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It is difficult to overstate the potential damage that an ineffective or unsafe coronavirus vaccine could inflict on confidence in public health institutions. Conspiracy theories already abound and would multiply further.

It's time for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to withdraw this page to correct its many errors and distortions.  A principal author of the 2016 CDC Guidelines on the prescription of opioids to adults with chronic pain is responsible for many of these errors. Richard Lawhern (pictured) addressed these mistakes in this open letter.

The beginner's mind, a video of Tesla production (can you see what is missing?), a video that will put a smile on your face and bring back the joy of opening a present when you were a tween, how will the rise in remote work change our lives, and finally, a question of expertise.

Are there geographical differences in the spread of COVID-19? Does a region's "culture" contribute to the pandemic or simply the population density? Good questions. Let's take a look.

Skin cancers are among the most common tumors; after all, we're all held together by our skin. The improvements in 3D-ultrasounds provide a one-step measurement of a suspicious area's size, depth, margins, and tumor aggression. More importantly, it identifies the tumor invisible to the eye, a critical factor in skin cancer recurrence. 

The University of Oxford, in collaboration with British pharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca, has produced a leading coronavirus vaccine candidate. However, the Phase 3 clinical trial was paused because one patient is thought to have developed a serious adverse reaction. What could it be?

What happens when politics and science mix? Scary stuff. Dr. Henry Miller examines the considerable downside of releasing any COVID vaccine prior to the completion of Phase 3 trials. The founding director of the FDA's Office of Biotechnology, Dr. Miller argues that precise science, not the date of an election, is critical at this time.

I read a short article this week about the social history surrounding epidemics. Like much of history, it has eerie similarities to our current times. Is it a precautionary tale, or a random pattern we imbue with meaning as we try to connect the dots?

Everyone knows that the elderly and those with co-morbidities are at greater risk for hospitalization and death from COVID-19. But are all co-morbidities the same? Do some conditions result in more or perhaps fewer hospitalizations and deaths? Let's take a look.

“The extent to which SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19, will circulate during the 2020–21 influenza season is unknown. However, it is anticipated that SARS-CoV-2 and influenza viruses will both be active in the United States during the upcoming 2020–21 influenza season.” - CDC 2021 Guidelines

Sometimes studies are full of bad data. Sometimes they are just based on stupid ideas. Here's one that manages to incorporate both flaws. Should elderly people with broken ribs be given Tylenol in pill form or IV for pain? Perhaps a salami sandwich is a better offering ... since this study is full of baloney.

A study that found basically no link between hair color or dye use and cancer predictably was sensationalized by the media anyway.

Attendees of last month's virtual AMR conference learned about advances in reimbursement programs in Europe for antibiotics. However, no one should believe that these baby steps represent significant progress in the effort to fix the antibiotic marketplace. ACSH advisor Dr. David Shlaes explains.

In July, the CDC released a preliminary report showing that opioid‐​related overdose deaths increased 6.2 percent from December 2018 to December 2019. During that same period, deaths due to fentanyl and its analogs increased 15.8 percent. Seemingly in a state of denial, weeks later H.R. 7701 was introduced in Congress, effectively doubling down on clearly failed policies. ACSH advisor Dr. Jeff Singer (pictured) takes a closer look at this issue while examining the wayward thinking permeating the House.

A large study just found that there was little, or no, evidence of cancer linked to the use of hair dye. But one of the most common dyes, para-phenylenediamine, could be reasonably expected by a chemist to be carcinogenic because of the conditions used in the dying process. Even though it's not. Here's why.

Are vaccines going to be adequately tested for safety and efficacy if Phase 3 clinical trials are not completed? Does convalescent plasma work to treat COVID? Is the COVID death toll inflated? We attempt to clarify these controversies.

Here we go: Zombies, in this case, among ants .... What's that listless, unfocused feeling that the time of COVID has created within us? ... Abbott's new 15-minute COVID test explained ... And a book review points out that not telling the public the whole story has historical roots.

Some of you screwballs out there have been complaining that I'm not giving enough chemistry lessons. Be careful what you ask for. Here are a chemistry AND a biochemistry lesson about aspirin and heroin. Don't blame me. Consumer demand rules.

FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn indicated that his agency would be willing to grant emergency authorization to a coronavirus vaccine, even before it completes Phase 3 clinical trials. This is a reckless gamble and could cause an unmitigated public health disaster.

The COVID crisis, the unrelenting, omnipresent dilemma battering America and altering our daily lives, has commanded our attention like no other health and science issue we've ever seen. But what about other issues, like those involving the effectiveness of ordinary chemicals used around the house ... or highly-dangerous ones that would-be criminals seek to acquire to carry out their premeditated homicides? Yes, our scientific experts are weighing in on those, too, as demonstrated by the varied media coverage ACSH recently received. So from Missouri to Manila, some of the places we appeared in August.

One of the issues in medical data, brought into sharp relief by the pandemic, is what is written on death certificates. For a while, the presumption of a COVID-19 infection without a positive culture was enough to get it listed as a cause of death –- possibly creating a bit of an over-count. But it is not just COVID-19 that is problematic.

Loneliness, if you follow the media, is a problem of old age. It worsens one by one, as you lose your companions. Yet at the same time, it seems to be a problem of adolescence, too, as youngsters tries to find their peeps. So loneliness can affect any age, and a new paper suggests the sources of loneliness change over time.

For everything, there is a time and place. Emergency Use Authorizations by the FDA were necessary for COVID-19's recent past; they are not necessary and will be harmful when applied to a COVID-19 vaccine.

There is no safe way to inject heroin. Narcan (naloxone) may not save your life. Your friends may not be able to, either.

A study early in the COVID-19 pandemic linked air pollution, especially smaller particles, to COVID-19's mortality. As it turns out, and as ACSH scientific advisor Dr. Fred Lipfert points out, the linkage is weak -- at best.