FDA-approved mRNA flu vaccine signals future for RNA therapeutics

FDA-approved mRNA flu vaccine signals future for RNA therapeutics

Li Li |
Vaccines have been reliably and affordably protecting people from diseases worldwide for centuries. Until the COVID-19 pandemic, however, vaccine development was ...
GMO food scares and organic myths stall Africa’s embrace of agricultural technology and food security

GMO food scares and organic myths stall Africa’s embrace of agricultural technology and food security

Ify Umunna |
Across Africa, conversations about food are becoming increasingly intertwined with conversations about science as stakeholders across the value chain work ...
Viewpoint: RFK, Jr.’s hand-picked FDA panel of physician grifters legitimizes the ‘cure-all’ peptides craze

Viewpoint: RFK, Jr.’s hand-picked FDA panel of physician grifters legitimizes the ‘cure-all’ peptides craze

Henry Miller |
A booming wellness market has formed around peptides—mini-proteins that affect various processes inside the body. They help regulate hunger, blood ...
Gene editing’s next frontier: Farm animals

Gene editing’s next frontier: Farm animals

National Hog Farmer |
Agriculture has always evolved through better tools. From selective breeding and artificial insemination to precision nutrition and modern biosecurity, producers ...
Fake AI celebrity endorsements of quack wellness cures are surging among the elderly

Fake AI celebrity endorsements of quack wellness cures are surging among the elderly

Holly Seale, Saiful Islam |
Paris Hilton’s mother Kathy recently tried the “Jell-O diet” to lose weight. She believed other celebrities – Oprah Winfrey, Doctor ...
Viewpoint: Organic food costs more—but is it healthier, safer, and more nutritious? The latest science findings may surprise you.

Viewpoint: Organic food costs more—but is it healthier, safer, and more nutritious? The latest science findings may surprise you.

Mauro Proença |
Few symbols on food labels evoke such an immediate sense of health as the “organic seal.” Its promise of "natural" ...
Trojan fly: Gene-edited living insecticides could help farmers spray less 

Trojan fly: Gene-edited living insecticides could help farmers spray less 

Dan Blaustein-Rejto |
On June 3, a three-week-old calf in Zavala County, Texas, was found with fly larvae feeding on a wound. While ...
From breakthrough to business: The challenging work of scaling gene-edited food for the public

From breakthrough to business: The challenging work of scaling gene-edited food for the public

Kayt Sukel |
When CRISPR technology first hit the scene in 2012, many saw its promise in tackling stubborn genetic diseases in humans ...
AI vs AI: Can artificial intelligence contain the fake news epidemic that it has helped unleash?

AI vs AI: Can artificial intelligence contain the fake news epidemic that it has helped unleash?

Katarina Zimmer |
Artificial intelligence doesn’t have a great reputation for veracity. Social media abounds with AI-generated concoctions, from cute images of fake animals in ...
When anecdotes become medical advice: No, ADHD cannot be managed with supplements

When anecdotes become medical advice: No, ADHD cannot be managed with supplements

Mauro Proença |
If social media is to be believed, ADHD can be managed with supplements, breathing exercises, herbal remedies, and just about ...
‘The child is terrified’: Doctors on the front lines of a measles comeback speak out

‘The child is terrified’: Doctors on the front lines of a measles comeback speak out

Amy Maxmen |
This isn’t just a bad year for measles. It looks to be the start of a bad era. Confirmed measles cases just ...
Activists vs. Scientists: Could “Butterfly Effect” fears derail gene-drive research targeting the flesh-eating screwworm?

Activists vs. Scientists: Could “Butterfly Effect” fears derail gene-drive research targeting the flesh-eating screwworm?

Henry Miller, Kathleen Hefferon |
The United States once defeated a ravenous, parasitic fly with mass releases of sterile insects. A genetically engineered strain could ...
Viewpoint: Cyclospora alert—explaining the devastating impact of Trump’s cuts to public health

Viewpoint: Cyclospora alert—explaining the devastating impact of Trump’s cuts to public health

Kate Wells, Stephanie Armour |
The next foodborne illness outbreak could be much worse. That’s the concern of food safety leaders across the U.S. who ...
The COVID vaccine turbo cancer scare is back. Science still proves it’s wrong.

The COVID vaccine turbo cancer scare is back. Science still proves it’s wrong.

Jess Steier |
A viral claim has been resuscitated. You may have seen it early in the COVID vaccine days: the claim that ...
Viewpoint: Is geo-engineering the ‘break glass in case of emergency’ solution to uncontrollable climate change—or manufactured fear

Viewpoint: Is geo-engineering the ‘break glass in case of emergency’ solution to uncontrollable climate change—or manufactured fear

Ted Nordhaus |
It’s easy to forget today, as more and more people have come to take the idea of solar geoengineering seriously, ...
Viewpoint—Propaganda parrots: Challenging MAHA claims that scientists and health experts are disinformation-spreaders

Viewpoint—Propaganda parrots: Challenging MAHA claims that scientists and health experts are disinformation-spreaders

By now you’ve probably seen the clips. On the morning [of August 2, 2026], Secretary Kennedy went on CNN’s State of ...
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Europe’s embrace of sustainable gene-edited crops is accelerating

To reach the experimental maize field, visitors first pass through a locked gate tucked between a railway line, a motorway ...
Viewpoint—Synthetic influencers and ‘deep fake’ doctors: How AI generates fake experts

Viewpoint—Synthetic influencers and ‘deep fake’ doctors: How AI generates fake experts

Cameron English |
Artificial intelligence is transforming how millions of Americans get health advice, flooding platforms like YouTube and TikTok with slick, on-demand ...
Viewpoint: How the $6.8 billion wellness industry spins tales of deception 

Viewpoint: How the $6.8 billion wellness industry spins tales of deception 

Katie Suleta |
The global wellness industry sells itself as the future of health, happiness, and longevity—but first, what exactly is "wellness"? The ...
41-state Cyclospora outbreak exposes widespread state-to-state communication failures

41-state Cyclospora outbreak exposes widespread state-to-state communication failures

Jess Steier |
The response to the current large outbreak of food-related illnesses caused by a microscopic parasite is a communications failure, not ...
Viewpoint—A hard look at the Fauci diaries: Do they change what we know about COVID’s origins?

Viewpoint—A hard look at the Fauci diaries: Do they change what we know about COVID’s origins?

Cameron English |
Recently released diaries of Dr. Anthony Fauci reveal significant gaps between what senior scientists and officials said privately about COVID-19 ...
Viewpoint: How disease tracking and prevention has cratered under the Kennedy-Trump administration

Viewpoint: How disease tracking and prevention has cratered under the Kennedy-Trump administration

John Kubale |
Public health relies on data – whether it is tracking the effectiveness of a given year’s flu vaccine, monitoring blood ...
Consumer skepticism about gene-edited milk is neither fixed nor particularly high—and falls even more if it’s priced lower

Consumer skepticism about gene-edited milk is neither fixed nor particularly high—and falls even more if it’s priced lower

As temperatures rise, New Zealand’s dairy farmers face a growing challenge: keeping cows cool enough to remain productive. Heat stress ...
Poll: Vaccine hesitancy soars when patients distrust health providers and turn to social media

Poll: Vaccine hesitancy soars when patients distrust health providers and turn to social media

KFF |
People who don’t have a trusted health care provider are more likely than people with one to believe or lean ...
The retreat of environmental extremism: Why activist NGOs are losing favor

The retreat of environmental extremism: Why activist NGOs are losing favor

David Zaruk |
During the American heat dome or Europe’s summer swelter and the hottest June days on record, we no longer have ...
Viewpoint: What does it mean when critics of conventional agriculture say many fruits and vegetables are “linked” to pesticide poisoning?

Viewpoint: What does it mean when critics of conventional agriculture say many fruits and vegetables are “linked” to pesticide poisoning?

Richard Williams |
“Our job here at Psy Ops is to panic the enemy, to blunt his will to fight. A Psy Operator ...
Viewpoint: Is there new evidence that the animal deworming drug ivermectin decreases the risk of Covid and cancer? Don’t waste your money.

Viewpoint: Is there new evidence that the animal deworming drug ivermectin decreases the risk of Covid and cancer? Don’t waste your money.

Dannell Boatman |
Though researchers have been studying the animal deworming drug ivermectin for decades, there is no evidence that it’s a safe or effective way to ...