American Council on Science and Health

11/23/2025

Neanderthals were cannibals.

Copious evidence from the fossil record, spread across time and geography, shows that neanderthals ate each other. Scientists have discovered neanderthal bones that bear the same marks of butchery as those found on the skeletal remains of neanderthals' usual animal fare – reindeer, horses, and the occasional wooly rhino or mammoth.

Neanderthals were cannibals. Copious evidence from the fossil record, spread across time and geography, shows that neanderthals ate each other. Scientists have discovered neanderthal bones that bear t

11/22/2025

Long COVID can feel like being adrift at sea, tiringly kicking those legs to stay above water. Social media provides lifebuoys but many turn out to be tricks of the light.

What about ni****ne? On Facebook, you will find sober recommendations to try ni****ne patches to save you from drowning in the fatigue of long COVID, as well as more conspiratorial takes on the problematic substance. I have seen a bold headline declaring ni****ne to be “the slandered savior”—accompanied by the hashtag “ ,” no less—and the claim that the World Health Organization (WHO) is trying to ban to***co, which contains ni****ne, knowing full well that it is a cure and a way to stop the WHO’s “depopulation agenda.” On the platform, end users knock elbows with enthusiastic chiropractors and more moderate physicians, all trying to make sense of the ni****ne-long-COVID connection.

Long COVID can feel like being adrift at sea, tiringly kicking those legs to stay above water. Social media provides lifebuoys but many turn out to be tricks of the light. What about ni****ne? On Facebook, you will find sober recommendations to try ni****ne patches to save you from drowning in the f...

11/22/2025

As I (slowly) adapt to a non-academical “retirement environment”, I periodically ponder biology’s core observations and principles. Together they constrain which models are plausible—meaning models that are mechanistically explanatory and empirically testable and can be used to understand and manipulate biological systems. Understanding these underlying observations and principles anchors us in a science-based reality, and enable us to conceive of and test new approaches to the treatment of diseases and defects.

Understanding the noisy uniqueness of biological systems and its implications, include an experiment for teachers..

11/22/2025

America’s overdose crisis isn’t the simple story we’ve been told for years. A new investigation reveals how two key graphs — one famous, one ignored — shift entirely the way we understand what happened, why deaths keep rising, and why current policies continue to fail. This op-ed explains why the familiar “four-phase opioid epidemic” narrative collapses under scrutiny.

America’s overdose crisis isn’t the simple story we’ve been told for years. A new investigation reveals how two key graphs — one famous, one ignored — shift entirely the way we understand what happened, why deaths keep rising, and why current policies continue to fail. This op-ed explains ...

11/22/2025

The winter blues are here. ☁️ ☀️ check out the 5 myths you probably thought were true 👇🏽

11/22/2025

When President Donald Trump’s administration abruptly canceled federal subscriptions to Springer Nature journals this summer, government researchers across the country suddenly lost access to some of the most influential publications in science. News reports framed the decision as part of a broader narrative about an attack on science — and indeed, journal access is essential to researchers.

What the uproar really revealed, however, was something subtler but just as corrosive: the hidden economics of how science gets published and accessed. Most Americans don’t realize they are paying not once, not twice, but at least three times for the same body of research. Inside universities, this academic triple tax, as I think of it, is so normalized that faculty barely notice it, and they feel paralyzed to do anything about it. It’s woven into the daily routines of professors, grant writers, peer reviewers, and librarians. Yet it quietly drains billions of public dollars each year, enriching a handful of for-profit publishers while eroding the budgets of the very institutions that produce the research.

When President Donald Trump’s administration abruptly canceled federal subscriptions to Springer Nature journals this summer, government researchers across the country suddenly lost access to so

11/22/2025

The pancreas is essential for staying alive and healthy. This small organ sits behind the stomach and has two main jobs. It produces digestive enzymes that break down food and hormones such as insulin and glucagon that control blood sugar.

Everyday habits such as heavy drinking and unhealthy eating can gradually damage the pancreas. Once injured, the consequences can be serious and include inflammation, diabetes and, in some cases, cancer.

Several common lifestyle factors can put the pancreas under strain:

1. Alcohol

The pancreas is essential for staying alive and healthy. This small organ sits behind the stomach and has two main jobs. It produces digestive enzymes that break down food and hormones such as insuli

11/22/2025

For those of us who aren’t morning people, it can be quite exhausting to hear about other people’s morning routines. Celebrities, politicians and captains of industry are particularly insufferable.

Actor Mark Wahlberg’s well-publicised and rather extreme morning begins at 2:30am with prayers, workouts and cryochamber recovery all in the mix. Apple chief Tim Cook is known to send work emails before 5am (cheers, boss).

https://www.sciencefocus.com/wellbeing/perfect-morning-routine-science

11/22/2025

Taking Ozempic or Wegovy? Yale researchers just dropped a bombshell: two glasses of wine now hit like four, your BAC climbs higher and stays there longer, and you might not even feel it coming. And here’s the wild part: doctors say this same effect could accidentally be the most powerful tool we’ve ever had against alcohol addiction.

Emerging research from Yale University in Nature shows these drugs don’t just curb appetite for food; many patients report a dramatic drop in the desire to drink alcohol. Some cut their intake by half or more, while others stop altogether without feeling deprived. Clinical trials are now underway to test higher-dose versions specifically as a treatment for alcohol use disorder.

11/21/2025

Around the world, some 40 million people are living with HIV. And though progress in treatment means the infection isn’t the death sentence it once was, researchers have never been able to bring about a cure. Instead, HIV-positive people must take a cocktail of antiretroviral drugs for the rest of their lives.

But in 2025, researchers reported a breakthrough that suggests that a “functional” cure for HIV — a way to keep HIV under control long-term without constant treatment — may indeed be possible. In two independent trials using infusions of engineered antibodies, some participants remained healthy without taking antiretrovirals, long after the interventions ended.

People infected with HIV must take antiretroviral drugs for life. But promising trials using engineered antibodies suggest that ‘functional cures’ may be in reach.

11/21/2025

Peanut allergy is one of the most common food allergies, affecting between 1% and 2% of people living in the west. And, for many years, their prevalence has been rising.

But a recent study out of the US shows that the rate of peanut allergy diagnoses in infants has actually declined. It appears this decline may be due to changes in allergy guidelines – highlighting the importance of introducing this common allergen early on.

A food allergy is a type of allergic reaction which occurs when your immune system reacts inappropriately to things it should ignore – such as pollen or certain types of foods. The most common allergic condition is hayfever – a reaction to pollen. Peanut allergy is one of the most common true food allergies – and also the most common cause of fatal food reactions.

Peanut allergy is one of the most common food allergies, affecting between 1% and 2% of people living in the west. And, for many years, their prevalence has been rising. But a recent study out of the

11/21/2025

A new randomized trial from North Carolina suggests that digital tools like mPATH may slightly boost participation in CT lung cancer screening—yet the overall uptake remains strikingly low. Despite proven survival benefits and minimal risks, only a small fraction of eligible smokers proceed with screening, revealing deep systemic and informational barriers. Understanding why participation is so limited is essential to improving outcomes for one of the deadliest yet most survivable cancers when detected early.

A new randomized trial from North Carolina suggests that digital tools like mPATH may slightly boost participation in CT lung cancer screening—yet the overall uptake remains strikingly low. Despite proven survival benefits and minimal risks, only a small fraction of eligible smokers proceed with s...