Tracking COVID-19 Using Poo…
We can now accurately predict COVID-19 outbreaks before they happen. Not by tracking people - but by tracking sewage.
The Microbiology of Brexit
'UK food safety standards are in jeopardy if we accept US imports of meat and chlorinated chicken'. The press and politicians say it's bad. But is it?
The Microbiology of Biblical Plagues
Apparently God sent ten plagues to pressure Pharoah into releasing the Israelites. Assuming it ever happened, might there be a biological explanation?
What Really Killed Elvis?
Legend has it The King died on the shitter with a cheeseburger in one hand and a syringe in the other. But what killed him? New research might surprise you...
Is Organic Beef “50% Healthier”?
Another deeply-flawed paper reported uncritically by the media. Conflicts of interest, P-hacking, flawed logic... Spoiler Alert: 50% healthier? Bullshit.
Zika, Conspiracies and Churches
That echo chamber for bullshit called the Internet is generating so much Utter, Utter Bollocks (μ²B) about the Zika virus that I'm having trouble keeping up with it all.
Antibiotic Apocalypse. Again.
Bacteria resistant to Colistin, an antibiotic of ‘last resort’ is not the best news - but more worrying is that this drug had to be wheeled out of retirement.
Bishops Demand Paralysis for Kenyan Children
Those crazy Kenyan bishops did their best to keep tetanus endemic and causing 100,000+ deaths a year - now they're bringing polio back...
Diet Coke Debunk
The Daily Mail yet again fearlessly exposes another health risk. Not. They've reprinted a meme going around the Intertubes authored by the self-styled 'Renegade Pharmacist' and taken it to a whole new
German Squirrels More Lethal Than Bird Flu?
According to Stewart Winter of the Daily Express avian flu has 'jumped the species barrier'. But what he's missed is a deadly new virus spread by squadrons of rare squirrels. Rare Mexican squirrels
God Hates Lactobacillus-Licking Lesbians
Pious prudes go apeshit over a yoghurt ad and assume marriage equality means they will all be forced to marry a gay person...
Do Wet Wipes Spread Germs?
Well, they certainly do in the National Health Service in England! There has been significant coverage recently of some new research suggesting "Wet wipes could be spreading bacteria in homes and
Aspartame. Again. Again.
Crikey. Hot on the heels of the last post the Food Standards Agency has just published the results of a randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind crossover study (the gold standard) showing that