I have to admit, it hurts me a little–ok A LOT–to write this piece. I’ve probably done a bit more research than was needed because I was hesitant to come to the realization that I’ve lost respect for one of my favorite athletes. This feeling doesn’t take away 4 championships from a franchise with arguably the best NFL coach of all time, but it does still hurt.
Because Tom Brady may just be the newest poster child for pseudoscience. What an idiot.
The little pink pill is here! So what’s with the negative media?
Recently, Sprout Pharmaceuticals attained approval from the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) to sell their female sexual dysfunction drug Flibanserin–to be marketed as Addyi.
It’s that time of year again. The sequences are in, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have made their recommendations, and the vaccine has been prepared. As an immunologist, I’m sad to say that I know far too many people who decide to forgo their flu shots each year. When I ask why, I’ve gotten a variety of answers including:
“I never get the flu”
“I once got flu from the shot”
“The flu shot never works, it’s just a guess”
And my all-time favorite:
“My body is stronger than the flu”
I’d like to set the record straight since each of these statements is ultimately and ridiculously flawed.
Continue reading For the sake of my (soon-to-arrive) baby niece, go get your flu shot
So, we’ve all seen this stupid dress. It’s beaten us over the head with the white & gold or blue & black debate that I won’t belabor anymore now, we’re over it. But the truth is, this was a great optical illusion, probably the best I’ve ever encountered. Unlike all of the colored circles and squares, lines and zig zags that make up most of the illusions out there, this is a dress. It’s something that someone could wear out on the town. How often have you turned to a girlfriend and remarked, “wow, I really love that white & gold dress,” just to be rebuffed, “thanks, but it’s black & blue”? Could we really interpret colors differently out in the real world?
Continue reading Your brain is messing with your mind, or is it the other way around?
For many years, we’ve known that measles virus infection messes with your immune system. During infection, you are at greater risk of infections caused by other pathogens because measles thwarts the proper immune attack. At the same time, your body makes a long-lasting response to the measles virus. This is often known as the “measles paradox”.
While I agree with Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) that there is an irresponsible lack of accountability amongst the leadership of the U.S. and that government spending requires much more oversight, Coburn goes way too far to single out and discredit scientific studies in his 5th annual Wastebook.
Recently, a letter written in 1988 by beloved British children’s lit author Roald Dahl resurfaced. The letter was written on behalf of his deceased daughter Olivia, who caught measles and died in 1962 at the all-too young age of 7. Prior to the development of the measles vaccine, this was a horrifyingly common occurrence. In his letter, Dahl recounts the last day of Olivia’s life and pleads parents to vaccinate their children.
“In my opinion parents who now refuse to have their children immunised are putting the lives of those children at risk.”
-Roald Dahl’s 1988 letter
Measles is a highly contagious viral infection that starts somewhat innocuously as a flu-like disease before exploding into an itchy rash that can spread all over the body. Measles is particularly dangerous when the virus infects the lungs and progresses to pneumonia or infects the brain and causes inflammation leading to seizures and brain damage. This brain infection is what ended poor Olivia Dahl’s life all those years ago. And although Roald Dahl recognized that the vaccine was not available in time to save his eldest daughter, he was conscious of the well-being of his other children and all the kids all over the world that are captivated by his fantasy worlds in books.
“Are you feeling all right?” I asked her.
“I feel all sleepy,” she said.
In an hour, she was unconscious. In twelve hours she was dead.
-Roald Dahl’s 1988 letter
Continue reading Matilda, James, & Charlie would have been vaccinated
It has recently come to my attention that a lot of people out there are reading (or re-reading) Richard Preston’s The Hot Zone as a reference because of the current Ebola outbreak. I was shocked to hear this because I remember swiftly flipping the pages of this enthralling novel in high school. Yes, you read that correctly, novel. I thank my Twitter acquaintances (and science writer idols) Seth Mnookin (@sethmnookin), Maryn McKenna (@marynmck), Ed Yong (@edyong209), and Vincent Racaniello (@profvrr) for bringing a horrifying truth to my reality, The Hot Zone is classified, distributed, and sold as a nonfiction book!
With headlines like these:
There has been a resurgence of fright over the Ebola epidemic on social media. So, is it now time to panic?
Continue reading OK, Ebola is here. So now is it time to panic?
In the 1980’s Thomas Dolby sang and synthesized:
It’s poetry in motion
She turned her tender eyes to me
As deep as any ocean
As sweet as any harmony
Mmm – but she blinded me with science
“She blinded me with science!”
First, the metaphor of an intelligent woman “blinding” (confusing) a man with “science” (technical jargon) is both humorous and accurate. Unfortunately, scientists have not made much progress in the last 30+ years to bridge the chasm that exists between us and the general public. Of course, this song could be a topic for an entire post, but I bring up this classic 80’s tune because it appears that many people are often “blinded” not by true scientific research, but what they think is science.