

A growing body of research suggests that your gut microbiome can influence your health in a variety of subtle but important ways, and the foods you consume can have an upstream effect on the health of these trillions of microbes residing in your digestive system. An ACSH reader asks whether the widely used sweetener high fructose corn syrup should be avoided for that reason. Let's take a look.