Cosmic rays are the largest source of radiation exposure associated with flying, and it may have health impacts on flight crews. A new study suggests that the risk of cancer may be increased, but "may" is the operative word. As for the flying public, there should be no concern.
cancer
Humans suffer from "do something syndrome." New research shows that 51% of Americans want to be screened for cancer, even if explicitly told that the cancer screen is completely ineffective.
Given widely-varying belief systems about medicine and health, it shouldn't be surprising that these also exist when it comes to what causes cancer. But surprisingly, cancer belief systems don't significantly impact lifestyle behavior.
Yet another food-cancer story is in the news. But folks, there's little "there" there. It's a correlational study, and the risks for several types of cancer don't increase much at all. This is a finding that should not keep you up at night.
Why is asparagine, a rather boring molecule that biology majors are forced to memorize, grabbing international headlines? It can be found foods containing protein – which are many – including asparagus, the vegetable after which it was named. But some in the media say it causes cancer, which means asparagus causes cancer. (We're not kidding.)
One of the many problems with academia is that it allows nutcases to flourish.
A California judge is going to determine whether or not coffee causes cancer. Think about that. We live in a society where judges and lawyers – not medical doctors or scientists – get to determine the credibility of biomedical research. And guess who paid in the process?
Naked mole rats, which are neither moles nor rats, have unusually long lifespans compared to other rodents, and also seem to not develop cancer. Researchers are diligently searching for the key(s) to their success, and recent work sheds some light on how these critters manage to avoid both.
President Donald Trump completed his first periodic medical examination at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. His White House physician, Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson, released a statement of his findings and held a protracted press conference. His conclusions discussed here.
Given their substantial platform, Hollywood celebrities possess a unique ability to do tremendous good. Unfortunately, with that megaphone comes immense responsibility. Let’s take a look back at Tinseltown in 2017, and see what we've learned. The good, the bad and the indifferent.
When it comes to medical developments, it was an exciting year in the pursuit of what was once impossible. Here are some top picks that genuinely are changing the medical and tech landscape.
Warfarin, a drug that prevents blood from clotting, has long been used for those at high risk of clots, and thus at an increased risk of stroke and other ills. A recent study indicates that not only is warfarin effective for that purpose, its use might also protect against cancer.