Pfizer's Paxlovid looks very promising in fighting COVID. It also provides a good opportunity to learn about how enzyme inhibitors work. For masochists only. | Continue reading
Tylenol (acetaminophen) is very widely used for various types of pain, and to reduce fevers. The drug is also largely perceived as safe and effective. We've already written that it's not all that safe. But does it work well? The answer is: Not even close. Multiple Cochrane review … | Continue reading
Though we spent about nine months of the year focused almost exclusively on COVID, we did find time to debunk pseudoscientific nonsense. Here are the top 10 junk science and bogus health claims we debunked in 2020. | Continue reading
For every additional microgram per liter of lithium in the water supply, the suicide rate dropped by 0.27 per 100,000 people per year. | Continue reading
No, the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19 is not a biological weapon. But that doesn't mean the virus didn't escape from a laboratory. A growing body of circumstantial evidence indicates that very well may be what happened. | Continue reading
If there was any effect of this drug on COVID-19, it was minimal. Hydroxychloroquine, whose toxicity is far lower, may be safer than chloroquine. But that doesn't matter if the drugs are ineffective. | Continue reading
Two of the experimental coronavirus drugs, chloroquine, and hydroxychloroquine are a breeze to synthesize. But remdesivir, possibly the most promising candidate, is anything but. It's a royal pain. Here's why. | Continue reading
The Navy has filed a patent that could allow for the creation of portable nuclear fusion reactors. The scientist behind this is thinking big. He's also responsible for dreaming up ways to propel aircraft, like UFOs. | Continue reading
Scientists have discovered molecules that inhibit tumor growth by starving cancer cells of their favorite foods: the sugar glucose and the amino acid, glutamine. | Continue reading
An alarmist article by NPR wants us to believe that we're in grave danger. That's because some deli meats have labels that are inaccurate, regarding the presence (or absence) of nitrate, a preservative. Here's the science that explains why the whole thing is nothing but a silly s … | Continue reading
In the most common type of pancreatic cancer, the abnormal cells contain highly fragmented mitochondria. New research suggests that they can serve as a novel target in the treatment of pancreatic cancer. | Continue reading
A new paper found that most retractions in chemistry and similar fields were due to plagiarism and data manipulation. However, there may be a silver lining in the data. | Continue reading
Two studies look at how you can use words to spin non-significant findings into published studies and how falsified data spreads unchecked from one meta-analysis to another. | Continue reading