Science Controversies
YouTube bans Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Joseph Mercola and other anti-vaccine activists from spreading COVID disinformation
YouTube is taking down several video channels associated with high-profile anti-vaccine activists including Joseph Mercola and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., ...
How Delta was birthed and what that says about the potential for deadlier future variants
Somewhere in India last October, a person—likely immunocompromised, perhaps taking drugs for rheumatoid arthritis or with an advanced case of ...
Sharp increase in deaths and hospitalizations driving COVID vaccinations
More than 7 in 10 adults (72%) in the U.S. now report that they are at least partially vaccinated against ...
‘Are we finally going to overcome the GMO dispute?’: New book explains why scientific proof is not enough to change anti-biotech minds
[European Scientist:] Are we finally going to overcome the GMO dispute? [Marcel Kuntz:] As Claude Debru points out in [the ...
Although vaccinated people can contract breakthrough infections in rare cases, their chances of getting long COVID are low
People who experience breakthrough infections of the coronavirus after being fully vaccinated are about 50 percent less likely to experience ...
Evangelical faith app goes rogue: How Subsplash went from spreading the word of Jesus to disseminating junk science and COVID conspiracy theories
Tim and Kristy Turner believe they were called to spread the word of Jesus through apps. In 2005, the pair ...
Popular Science weighs in on the GMO debate: ‘Food safety experts agree genetically modified organisms, from plants to animals, are safe for human consumption’
By January 2022, products that have been bioengineered, or have an ingredient in them that’s been bioengineered, will require a ...
How genetically modified seeds are revitalizing the Kenyan cotton market
When white-fluffy balls held by shrubby plants started to disappear from farms in Kenya's eastern lowlands almost three decades ago, ...
Biotechnology key to protecting crops from pests, diseases, and climate change, European Commission says — but EU GMO regulation lags
New genomic techniques (NGTs) have received the backing of the European Commission in a strategy paper, while NGOs promise an ...
From hangover-free wine to naturally spicy tomatoes, here’s how CRISPR gene editing promises to revolutionize food
Imagine biting into a vine-ripened tomato. What flavors come to mind? Sweet? Acidic, maybe a little savory? How about spicy? ...
COVID outbreaks far more common in schools without mask requirements for students and staff, CDC data confirm
Covid-19 outbreaks are far more likely in schools that don't require students and staff to wear masks, new data from ...
It all started in Italy? Latest COVID origin theory explodes on the web
In early August 2021, a preprint reported a potentially huge discovery. Researchers had looked at samples that were collected as ...
Will ‘long COVID’ become a neglected disease, sabotaging the lives of millions of victims?
A small number of fully vaccinated people have become long-haulers after breakthrough infections, although no one knows how common such ...
Analysis: Dr. Bronner’s Soaps, longtime ally of Organic Consumers Association, now targeted by “all natural” advocates for offering employees $1,000 vaccine incentive
Like every U.S. business with in-person employees, activist-oriented soap brand Dr. Bronner’s has been grappling with how to keep Covid-19 ...
How do religious COVID vaccine exemptions work — and how do you prevent people from abusing them?
The idea of a religious exemption as a concept has a long and complicated history in the U.S., but it ...
How COVID affects us long after the virus is gone
There are myriad ways that infectious agents — viruses, bacteria, parasites, fungi and prions — can do long-term damage to ...
Viewpoint: How Republicans have come to replace Democrats as the face of the anti-vaccine movement
There was a time not so long ago (perhaps a decade, but certainly no longer than 20 years ago), when ...
At-home antigen tests are booming — but are they reliable? Here’s the case for and against them
Researchers have long known that rapid [COVID-19] antigen tests, although convenient, sacrifice some accuracy for their art. Compared with PCR-based ...
‘Bizarre and dangerous misinformation’: Media Matters analysis reveals One America News Network’s anti-vaccination crusade
Right-wing cable network One America News is continuing its months-long campaign against public health by spreading dangerous and bizarre conspiracy ...
‘COVID vaccines are wondrous weapons, but they aren’t impenetrable armor’
When Covid-19 vaccines were reported last fall to be roughly 95% effective at preventing symptomatic Covid-19 infections, the world rejoiced ...
‘Food without fresh water’: If ocean levels rise, farms around the world could be flooded with salt water. Here’s how we could keep crops alive
When irrigation water is introduced to a field, plants absorb the water, or it evaporates into the atmosphere. But the ...
Viewpoint: Facing booming global population and a warming climate, the EU’s ban on gene editing farm solutions is ‘as irrational as it is absurd’
In an article published [recently] in Nature, the chairmen of an international association of experts called the Scientific Group warn: ...
Why are children less susceptible to severe COVID?
Children have had a reduced risk not only of developing severe COVID-19 but also of being infected by SARS-CoV-2 in ...
COVID and evolutionary fitness: As vaccines limit the virus’ ability to evolve into lethal strains, scientists hope future variants will be less threatening
There is no playbook for evolution. Delta could continue to ratchet up its rate of spread, or it could be ousted ...
Viewpoint: ‘There is no legitimate Christian doctrine-backed case for vaccine mandate exemptions’
According to the Civil Rights Act, [vaccine] exemptions are meant to apply to people with “sincerely held religious beliefs,” and ...
In a global first, injection-free DNA-based COVID-19 vaccine approved — and more in the works
India has approved a new COVID-19 vaccine that uses circular strands of DNA to prime the immune system against the ...
Moderna vaccine appears to be significantly superior to Pfizer’s in preventing COVID hospitalizations
Amid persistent concerns that the protection offered by COVID-19 vaccines may be waning, a report released [September 17] by the ...
