A new Atlantic article argues that the 12-step addiction treatment programs popularized by Alcoholics Anonymous are not based on science, but Tabitha M. Powledge suggests that there's more to the story, and that solid evidence is lacking in any case: "We are, we are being told, entering the age of Personalized Medicine. Surely time to lay out the smorgasbord of addiction therapies with attached price tags and data on what works." Also, does breastfeeding raise IQs?
Science blogs
Apple's new wearable devices dominated the tech news last week, and Tabitha M. Powledge writes about medical privacy issues that may result from their widespread use: "Apple proclaims proudly that it will not see your data, but keeping data anonymous will also be a challenge for the research projects that receive it." Also, the New York Times flubs a story on the health effects of non-ionizing radiation from wearable devices and cell phones, and the experts open fire.
The upcoming centennial of Einstein’s paper sends Tabitha M. Powledge in search of a primer on general relativity. Also, does the reported discovery of hydrothermal vents on Enceladus mean that there could be life on one of Saturn's moons? And a new paper in PLOS Medicine asserts that, just as the tobacco industry spent decades covering up the health effects of smoking, so has Big Sugar influenced the National Institutes of Health on the role of sugar in tooth decay.
Tabitha M. Powledge finds a larger truth in the viral debate about that notorious gold-and-white (or blue-and-black, or whatever) dress: "I have now read dozens of posts, tweets, etc about this topic, and am astonished that nobody, absolutely nobody, has so far seemed to notice this: Whatever its color, this is a truly ugly, tacky, frightful dress." Also, why Leonard Nimoy's Mr. Spock "was, apparently, an inspiration for many budding scientists (and science writers.)"
Tabitha M. Powledge takes a critical look at the science behind the new nutrition recommendations from the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (dietary cholesterol and coffee are OK, but meat and sugar are bad): "The committee may have done its homework in the literature, but there have been serious questions about the quality of nutrition science for a long time. A central problem is that nearly all of it is based on what people tell researchers about what they eat."
This week's publication of two dozen epigenetics papers provides a good look at where the field stands, Tabitha M. Powledge writes: "The study of epigenetics is about how nurture shapes nature. It seeks to explain how the environment turns genes off and on in particular cells at particular times." Also, the ethics of robot-driven cars: "If an accident is inevitable, should a robocar kill its passengers or a schoolbus full of kids?" And Mars One — is it just reality TV?
The National Academy of Sciences has two new reports on proposals to combat climate change, and Tabitha M. Powledge says that the idea isn't winning much support: "Some reject geoengineering after thoughtful consideration, and others reject it for being, as one of the report authors said at Slate, 'wildly, utterly, howlingly barking mad.'" Also, a proposal to rebrand chronic fatigue syndrome, and a nevermind (maybe) on those allegedly counterfeit herbal supplements.
The European Space Agency has now officially walked back last March's claim that the BICEP2 telescope had found evidence of the universe's early, rapid expansion, but Tabitha M. Powledge warns against making too much of that news: "It is crucial, essential, mandatory to understand that the new analysis does NOT show that the inflation idea is wrong, despite some headlines to that effect. Only that the BICEP2 data didn’t prove it. Inflation theory is still alive and well."
Tabitha M. Powledge discusses coverage of two papers on genetic recoding, a technique that moves beyond modifying the genome and into creating entirely new organisms: "The technique’s virtues have been demonstrated so far only in the lab. But there are giddy speculations about the potential for oil-spill cleanup microbes that could be dismissed from the planet the moment their work was done." Also, what the Disneyland outbreak means for the anti-vaccine movement.
In his State of the Union speech, the president touted a "Precision Medicine Initiative," and Tabitha M. Powledge joins other bloggers in wondering what he meant: "Maybe he was talking about what is usually called personalized medicine, with diagnosis and treatment based on a patient’s genetic makeup?" If so, she writes, "Obama’s use of 'precision' rather than 'personalized' signals a decision by somebody somewhere that 'precision medicine' is now the official label."