Using body mass index (BMI) to assess a patient's health may yield misleading results and undermine public trust in medicine, researchers claim. Lab-grown meat has been heralded as solution to agriculture's environmental footprint, but the technology may not live up to the hype. One anthropologist says he's uncovered evidence suggesting that early humans ate each other. Did our ancestors really engage in cannibalism?

Join geneticist Kevin Folta and GLP contributor Cameron English on episode 195 of Science Facts and Fallacies as they break down these latest news stories:

* Viewpoint: Do doctors rely on BMI too much? Undue focus on weight can lead to patient distrust and delayed care

Doctors and public health officials have used body mass index (BMI) to assess obesity for decades. In recent years, though, BMI has come under fire as an unreliable and unhelpful tool. Some researchers now argue that this single metric doesn't tell physicians very much about their patients' health. Urging overweight individuals to slim down based on BMI may "harm" them emotionally and discourage them from seeking medical care when they need it. Is it time to ditch BMI and replace it with more holistic measurements of health?

* Why sustainably-produced lab-grown meat might be a pipe dream

Is meat more sustainable if it's grown in a lab instead of raised on a farm? While there isn't enough evidence to conclusively answer that question, two other issues could limit the technology's impact on our dietary habits: cost and consumer acceptance. Producing meat in a laboratory is incredibly expensive at present, and many consumers have said they won't give up their traditionally produced steaks and burgers even if those foods could be mass produced without animals. Can the nascent "alternative protein" industry overcome these hurdles?

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* Ancient homo sapiens diets included grains, veggies… and other people? Cannibalism was the norm in early human societies

Although we consider cannibalism unthinkable today, recent anthropological research has uncovered "evidence of butchery, gnawing, filleting, and cooking on human bones at sites around the world," science writer Ross Pomeroy recently reported for BigThink. This data invites an uncomfortable question: did early humans eat each other?

Kevin M. Folta is a professor, keynote speaker and podcast host. Follow Professor Folta on Twitter