Christopher Wanjek is a Baltimore-based science writer. His most recent book is Inside the Star Factory: The Creation of the James Webb Space Telescope, NASA's Largest and Most Powerful Space Observatory (MIT Press, 2023).
The Mars Sample Return Mission Is at a Dangerous Crossroads
Mars Sample Return has always been an expensive, high-risk, high-reward project. But now, with realization of the mission’s actual cost and expanding timeline, Congress must commit to fully supporting the effort or risk tanking the rest of NASA’s planetary science program
Sleep Shrinks the Brain--and That's a Good Thing
Without a nighttime reset, synapses could burn out like an outlet with too many appliances plugged in
Rage Disorder Linked with Parasite Found in Cat Feces
Toxoplasmosis may alter brain chemistry in people exhibiting bouts of explosive anger
A Little Bit of Walking Can Add up to Improve Your Health
Walking an extra two minutes per hour can actually make a difference, a new study suggests
Inflammatory Bowel Disease Transmitted by Maternal Bacteria
A study finds that a mother mouse can pass along susceptibility to intestinal disorders via birthing, breast-feeding and affection
Mysterious Childhood Disease Spread by Dust Storms
Winds from Chinese farmlands can carry a fungus that causes Kawasaki disease all the way to Japan, Hawaii and California
Your Liver May Be "Eating" Your Brain
New research shows the liver and hippocampus (the memory center in the brain) share a craving for the same protein, and the liver wins out when there's extra belly fat involved
Doctors Detect Obesity Bug on Breath
Certain gas-emitting microbes in our intestinal tract might determine our propensity for packing on pounds, leading to the presence of methane or hydrogen on one's breath
Reality Check: 5 Risks of a Raw Vegan Diet
Misconceptions of the philosophy of the raw vegan diet include the claim that raw foods are detoxifying and contain more "life energy"
CDC Recommends Booster Shots for Whooping Cough Outbreak
The disease isn't deadly for most U.S. adults, but, if infected, you could transmit the disease to someone more vulnerable
Grapefruit Juice Improves Cancer Medication
Patients drinking grapefruit juice needed only about about a third as much sirolimus to achieve optimal cancer-fighting levels of the drug
When Dieting, Not All Calories Are Created Equal
A low-glycemic-index diet is better than a low-fat or Atkins diet in terms of improving metabolism and reducing the risk of various chronic diseases
Deadly Alcohol Needs Global Regulation, Health Expert Says
Existing WHO recommendations on ads, pricing and driving laws could serve as the framework for a new international convention on alcohol regulation, yet even the U.S. would struggle to meet some of them
Casual Marijuana Smoking Not Harmful to Lungs
Before you start lighting up, do remember you have other body parts. The long-term effects of main active chemical in marijuana, THC, are uncertain
D'oh! Top Science Journal Retractions of 2011
Each year hundreds of peer-reviewed scientific articles are retracted. Most involve no blatant malfeasance; the authors themselves often detect errors and retract the paper. Some retractions, however, entail plagiarism, false authorship or cooked data
U.S. Bests Canada in Lowering Child Flu Rates
A change in the U.S. flu shot policy for preschoolers has led to a 34 percent decline in flu cases for children ages two to four compared with their Canadian counterparts