American Council on Science and Health
Viewpoint: Organic Consumers Association promotes conspiracy theory blaming farm pesticides for school shootings
A crackpot named E. G. Vallianatos has written a blog post that links pesticides to school shootings. He says, "[Pesticides] may have ...
Can humans reproduce in space? NASA wants to know
If the thought of conceiving in space or the potential of one day giving birth there seem unimaginable and far-fetched ...
Viewpoint: Gene editing in agriculture shouldn’t be regulated, whether applied to crops or animals
CRISPR has changed the way alterations are made; so in the past year the FDA clarified their position, any intentional ...
Viewpoint: Anti-biotech activists don’t understand the difference between GMOs and CRISPR crops
CRISPR-Cas9 may genetically modify a crop, but it doesn’t necessarily result in a genetically modified organism, the dreaded GMO. To ...
Viewpoint: JAMA falls short in ‘correction’ of research letter reporting glyphosate in urine
In October 2017, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) added to the weight of evidence they care more about media ...
Habits and choices: How does our brain differentiate between the two?
Habitual behavior is routine and automatic, frequently initiated by a cue or change in a situation.Sometimes, habits don't hold up, ...
Viewpoint: No, the placebo effect is not increasing, but bedside manners do impact perceived drug efficacy
[A] new article, published in Psychology Today, purports that the “Placebo Effect is Growing.” In the author’s words, “Over the ...
Brain inflammation–encephalitis–in children linked to single gene mutation
For most children, an infection with a virus like herpes simplex or influenza (the flu) will cause the typical symptoms and run ...
Wheat is a notoriously difficult crop to improve. CRISPR could change that
One challenge to improving wheat genetically has been due to the complex genetic mechanisms that go on with wheat DNA. A wheat ...
Could genetic engineering save coffee from a deadly fungus?
Genetic diversity or lack thereof can have real consequences for our diets, and more importantly, for our health. ... The ...
Rapid blood test for traumatic brain injury approved by FDA
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved a blood test that may revolutionize the diagnosis of [traumatic brain injury] ...
The CRISPR Journal: New peer-reviewed publication dedicated to cutting edge research
Several features of CRISPR are behind the rise in the excitement that surrounds it. It is an incredibly easy to do, ...
Genetically attracted: Online dating site wants to use DNA for matchmaking
With the online dating market exploding into a multi-billion dollar business, it's no surprise that entrepreneurs crave a piece of ...
Beepocalypse myth busting: Honey bees, not wild species, key for crop pollination—and they’re doing fine
Like GMOs and vaccines, misinformation is rife on the topic of bees. Fearmongers warn of a coming "Beepocalypse." The media ...
Nation’s expanding waistline linked to increase in 13 types of cancer
It's common knowledge that as a country, we've been getting fatter for decades. In some states the prevalence of obesity ...
Treating difficult brain and breast cancers with the help of viruses
New research published in Science Translational Medicine ... introduced a new potential treatment for some of the most difficult to treat cancers––brain and triple negative ...
Luxturna gene therapy approved for vision loss
The first two novel gene therapies for cancer treatment passed through FDA approval earlier this year, first B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) followed quickly ...
Why we stutter
While the average American might not come across it on a daily basis, stuttering is a relatively common condition. So when ...
Isolating DNA for research inexpensively in 30 seconds
The ability to extract DNA from cells is a cornerstone of molecular biology. Without the ability to isolate pure DNA, there ...
Could GMO Golden Rice be teamed with vitamin A supplements to tackle global childhood blindness?
I want more than just having Golden Rice — I want it to be widely available to people who eat ...
Why some Amish are genetically wired to live longer
Although known mainly for their adherence to an older, simpler way of life, some Amish folks also have a genetic ...
DIY gene therapy? FDA is not a fan
A few biohackers (fans of do-it-yourself (DIY) science experiments) recently designed a gene therapy for HIV. Not only that, they posted a video ...
Era of unregulated stem cell therapies may be coming to an end
Is the Wild West of stem cell therapies coming to an end? Newly released guidelines from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) suggest ...
Viewpoint: Newsweek’s surprisingly unscientific view of the genetics of obesity
[Editor's note: Dr. Charles Dinerstein is a retired vascular surgeon.] In a nod to science, Newsweek reported that there might be genetic underpinnings ...
Golden Potatoes: Vitamin-A fortified GMO variety could help tackle childhood blindness in Africa
We've been praising the development of Golden Rice, genetically engineered to contain the vitamin A precursor beta-carotene, for years. Since vitamin ...
Why does testicular cancer respond better to chemotherapy? Stem cells
It’s because of the stem cells. Cornell University researchers determined that for testicular cancer, those cells are more capable of responding ...
Biopesticides: Creating a mosquito-fighting bacteria wasn’t easy—or fast
[A]fter decades of international scientific effort, a new mosquito biopesticide (a pesticide that uses natural bacteria) has been approved. And it only took a year and ...
Veterans’ suicide attempts linked to gene expression
Though they only compose 8.5% of the U.S. population, veterans make up 18% of all suicides. Complicating matters is that ...
