
Did Mayor Mike Bloomberg Make New Yorkers Healthier?
With 12 years of data, statisticians weigh in on Hizzoner’s legacy

Did Mayor Mike Bloomberg Make New Yorkers Healthier?
With 12 years of data, statisticians weigh in on Hizzoner’s legacy

The Potential of LSD, Heroin, Marijuana and Other Controlled Substances in Brain Research
Imagine being an astronomer in a world where the telescope was banned. This effectively happened in the 1600s when, for over 100 years, the Catholic Church prohibited access to knowledge of the heavens in a vain attempt to stop scientists proving that the earth was not the center of the universe. ‘Surely similar censorship could [...]


A New Scientific American eBook, Understanding Addiction, Examines the Multifaceted Issue of Substance Abuse
Many former substance abusers or addicts will likely tell you that beating their addiction was the hardest thing they’ve ever done. With more research pointing to the genetic underpinnings of diseases such as alcoholism, and with more treatments aimed at the physiology—rather than psychology—of addiction, the road to sobriety could someday be less frustrating.

Do Electronic Cigarettes Really Help Smokers Quit?
The results of the first trials on the efficacy of e-cigarettes are due this year, offering new hope for a stubborn addiction

Record Numbers of Teens Think Marijuana Is Harmless
A majority of teens see marijuana as risk-free

Synthetic Marijuana Harms Kidneys of 16 Users, CDC Reports
Hallucinations, heart problems and seizures also tied to illegal drug

Brain Circuitry behind Cigarette Cravings Revealed
Applying a weak electric current to a particular region of a smoker’s brain could curb nicotine cravings

Dry Ice "Smoke" Carves Up Sand Dunes on Mars
Springtime thawing of frozen carbon dioxide creates wandering patterns of grooves in the region's sand dunes, showing that Mars's topography is still changing despite its apparent lack of surface water and volcanoes

Pot Smokers Might Not Turn into Dopes after All
Revisiting data casts doubt on the link between heavy cannabis use and declining IQ

How to Gain or Lose 30 Minutes of Life Every Day
Consequences of good and bad health habits are boiled down to 30-minute slices of your life

Dangerous Optimism: Risk, Bias and Smoking
Trails of acrid grey mist hang in the air. I use the front of my shirt as an impromptu gas mask as I cough out my drink order to the bartender.

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