Food for Thought

  1. Health & Medicine

    Gardeners’ Friend Causes a Stink

    An invasive ladybug species is contributing a bad taste to wines made from infested grapes.

    By Janet Raloff
  2. Health & Medicine

    Diet for a Noisy Planet

    Oral doses of a combination of certain antioxidants and magnesium can significantly limit the risk of noise-induced hearing loss, an animal study finds.

    By Janet Raloff
  3. Health & Medicine

    Cinnamon and Diabetes—Disease Type Appears to Matter

    Cinnamon isn't the answer for teens with the autoimmune form of diabetes.

    By Janet Raloff
  4. Health & Medicine

    Crusty Chemistry

    Chemists report simple ways to tweak the recipe and make a whole wheat pizza crust potentially healthier.

    By Janet Raloff
  5. Health & Medicine

    Planting the Seeds for Folate Enrichment

    Florida scientists have engineered tomatoes with 20 times the ordinary amount of folate, making them the most concentrated source of this important vitamin ever measured.

    By Janet Raloff
  6. Humans

    Marlin Crash May Be Worse Than Reported

    A newly identified species of billfish resembles white marlins so closely that its presence might be masking how decimated Atlantic stocks of the marlin really are.

    By Janet Raloff
  7. Health & Medicine

    Of Bamboo and French Fries

    A bamboo extract can limit the formation of a carcinogen in baked and fried foods.

    By Janet Raloff
  8. Health & Medicine

    Don’t Push Babies’ Growth

    Overfeeding low-birthweight infants risks programming them for high blood pressure later in life.

    By Janet Raloff
  9. Health & Medicine

    A Trans Fat Substitute Might Have Health Risks Too

    A controversial trial of a chemically modified fat called an interesterified fat suggests that it is more harmful than is a partially hydrogenated vegetable oil.

    By Ben Harder
  10. Agriculture

    Ethanol Juggernaut Diverts Corn from Food to Fuel

    Corn feeds the production of meat and dairy goods in the United States, so those products are likely to increase in price as ethanol fuel demands more of the country's corn supply.

    By Janet Raloff
  11. Health & Medicine

    Cider May Be Healthier Than Clear Apple Juice

    Apple juice might be a way to keep the doctor away, but a glass of cider appears to be even better.

    By Patrick Barry
  12. Health & Medicine

    Salmon Safety

    Scientific advice on the subject of how much salmon it is safe to eat has been confusing.

    By Julie Rehmeyer