- Asia, Africa Cause 90% of Plastic Pollution in World's Oceans https://www.acsh.org/news/2018/07/26/asia-africa-cause-90-plastic-pollution-worlds-oceans-13233 13 comments environment
- Scientists uncover evidence that our free will isn't as free as we think. Using mice, they found that complex behaviors like searching for food are the result of gene expression, which itself varies with age as well as with the various versions of the genes inherited from the parents. https://www.acsh.org/news/2019/08/13/can-we-blame-our-behavior-our-genes-bad-genes-14216 46 comments science
- Young Chinese and American children show marked differences in abstract thinking. Though the reason is unknown, researchers hypothesize that Americans' preference for teaching nouns first and the Chinese preference for teaching verbs first may explain the difference. https://www.acsh.org/news/2019/06/25/out-mouths-babes-language-evolutionary-force-14112 55 comments science
- Purposefully mislabeling conventional food as ”organic” is one type of food fraud that can be difficult to detect. Now, using isotope analysis, chemists have shown an ability to discriminate between conventional and organic milk. https://www.acsh.org/news/2019/01/07/chemists-can-determine-if-organic-milk-fraudulent-13711 313 comments science
- 1 in 4 Statisticians Say They Were Asked to Commit Scientific Fraud https://www.acsh.org/news/2018/10/30/1-4-statisticians-say-they-were-asked-commit-scientific-fraud-13554 5 comments science
- 1 in 4 Statisticians Say They Were Asked to Commit Scientific Fraud https://www.acsh.org/news/2018/10/30/1-4-statisticians-say-they-were-asked-commit-scientific-fraud-13554 3 comments nottheonion
- A new study shows that 51% of people would undergo a cancer screen, even if told it doesn’t extend life, doesn’t reduce risk of death, and could lead to unnecessary treatment. It provides further evidence of “action bias”: i.e., "doing something,” even if useless, is better than not doing something. https://www.acsh.org/news/2018/06/18/americans-want-cancer-screens-even-if-told-screen-worthless-13094 10 comments science
- New research has shown that a urine test can determine if a person has a severe allergy to a specific substance, such as ragweed. Patients would sniff the allergen then provide a urine sample. In the future, this test could serve as a partial replacement for the itchy skin prick test. https://www.acsh.org/news/2018/05/18/allergy-skin-prick-test-could-one-day-be-replaced-sniff-and-pee-test-12984 3 comments science
- Scientists have used DNA sequencing to determine the biological sex of a 4,000-year-old decapitated mummy's head. Their results demonstrate that DNA sequencing is possible from even highly damaged specimens, which could be quite useful for forensics. https://www.acsh.org/news/2018/04/04/modern-forensics-solved-mystery-4000-year-old-decapitated-mummy-head-12796 19 comments science
- Across natural (non-farm) habitats all over the world, the western honey bee is the most common pollinator, responsible for 13% of flower visits. Researchers also found that 5% of the plant species they studied were exclusively visited by honey bees. https://www.acsh.org/news/2018/01/16/honey-bees-1-pollinator-both-crops-and-wild-plants-12426 9 comments science
- When an infectious disease cannot be contained, ants engage in “destructive disinfection.” Researchers exposed ant pupae (developing “babies”) to a fungus. The pupae were groomed to remove any signs of the fungus. Then, they were sprayed with formic acid, leaving behind a heavily damaged corpse. https://www.acsh.org/news/2018/01/15/ants-treat-infections-extreme-prejudice-destructive-disinfection-12412 6 comments science
- Researchers are looking for a non-toxic drug that increases melanin (skin pigmentation) as a way to prevent melanoma (a type of skin cancer). To test their drug, they injected it into a green lizards, which turned entirely black within 1 minute and remained that way for 24 hours. https://www.acsh.org/news/2017/12/06/what-do-racially-ambivalent-lizards-amy-winehouse-canonical-amino-acids-and-melanoma-have-common-12225 118 comments science
- Evolution sometimes forces two species to survive together. Researchers have discovered that a beetle has outsourced a key metabolic function to a bacterium in its gut, while the bacterium has lost most of its genes and evolved one of the world's tiniest known genomes. https://www.acsh.org/news/2017/11/27/insect-outsources-key-metabolism-bacterium-tiny-genome-12188 14 comments science
- Even after controlling for height, women find men with slightly longer legs than average to be more attractive. https://www.acsh.org/news/2017/10/28/men-slightly-longer-legs-are-more-attractive-women-12044 46 comments science
- New research shows that dogs in an unfamiliar room synchronize their body movements with their owners. If the owner was standing, the dog stopped moving. If the owner was walking, the dog walked, too. If the owner was looking at the front of the room, so was the dog. https://www.acsh.org/news/2017/10/06/dogs-synchronize-body-movements-humans-11933 76 comments science
- Ancient documents decay over time. Now, scientists have hypothesized that a succession of microbes are responsible for the "purple spots" that indicate deterioration. Their analysis was based on a nearly 800-year-old parchment made of goat skin from the Vatican Secret Archives. https://www.acsh.org/news/2017/09/19/purple-spots-ancient-documents-indicate-deterioration-microbes-11844 3 comments science
- Like politicians, new research shows that scientists often "spin" their data to make it sound more important or convincing than it actually is. Interestingly, studies funded by industry were no likelier to have spin than studies that were not funded by industry. https://www.acsh.org/news/2017/09/16/politicians-scientists-spin-their-data-make-it-sound-better-11824 25 comments science
- A Lethal Injection For Tumors: "... a team of researchers from Duke University has shown that injecting an ethanol-based gel directly into a specific type of tumor, called squamous cell carcinoma, resulted in a 100% cure rate in a hamster model." https://www.acsh.org/news/2017/09/02/ethanol-lethal-injection-tumors-11779 9 comments worldnews
- Not Blowing Smoke, Vaping Works | American Council on Science and Health https://www.acsh.org/news/2017/08/22/not-blowing-smoke-vaping-works-11726 32 comments science
- The spice saffron may have an intrinsic ability to fight cancer. New research has shown that a compound in saffron blocks an enzyme that cancer uses to grow. http://www.acsh.org/news/2017/07/20/does-saffron-fight-cancer-plausible-biological-mechanism-11587 1625 comments science
- Hoax Science Paper Says Penis Is a Social Construct that Worsens Climate Change http://www.acsh.org/news/2017/05/19/hoax-science-paper-says-penis-social-construct-worsens-climate-change-11302 20 comments nottheonion
- A new study shows 3% of men who receive a prostate biopsy are hospitalized within a month, half due to an infection. These biopsy-associated infections cost Americans $623 million each year. Sometimes, the risks and costs of screening for a disease outweigh the risks and costs of the disease itself. http://acsh.org/news/2017/04/22/serious-unintended-consequences-prostate-cancer-screens-and-biopsies-11174 183 comments science
- A synthetic drug 85 times more potent than THC (marijuana) caused a "zombie outbreak" in New York City in July 2016. http://acsh.org/news/2017/01/20/drug-85-times-more-potent-thc-caused-zombie-outbreak-new-york-city-10754 11 comments science
- Brown marmorated stink bugs are invading the U.S. They are often found on grapes and are crushed in the winemaking process. This stressful event causes them to produce a smelly chemical that is also found in cilantro, which food chemists and wine tasters can detect in red wine. http://acsh.org/news/2017/01/17/stink-bugs-add-flavor-cilantro-red-wine-10741 325 comments science
- Heroin overdose deaths have quadrupled in 5 years among Americans aged 25 to 34. http://acsh.org/news/2017/01/05/heroin-overdose-deaths-quadruple-among-older-millennials-10690 171 comments science
- Hand sanitizers can cause a false positive breathalyzer test. Ethanol vapors from the sanitizer can artificially inflate a reading to twice the legal limit of 0.08. http://acsh.org/news/2016/12/03/hand-sanitizer-can-cause-false-positive-breathalyzer-test-10525 50 comments science
- Insects are a sustainable source of protein. Now, scientists show that many insects are as good a source of iron as sirloin beef. http://acsh.org/news/2016/11/14/beef-insects-are-good-source-iron-10436 3106 comments science
- From 2000 to 2015, measles vaccines have saved the lives of more than 20 million people around the world. http://acsh.org/news/2016/11/10/measles-thank-who-big-pharma-saving-20-million-lives-2000-10432 176 comments science
- Evolutionary psychologists believe female dancing is an indirect predictor of the strength and pleasure of their orgasms, which is interpreted by males as a measure of their chances of impregnating the woman and passing along their genes. http://acsh.org/news/2016/11/07/what-do-evolution-female-orgasms-rhythmic-entrainment-and-barry-white-have-common 15 comments science
- Sweetgrass, a traditional herbal remedy, was used by Native Americans as an insect repellent. So, chemists extracted essential oils from the plant and demonstrated that they were about as effective as DEET at keeping mosquitoes away. http://acsh.org/news/2016/11/01/sweetgrass-deet-traditional-native-american-herbal-remedy-acts-mosquito-repellent 407 comments science
- Chemists have shown that egg whites that are first treated with electricity don't release stinky hydrogen sulfide when heated. The egg whites produced using their electrochemical method are softer and don't stink. http://acsh.org/news/2016/09/06/eggs-first-cooked-electricity-smell-less-farts-10125 8 comments science
- A new genomic analysis suggests that losing genes may be just as important to evolution as gaining them. http://acsh.org/news/2016/08/18/losing-genes-may-be-just-as-important-to-evolution-as-gaining-them/ 4 comments science
- A strange bacterium called Elizabethkingia is killing sick, elderly people in Wisconsin. A new genetic analysis suggests this bacterium can live inside mosquitoes as well as hospitals. It is highly resistant to antibiotics. http://acsh.org/news/2016/08/17/emerging-infectious-disease-what-is-elizabethkingia/ 1349 comments science
- The Ebola virus has several deadly cousins. Scientists warn that we ignoring them at our peril. http://acsh.org/news/2016/08/15/ebolas-dangerous-cousins-beware-the-neglected-filoviruses/ 6 comments science
- hemists devised a simple technique to detect the true animal source of leather. This could help prevent mislabeling and fraud. http://acsh.org/news/2016/08/08/chemists-can-detect-the-true-animal-source-of-leather/ 4 comments science
- Mosquitoes don't like the smell of chickens. Volatile compounds from chickens could be used as mosquito repellant to prevent the spread of malaria and Zika. http://acsh.org/news/2016/08/06/chickens-malaria-zika-the-perfect-storm/ 85 comments science
- Science AMA Series: My name is Dr. Josh Bloom and I spent 27 years in Big Pharma. Now I write for a science media non-profit. Ask me anything! http://acsh.org/ 1132 comments science
- A colder temperature slows down a virus-infected cell's ability to commit suicide. So, the belief that being cold makes us likelier to catch a cold may actually be correct. http://acsh.org/news/2016/07/11/cold-viruses-attack-when-your-immune-system-is-cold/ 49 comments science
- Blinking our eyes is related to perception of time. Immediately after a blink, time is perceived to go by a little more slowly. http://acsh.org/news/2016/06/07/blinking-is-linked-to-our-perception-of-time/ 4 comments science
- JAMA study shows men just as likely to be depressed as women http://acsh.org/2013/08/depression-just-as-common-in-men-but-it-may-look-different-than-you-think/ 4 comments science
- New study finds no health concerns in e-cig vapor http://acsh.org/2013/08/new-study-finds-no-health-concerns-in-e-cig-vapor/ 1054 comments science
Linking pages
- Why Protests Are Erupting All Over Poland | The National Interest http://nationalinterest.org/feature/why-protests-are-erupting-all-over-poland-18831 44 comments
- Fear of opioids is causing patients to needlessly suffer severe pain https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2023/02/16/fear-opioids-causing-patients-needlessly-suffer-severe-pain/11254143002/ 37 comments
- Home Page | Quackwatch http://quackwatch.org/ 7 comments
- Understanding uncertainty: Visualising probabilities | plus.maths.org https://plus.maths.org/content/understanding-uncertainty-visualising-probabilities 4 comments