2024
A groundbreaking pineapple-flavored spray vaccine could prevent urinary tract infections for up to 9 years, Genetic Literacy Project, April 10, 2024.
Robert Kemp Adair: notes on a friendship. Quillette, Jan. 12, 2024
2023
Can coffee drinking prevent Covid infection? Genetic Literacy Project, Dec. 12, 2023.
Twitter/X’s race to the disinformation bottom: Are we losing a valuable forum for rational discussion? Genetic Literacy Project, Nov. 6, 2023.
Clearing out my father’s office: reflections on a vibrant scientific career cut short, Quillette, Sept. 29, 2023.
Dogmatism, Data, and Public Health: A look back on the 2003 BMJ controversy over passive smoking and mortality. Quillette, Sept. 15, 2023.
Sally Kabat: Works on paper and canvas — another way of seeing, Medium, June 18, 2023.
Viewpoint: Concerned whether pesticides in the environment are safe? Listen to hands-on experts, not ideologues. Genetic Literacy Project, February 7, 2023.
2022
The Guardian and Carey Gillam join long list of activists who misrepresent the science of glyphosate and exaggerate the risk of pesticides. Genetic Literacy Project, July 19, 2022.
Unraveling the mystery of who gets lung cancer — and why. Genetic Literacy Project, June 14, 2022.
Remembering the Jewish Yugoslavia that the Nazis destroyed. Qullette, April 6, 2022.
2021
Remembering Auschwitz and the 1.1 million people who died there. Genetic Literacy Project, Dec. 1, 2021.
Face to face with the Auschwitz Memorial Twitter Project, Quillette, Nov. 5, 2021.
Sperm count culture war, Quillette, June 16, 2021.
Viewpoint: Epidemiology in crisis? Scientists and health journalists need to embrace ‘skeptical science.’ Here’s a checklist for detecting over-hyped scares. Genetic Literacy Project, May 25, 2021.
Viewpoint: Advocacy disguised as journalism? Carey Gillam, the prolific purveyor of crop biotechnology and agri-chemical disinformation. Genetic Literacy Project, May 4, 2021.
Viewpoint: Will 5G harm you? Activist groups succeed in stirring conspiracy health risk phobias, as New York State legislature prepares to debate ‘growing evidence’ of harm. Genetic Literacy Project, Mar. 30, 2021.
Glyphosate on trial: In an ‘unequal contest’ between science and emotion, can evidence overcome pesticide-cancer fears? Genetic Literacy Project, Mar. 16, 2021.
Robert Kemp Adair — a personal remembrance. Medium, Mar. 15, 2021.
Viewpoint: The New York Times’ Nicholas Kristof again echoes scientifically dubious fears about falling sperm counts and ‘endocrine disrupting’ chemicals. Genetic Literacy Project, Mar. 1, 2021.
The glyphosate debacle: How a misleading study about the alleged risks of the weedkiller Roundup and gullible reporters helped fuel a cancer scare. (part 1) Genetic Literacy Project, Feb. 9, 2021.
‘Symptom of a widespread problem’: Misleading glyphosate-cancer study raises questions about ideological zeal in science. (part 2) Genetic Literacy Project, Feb. 10, 2021.
“On recent meta-analyses of exposure to glyphosate and risk of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma,” Cancer Causes and Control, January 15, 2021.
2020
‘Health impact of chemicals doubled in last 5 years’? Gullible media misreporting flawed studies mislead the public. Genetic Literacy Project, August 19, 2020.
New Lancet paper on endocrine disruptors presents a badly distorted picture. RealClearScience, August 15, 2020.
In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, Daniel Defoe’s account of London bubonic plague of 1665 offers a shock of recognition. Genetic Literacy Project, July 21, 2020.
The two faces of meta-analysis. Significance, June, 2020.
Viewpoint: Coronavirus journal — anatomy of a pandemic. Genetic Literacy Project, April 7, 2020.
Podcast: “Apples to oranges: use and abuse of meta-analysis,” Talking Biotech Podcast with Dr. Kevin Folta, April 4, 2020.
We’ll learn a lot from the coronavirus outbreak, but it will be “paid for in blood.” Genetic Literacy Project, March 18, 2020.
Thoughts on the coronavirus pandemic in the light of other health risks. Medium, March 16, 2020.
Remember the questionable study claiming glyphosate boosts cancer risk 41%? Lead author reasserts her claim, EPA refutes it, and we take a second look. Genetic Literacy Project, Feb. 25, 2020.
On the beachfront in Rio. Medium, Feb. 11, 2020.
2019
Who’s afraid of Roundup? Issues in Science and Technology, Fall 2019.
My encounter with Andre Gregory. Medium, Nov. 9 2019
Critical flaws plague a new study linking ‘heavy’ exposure to pesticides to cardiovascular disease. Genetic Literacy Project, Oct. 1, 2019.
With the coming rollout of 5G wireless, we can expect a new generation of health care concerns. RealClearScience. April 30, 2019.
Probable carcinogenicity of glyphosate. Rapid response to BMJ, April 12, 2019.
"Heard Immunity" -- In An Age Of Vaccine Skepticism, It Is Critical To Understand Herd Immunity. Forbes, Feb. 26, 2018.
41% glyphosate-cancer increase claim under fire: Did authors of new meta-study deliberately manipulate data or just botch their analysis? Genetic Literacy Project, Feb. 18, 2019.
In Germany And Austria, Visits To Radon Health Spas Are Covered By Health Insurance, Forbes, Feb. 2, 2019.
Radon health cures —who knew? Forbes, Jan. 26. 2019.
2018
Further insights into the NTP rodent study. Forbes, Nov. 8, 2018.
What does bombarding rodents with cell phone radiation tell us about risks to humans? Forbes, Nov. 4, 2018.
Tribal epistemology: the final frontier. Forbes, October 16, 2018.
The Guardian’s scare piece on glyphosate and cancer is designed to fuel a tsunami of lawsuits. Forbes, October 11, 2018.
With defenders like these, the International Agency for Research on Cancer hardly needs enemies. Forbes, August 17, 2018.
Does IARC’s proposed revision of its preamble signal a real change in the agency’s behavior? Forbes, June 6, 2018.
Dissension Emerges Over The Results Of A 30-Million-Dollar Federal Study Of BPA. American Council on Science and Health, April 30, 2018.
Sorting out which side to believe in an era of alternative facts. Forbes, May 5, 2018.
What we know about coffee and cancer – California and IARC, take note. Forbes, March 12, 2018.
In an age of vaccine skepticism it is critical to understand herd immunity. Forbes, February 26, 2018.
In California coffee may soon be listed as a carcinogen. Forbes, February 18, 2018.
The option to save a life. Forbes, January 12, 2018.
2017
What The Best U.S. Data Have To Say About Brain Cancer Rates, Forbes, Dec. 27, 2017
Are Brain Cancer Rates Increasing, And Do Changes Relate To Cell Phone Use? Forbes, Dec. 23, 2017
California's latest precautionary move against "cell phone radiation," Forbes, Dec. 17, 2017
IARC's Glyphosate-gate Scandal, Forbes, October 23, 2017
Taking Distrust of Science Seriously. EMBO Reports, May 30, 2017
Assessing The Influence Of Environmental Pollution On Cancer, Forbes, May 13, 2017
The Trouble Lies Not In Our Sperm, Poor Nick, Forbes Mar. 12, 2017
Trump, Vaccines, And Science Under Threat Forbes, Jan. 30, 2017
Michael Lewis' New Book Carries An Essential Message For Our Time, Forbes, Jan. 7, 2017
2016
IARC Lets Coffee Off The Hook But Only Deepens The Confusion, Forbes, June 18, 2016
The New Rat Study Of Cell Phone Radiation Is No Smoking Gun, Forbes, May 28, 2016
A 'Cancer Moonshot' Is The Wrong Analogy, Forbes, Feb. 10, 2016
2015
The Crisis Of Peer Review, Forbes, Nov. 23, 2015
Having It Both Ways On What Causes Cancer, Forbes Nov. 19, 2015
Ken Burns' Magisterial 'Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies', Forbes, Apr. 4, 2015
How Many Scientists Does It Take To Squelch A Critic? Hint: 124, Forbes, Mar. 10, 2015
Most Cancers May Simply Be Due To Bad Luck, Forbes, Jan. 4, 2015
2014
When Anomalous Results Get The Most Attention, Forbes, Nov. 15, 2014
The Alternative Universe In Which BPA Is A Major Health Threat, Forbes, Oct. 24, 2014
The Raging Controversy Over BPA Shows No Signs Of Abating, Forbes, Sept. 4, 2014
We Are Nowhere Near Understanding The Causes Of Obesity And How To Prevent It, Forbes June 9, 2014
Much Conventional Wisdom About The Causes Of The Obesity Epidemic May Be Wrong, Forbes, June 2, 2014
Should Mammography Be Abolished? Forbes, May 24, 2014
How Credible Is CDC's 43 Percent Decline In Obesity In Young Children? Forbes, Feb. 27, 2014
2013
Six Solid Ways To Reduce Your Cancer Risk -- And That Of Your Children, Forbes, Dec. 6, 2014
Maintaining A Healthy Body Weight Is Key To A Healthy Body, Forbes, Nov. 19, 2013
To Combat Some Big Diseases, We Should Focus On The Basics, Forbes Mar. 27, 2013
Finer-Grained Data Transform Our Understanding Of The Holocaust, Forbes, Mar. 13, 2013 3
Do Cell Phones Cause Brain Cancer? The Conspiracy Theorists Say Yes, Forbes, Mar. 10, 2013
Do Cell Phones Cause Brain Cancer? The Diehards Cling Desperately To Opinion, Forbes, Mar. 5, 2013
After 40 Years Of Research, What Do We Know About Preventing Breast Cancer? Forbes, Feb. 24, 2013
What Caused A Billion Dollar Federal Study Of Child Health To Implode? Forbes, Feb. 4, 2013
Making Room for the Unseen in Tackling Complex Problems, Forbes, Jan. 17, 2013
How Useful Is Body Mass Index In Predicting Long-Term Health? Forbes, Jan. 6, 2013
2012
Natural Does Not Mean Safe. Slate, Nov. 26, 2012
How Activism Distorts The Assessment Of Health Risks, Forbes, Nov. 20, 2012
The Bad News About the Good News About Chocolate, Forbes, April 1, 2012
Will Removing Menthol From Cigarettes Improve Health? Forbes, Mar. 27, 2012
2011
Does Coffee Drinking Really Protect Against Devastating Diseases? Forbes, Dec. 6, 2011
2010
Defending the achievements, if not the style, of the anti-smoking movement. 2010 In: R. Veras (ed.) Myths and Misconceptions about Environmental Tobacco Smoke: Dissenting Views. Rio de Janeiro: UnATI, 2010, pp. 29-35.
Hyping Health Risks in Brazil. Columbia University Press Blog, June 8, 2010
2009
Is “Thirdhand Tobacco Smoke” a Valid Scientific Concept or a Public Relations Gimmick?