Acupuncture, herbal remedies, homeopathy, and energy medicine are practices widely dismissed by the mainstream medical establishment as lacking any scientific backing. And yet, many of us know someone with a story of a dramatic recovery attributed to such alternative practices. Former New York Times reporter Melanie Warner looked into this in her new book The Magic Feather Effect: The Science of Alternative Medicine and the Surprising Power of Belief .

A pocket of arctic air rolled down over Canada and the Midwest this past week and brought record cold temperatures as low as the -50s. Schools were closed, mail delivery was suspended, and several deaths were linked to the cold. President Trump quipped on Twitter that he wanted global warming to “come back fast,” suggesting as he has before, that the cold weather proves climate change isn’t happening. But that’s far from the truth.

In the final hours of 2018, the Massachusetts legislature passed a law banning the use of 11 flame retardants in furniture, mattresses, carpeting, electronic equipment, and more.

Super Bowl Sunday is the second biggest eating day of the year, topped only by Thanksgiving. According to the National Chicken Council, Americans eat more than 1.3 billion chicken wings. The rest of the menu tends to be similarly loaded with fats and carbs. And there’s a reason for that. “These are foods that make us feel good, neurobiologically. Our brain actually responds like something really fantastic is happening when we taste sweet and when we taste fat,” explained neuroscientist Rachel

This week on Living Lab Radio: Rachel Herz, author of Why You Eat What You Eat , explains why Super Bowl party menus are so loaded with fat and carbs, and shares tips for more mindful eating. Jennifer Francis of Woods Hole Research Center connects the dots between extreme warming in the Arctic and extreme cold in the Midwest. Kate Hoffman of Duke University lays out the evidence that flame retardants targeted by a proposed ban in the state of Massachusetts could be harmful to human health.

Congress and the president reached a deal on Friday to re-open the government for three weeks while they continue negotiations on how best to secure the nation’s southern border.

Earlier this month, a young sei whale washed up on a North Carolina beach with an empty stomach and a plastic bag caught in its throat. Last November, a dead sperm whale in Indonesia made international headlines when more than thirteen pounds of plastic were found in its stomach.

The buildup of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is warming the oceans, and the waters off New England’s coast are seeing some of the most dramatic temperature increases of anywhere in the world. And that is having a major effect on lobster populations and the fishermen who rely on them.

Phosphorus celebrates its 350th birthday this year. Well, the element has been along for far longer than that. But it was discovered 350 years ago by an alchemist searching for the elixir of life.

You’ve heard for Black Friday, but what about Blue Monday? In addition to being Martin Luther King day, the third Monday is January is known to some as the saddest day of the year. But why? And what can we do to combat it?