Biology in the News Explained

Stop using antibacterial soaps now. Really.

"Anti-bacterial" soaps are nothing but a marketing ploy, and their active ingredient adds to the growing list of contaminants of uncertain effects in our environment. Just use plain old soap, it works fine.

Merck’s “fraud” is standard industry practice

It is routine for biotech companies to employ "ghost writers" to market their products through peer-reviewed journal articles. This is one reason the scientific rigor of medical publications is so low.

Your high-fish diet will soon be a thing of the past

We are in the golden age of fish-consumption: high-tech harvesting hauling in huge catches to satisfy the world's appetite. Prepare for it to end soon as global stocks continue to crash.

Economics and the environment, part 2

The "tragedy of the commons" argument assumes rational behavior on the part of humans, who have made it infinitely clear that the assumption is false. A free market (let alone government subsidies) will never result in a protected environment, no matter how privately owned it is.