What does science tell us about gluten sensitivity? Depending on whom you ask, it's either a heal scare advanced by social media grifters or a legitimate medical condition that afflicts many people. Let's take a closer look to separate fact from myth.

The story everyone knows about the opioid epidemic goes like this: Big, bad Purdue Pharma aggressively marketed its potent painkiller OxyContin, hooking legions of unsuspecting Americans on the pharmaceutical equivalent of heroin. It's a compelling tale—and it's wrong in almost of its particulars. Let's take a closer look.

In the high-stakes arena of cancer drug development, SU212 was engineered as a safer twist on podophyllotoxin—a toxic killer designed to halt rogue cell division. Yet in a twist worthy of scientific serendipity, it veered off course, bypassing its intended target entirely and stumbling upon a superior mark. SU212 starves aggressive cancers, slashing growth with scant harm to healthy cells. This off-script pivot echoes drug history's happy accidents. Let's talk about how luck can lead to scientific breakthroughs.

Following the emergence of COVID-19, "follow the science" became a stark ideological divide that pitted one American against another. This partisan framing weaponized the scientific method instead of letting it solve a critical public-health crisis. Is it time to abandon this unhelpful slogan and rethink our broken understanding of science?

"You have cancer." It's a life-changing (and sometimes life-ending) development—a horrible piece of news no one is really ever prepared to receive. Are there better and worse ways to react? Can you do anything to improve your prognosis? Dr. Chuck Dinerstein answers these questions while recounting his harrowing experience with prostate cancer.

Social media is awash in testimonials from anonymous men who claim that testosterone-replacement therapy (TRT) helped them beat depression, sexual dysfunction, obesity and other maladies that often impact men as they age. Such compelling endorsements no doubt appeal to others who struggle with these critical health issues, but do they stand up to scientific scrutiny? Let's take a closer look.

Experiencing heartburn? Then consuming an acidic product like apple cider vinegar isn't the solution. The logic is simple: if you've got excess stomach acid, more acid won't help. But up is down in the world of alternative medicine, so let's take a closer look at the bad chemistry behind this "natural" treatment for acid reflux.

A groundbreaking retinal implant, PRIMA, is restoring central vision in patients with geographic atrophy (GA), an advanced form of macular degeneration that blinds roughly 1 million Americans. Unlike drugs that slow progression, this wireless neurostimulation system captures real-world images, projects them onto a subretinal chip, and electrically stimulates surviving retinal cells to mimic natural sight. Are we nearing a paradigm shift in how we treat vision loss?

The trillions of microbes that live in and on the human body—collectively known as the microbiome—appear to have profoundly important effects on our health. This raises a potential concern: some of our most significant public health interventions—vaccines, antibiotics, sanitation—are designed to kill or limit exposure to harmful germs. Have we gone too far in our war against microbial exposure? Let's take a closer look.

How much fiber do you really need to maintain optimal metabolic health? Ferocious partisans on either side of the debate will give you opposing answers, each supported by superficially compelling scientific evidence. But who's actually telling you the truth? It's complicated.