Controversies
Chronic Denial
A debunked theory about chronic fatigue syndrome is being recycled to explain Long Covid—with troubling results.
Care, Not Controversy
Long before today’s battles, doctors and families quietly developed ways to support trans youth through gender-affirming care. The practice remains effective, and more important than ever.
By Ian D. Wolfe, PhD,
Care, Not Controversy
Long before today’s battles, doctors and families quietly developed ways to support trans youth through gender-affirming care. The practice remains effective, and more important than ever.
By Ian D. Wolfe, PhD,
Conspiracies
The Worst Story Ever Told
From claims that Jews kill children to make matzo, to accusations that immigrants in Ohio are devouring neighbors’ pets, the myth of the blood libel is a nightmare that never ends.
By Ákos Szegőfi
Culture
A Critical Deficit
Flawed thinking can lead us into a lifetime of pointless arguments and bad decisions. Fixing the problem won't be easy — but we know how to do it.
By Frederic Bertley
Controversies
Beyond Anthropomorphism
We need a new language to describe the reality that animals love, grieve, and fear.
By Ula Chrobak
Q&A
Science Without the BS
The public deserves honesty and respect. Scientists need to do a better job delivering, says Frederic Bertley, president of the COSI Science Center.
By Corey S. Powell
Podcast and Q&A
Kristin Pauker: The Fight for Fairness
Everyone is biased, she says; it's built into the way we experience the world. But that doesn't mean that we are slaves to our instincts.
By Corey S. Powell
PART OF A SERIES SUPPORTED BY THE PULITZER CENTER
The Processed Food Fight
Some researchers are targeting artificial foods as a leading public health problem. As with so many dietary issues, though, the evidence tells a more nuanced tale.
By Amos Zeeberg
Podcast and Q&A
Simón(e) Sun and Florence Ashley: Tactics of Misinformation
Rhetorical tricks and strategic deceptions are once again being used to skew science against marginalized groups.
By Corey S. Powell
PART OF A SERIES SUPPORTED BY THE PULITZER CENTER
Polluted Minds
Airborne toxins can increase our risk for cognitive disability and disease. The science of exposomics is helping to identify effective responses.
By Sherry Baker
Podcast and Q&A
David Dunning: Overcoming Overconfidence
Dunning, co-discoverer of the Dunning-Kruger effect, investigates the misinformation gap built into our brains: We don't know what we don't know.
By Corey S. Powell
Podcast and Q&A
Rosalind Wright: Mapping the Exposome
New research shows how environmental exposures accumulated throughout life could explain subtle cognitive deficits and profound neurological disease.
By Corey S. Powell
Podcast and Q&A
D. Watkins and Nia Johnson: Not Just Surviving, but Thriving
There's often a vast chasm between people's moral aspirations and the things they need to do just to survive in a brutal world.
By Corey S. Powell
Podcast and Q&A
Thomas Plante: The Mental Healthcare Crisis
Plante, a psychologist and ethicist, weighs in the pros and cons of chatbots. Can AI fill in for a shortage of human therapists?