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A groundbreaking retinal implant, PRIMA, is restoring central vision in patients with geographic atrophy (GA), an advanced form of macular degeneration that blinds roughly 1 million Americans. Unlike drugs that slow progression, this wireless neurostimulation system captures real-world images, projects them onto a subretinal chip, and electrically stimulates surviving retinal cells to mimic natural sight. Are we nearing a paradigm shift in how we treat vision loss?

The trillions of microbes that live in and on the human body—collectively known as the microbiome—appear to have profoundly important effects on our health. This raises a potential concern: some of our most significant public health interventions—vaccines, antibiotics, sanitation—are designed to kill or limit exposure to harmful germs. Have we gone too far in our war against microbial exposure? Let's take a closer look.

Microplastics have replaced pesticides and chemicals as the most hated and feared substances in the US. A recent Wall Street Journal headline reads, “The Big Danger of Microplastics,” and asks us to take their quiz on “the tiny pieces of plastic that are polluting the globe and posing health risks.” In recent years, microplastics have become the new villain of public health, replacing more traditional chemicals as substances responsible for every health problem imaginable.

Junk science is a major problem resulting from medicine's "publish or perish" culture. Once published, it is incredibly difficult to remove from the scientific record.

Plastic and microplastic pollution has become a defining environmental concern of our time; headlines warn that these invisible particles might be infiltrating our food and drink. But how much of this fear is grounded in science? A recent review by the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) reveals a story that calls for curiosity and careful interpretation rather than alarm.

While heart disease silently claims hundreds of thousands of lives each year, the media devotes its attention to far rarer tragedies—painting a picture of reality driven by emotion rather than evidence.

The future is not built by abandoning the old, but by perfecting it. From the fading art of deep reading to the century-old zipper’s subtle reinvention, each of this week’s reads reveals that true progress often lies in evolution rooted in consistency and care.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, plexiglass barriers gleamed between tables, sidewalks turned into cafés, and circles on the ground reminded us to keep our distance — a kind of human-built “architectural immunity.” In a striking parallel, scientists have found that ants, too, redesign their nests when facing pathogens, instinctively building safer, more compartmentalized homes that limit contagion and preserve colony health.

Could it be that “eat green, save the planet” comes with worker exploitation? That Instagram shot of your Mediterranean salad may mask a gloomier reality for the people who hauled in its tuna and picked its citrus. Even plant-based plates wobble under cashew-shelling and asparagus-harvesting abuses. According to a new study, there’s no moral free lunch hiding in the produce aisle or for any of the “sustainable” diets.

Deciding what to eat, where to get it, and how those choices align with health goals or cultural habits are ordinary parts of daily life. But when thoughts about food become constant, intrusive, or exhausting—what some now call food noise—they shift from background hum to mental static. As the idea moves from online anecdotes to clinical definition, it reveals how personal experience can be transformed into a medical metric.

Forever chemicals get their name from their stability. While this may be useful for a number of purposes, these dudes don't degrade or decompose; they end up all over the place. A group of British chemists has come up with a nifty way to get rid of them and make toothpaste at the same time under surprisingly mild conditions.

From doctors bound by diagnostic routines to farmers trapped in monoculture dependence, from generals deferring to legal caution to archivists preserving the curiosity of everyday lives — “the reads” reveals how expertise and order can become cages when the world shifts. They remind us that resilience doesn’t come from control, but from the courage to embrace uncertainty, to ask better questions, and to remain curious in the face of the unknown

How much fiber do you really need to maintain optimal metabolic health? Ferocious partisans on either side of the debate will give you opposing answers, each supported by superficially compelling scientific evidence. But who's actually telling you the truth? It's complicated.

In early October, Brazil faced a nationwide health emergency as adulterated alcohol, primarily white spirits like vodka and cachaça, was laced with toxic methanol—an industrial chemical used to boost alcohol content. Authorities suspect organized crime diluted liquor to evade taxes or increase profits, triggering widespread contamination that sickened hundreds of people—with symptoms like blinding headaches, vomiting, and organ failure—and killed at least 10 people. Are there any public health lessons to learn from this tragic episode?

As the Acetaminophen-Autism appeal advances in the Second Circuit—where plaintiffs contend that Judge Denise Cote wrongly excluded their experts and dismissed their claims—another 50,000 Zantac plaintiffs pursue a parallel challenge in the Eleventh Circuit. They aim to overturn Judge Robin Rosenberg’s similar ruling. The synchronicity of the anticipated rulings is portentous.

As men age, the conversation around “low testosterone” often oversimplifies a far more complex story. Hormones influence mood, motivation, and vitality—but so do sleep, stress, and lifestyle. Understanding how these factors intersect empowers men to take charge of their physical and mental health with clarity rather than confusion.

“Better Living Through Chemistry” once promised glamour and convenience — but in today’s litigious climate, it’s delivering more lawsuits. For one example: a 2022 NIH study linking hair relaxers to uterine cancer is triggering a legal avalanche, yet the “science” beneath the lawsuits may be far less solid than plaintiffs’ rhetoric suggests.

The government is after your meds (again). Here's a slightly different approach.

Our immune response is not fixed. It is a living, adaptive network of cells and signals that evolves over our lifespan, bringing refinement and fragility. Early life is marked by immune learning and adaptability, while later years bring shifts in balance, coordination, and efficiency. Understanding how these transitions unfold is central to uncovering why older adults respond differently to infections and vaccines.

Influencer Rumer Willis boasts 1.2 million Instagram followers — a powerful platform for sharing meaningful information. Yet she continues to use it to spread wellness fads and misinformation instead. Who are we to pass up a juicy misinformation post without debunking some of its claim?

It’s been ten years since cancer entered my life. The experience has challenged my understanding of illness, healing, and identity—particularly the uneasy space between being a physician and becoming a patient. In its shadow, I’ve learned that survival isn’t a finish line but a state of being that reshapes how we inhabit our bodies and stories.

Cancer, even the word itself, evokes fear. It’s a shadow that looms over nearly everyone as they age, sparking anxious questions: Will I get it? What kind? Will it be caught early enough? While science has made incredible strides in understanding and treating cancer, there’s a powerful weapon against at least one type we can actually prevent.

As AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Grok become everyday companions, many people are now turning to them for medical guidance. With November marking Men’s Health Month, it’s worth asking: how well do these digital advisors understand men’s unique health risks? Where do the answers hit or miss the mark?

Ask the average American man where his diet might be going wrong, and he’ll probably point to one too many burgers or a few extra beers. But while men overshoot on some nutrients like saturated fat and sodium, they can fall short on others that quietly sustain long-term health. The solution may lie more in addition than subtraction.

In the winter of 1812, Napoleon’s Grande Armée met its most devastating enemy—not the Russian army, but biology itself. As starvation, exhaustion, and freezing temperatures ravaged the troops, invisible microbial forces finished what warfare began. Now, through ancient DNA analysis, scientists have uncovered the true pathogens behind the empire’s collapse, revealing that Napoleon’s defeat was as much a biological catastrophe as a military one.