Biology in the News Explained

The USPSTF deals with data, not hyperbole

The American College of Radiology is outrageously irresponsible in its assertion that "countless American women may die needlessly from breast cancer each year" if the new USPSTF recommendations are followed. So much for the Hippocratic oath of 34,000 doctors - screening results in overtreatment, which, as has been known for a long time, can cause a great deal of harm.

David Gregory and the quixotic belief in the fictitious ideal

Journalists are aggressively failing to do their job in presenting the rational version of the health care debate, which means those who support the status quo are succeeding in their campaign to appeal to those who fear change (Part 1).

Why fear mongering is so successful

There's a reason fear-mongering works as a political strategy: the irrational part of our brain is much easier for other people to manipulate than the rational part.

This just in! Breast-feeding causes world peace!

Despite what you may believe, given the propaganda, women who don't breastfeed are not necessarily evil or even un-health conscious.

How often is the “cure” worse than the “disease”?

Prostate cancer is one of the slowest-growing cancers, and most men will eventually have it. So take the knee-jerk phrase "we caught it early" with a grain of salt, and remember that treatment has risks, too.

Is the main purpose of chemotherapy to make you miserable?

Fortunately, some cancer researchers are trying to sort out what treatments work best for which subtypes of cancer. But patients — and doctors — are not making it easy. Why?

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.

Do we have too many ‘liberal’ professors?

The argument that university faculty are indoctrinating students in left-wing ideology due to liberal bias is nothing but a straw man.

It’s not about genetics

Review of the book "Who's Afraid of Marie Curie?: The Challenges Facing Women in Science and Technology."

Infant toilet training is a valid option

You actually can toilet-train a child under three or even two without being an ogre. People still do in countries that haven't been taken over by disposable diapers. But which came first, the diapers or the late-training theory?