Jennifer Pomeranz discusses a decades-old loophole for putting new ingredients into the country’s food supply.
Opinion: Medicine Misses the Mark on African and Black Hair Health
Dermatologists lack the cultural knowledge to treat alopecia, or hair loss, in Black and African patients.
Dermatologists lack the cultural knowledge to treat alopecia, or hair loss, in Black and African patients.
Book Review: An Impassioned Lament for Our Imperiled Wild Forests
Suzanne Simard’s “When the Forest Breathes” is steeped in grief over the juggernaut of the modern logging industry.
Suzanne Simard’s “When the Forest Breathes” is steeped in grief over the juggernaut of the modern logging industry.
A Decongestant Debate That Won’t Clear Up
Experts say the decongestant in Sudafed PE doesn’t work, and the relevant data is limited. Yet it remains on the market.
Experts say the decongestant in Sudafed PE doesn’t work, and the relevant data is limited. Yet it remains on the market.
When Scientific Debate Steps Into Custody Cases
Many view parental alienation syndrome as a harmful and pseudoscientific concept. Why does an academic debate persist?
Many view parental alienation syndrome as a harmful and pseudoscientific concept. Why does an academic debate persist?
Opinion: Scientific Journals Need Dedicated Fact-Checkers
An additional layer of quality control could help academic publishers weed out problematic content before it propagates.
An additional layer of quality control could help academic publishers weed out problematic content before it propagates.
Plastic Pollution Is Bad Enough. Burning It Can Be Even Worse.
In places like Indonesia, plastic refuse is often burned in unregulated low-tech furnaces that pose grave health risks.
In places like Indonesia, plastic refuse is often burned in unregulated low-tech furnaces that pose grave health risks.
The Push for Artificial Inheritance
Since the emergence of the gene-editing tool Crispr-Cas9 more than a decade ago, scientists, bioethicists, legal scholars, faith leaders, and policy experts have wrestled with what it would mean to use the tool to tinker with the human gene pool — the fulfillment it could bring to prospective parents who want to bring healthy, flourishing offspring into the world; the socioeconomic inequalities it could deepen; the transformative effect it could have on what it means to be human.
Since the emergence of the gene-editing tool Crispr-Cas9 more than a decade ago, scientists, bioethicists, legal scholars, faith leaders, and policy experts have wrestled with what it would mean to use the tool to tinker with the human gene pool — the fulfillment it could bring to prospective parents who want to bring healthy, flourishing offspring into the world; the socioeconomic inequalities it could deepen; the transformative effect it could have on what it means to be human.
As Rocket Launches Increase, They May Be Polluting the Skies
Research suggests that rocket exhaust and debris could be threatening the ozone layer, though uncertainties persist.
Research suggests that rocket exhaust and debris could be threatening the ozone layer, though uncertainties persist.
Opinion: Prediction Markets Make a Bet Against Public Health
Online prediction markets evade safeguards against gambling and risk normalizing addictive behaviors.
Online prediction markets evade safeguards against gambling and risk normalizing addictive behaviors.
The Future of Sex as a Biological Variable in Health Research
An executive order upended an NIH policy requiring researchers to account for both sexes in preclinical animal studies.
An executive order upended an NIH policy requiring researchers to account for both sexes in preclinical animal studies.
Why Swedish Schools Are Bringing Back Books
Amid declining test scores, the country has pivoted away from screens and invested in back-to-basics school materials.
Amid declining test scores, the country has pivoted away from screens and invested in back-to-basics school materials.
Book Review: How Genetics Shapes Our Ideas About Vice and Blame
Kathryn Paige Harden’s “Original Sin” explores the genetic roots of sin and guilt, and our attitudes toward punishment.
Kathryn Paige Harden’s “Original Sin” explores the genetic roots of sin and guilt, and our attitudes toward punishment.
Opinion: Science Communication Is Central to the Practice of Science
Explaining and defending knowledge is as essential to the scientific enterprise as publishing research.
Explaining and defending knowledge is as essential to the scientific enterprise as publishing research.
Polygraphs Aren’t Very Accurate. Are There Better Options?
Research is identifying alternative methods to the polygraph, but some doubt whether true lie detection is possible.
Research is identifying alternative methods to the polygraph, but some doubt whether true lie detection is possible.
Where There’s Wildfire Smoke, There’s Poor Mental Health
On a mild day in mid-November, among a clutch of oaks and sycamores, more than a dozen people encircled a small fire.
On a mild day in mid-November, among a clutch of oaks and sycamores, more than a dozen people encircled a small fire.