Month: July 2020

Monsanto gets injunction against California’s mandated cancer warning for glyphosate

A federal district court permanently enjoined California from requiring a cancer warning for glyphosate on First Amendment grounds. The battle between the law and science continues.

/ July 30, 2020

Preventing The Next Pandemic

Scientists saw the pandemic coming, but world leaders failed to listen. How can we prevent and minimize the next one?

/ July 29, 2020
Don't shoot him. He's just relaying a message.

Shooting the Messenger: Activists Persecute Scientists Whose Findings They Don’t Like

Alice Dreger's book recounts many instances of shooting the messenger, when scientists were persecuted for research findings that activists found objectionable. Social justice matters, but it should rely on science and reality, not ideology.

/ July 28, 2020
Hydroxychloroquine

Hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19: Evidence can’t seem to kill it

Despite the accumulating negative evidence showing that hydroxychloroquine doesn't work against COVID-19, activists continue to promote it as a way out of the pandemic. This week, the AAPS and a Yale epidemiologist joined the fray with embarrassingly bad arguments.

/ July 27, 2020

Emerging Evidence of Intrauterine SARS-CoV-2 Infections

New evidence supports the potential for intrauterine spread of SARS-CoV-2 to a developing fetus. It's uncommon, but something to take seriously. Also some good news from the AAP regarding the care of babies born to mothers with COVID-19!

/ July 24, 2020

The English (Bulldog) Patient: What A Travesty of Canine Health Teaches us About Cognitive Dissonance

Bulldogs are cute, loveable, and borderline an abuse to breed. Their adorable faces are the result of intense selective pressure that is accompanied by a large number of misery-inducing health conditions for the pet, and cognitive dissonance for the owner.

/ July 23, 2020

COVID-19 and Excess Deaths

Excess deaths during the pandemic help tell a more complete picture of the impact of COVID-19.

/ July 22, 2020

TENS for Pain Relief: Does It Work?

TENS units are used to relieve pain and for other indications. The evidence is not impressive.

/ July 21, 2020
COVID-19

COVID-19 “super-spreaders” and “super-spreading events”: The controversy

Evidence is emerging suggesting that COVID-19 does not spread equally. A minority of infected individuals seem to spread the virus easily to many people, while most infected individuals spread it to few others or no one at all, likely through a combination of circumstance, environment, and possibly biology. Why is this, and what does it mean for coronavirus containment strategies?

/ July 20, 2020

A Poorly Conceived Study Fails to Prove Ayurveda Works

Quackery is alive, well, and government-supported in India, as demonstrated by a terrible study of Ayurveda.

/ July 17, 2020