Geoffrey Kabat
RFK, Jr. and the Trump administration’s political purge of scientists echoes the darkest days of the McCarthy period
Something sinister and yet vaguely familiar has been happening in American public health policy. This week’s federal court decision reversing ...
Viewpoint: Toxic politics and the culture wars—MIT’s ‘Undark’ caves to the MAHA—RFK, Jr.—predatort lobby
Few issues reveal the corrosion of scientific reasoning in contemporary politics more clearly than the escalating fight over the alleged ...
Viewpoint: Environmental toxin hysteria—MIT’s Undark embarrasses with hysteria-driven story aligning itself with false claims that ‘environmental toxins’ (whatever that means) are crippling our health
MIT’s Undark magazine describes itself as a publication that “will explore science … as a frequently wondrous, sometimes contentious, and occasionally troubling byproduct of ...
Viewpoint: Why do some global cancer research agencies claim that using a cell phone (like drinking Diet Coke with aspartame) poses a cancer risk?
Although some people argue that cell phone usage contributes to rising brain cancer rates, analysis of the data shows no ...
Viewpoint: Science be damned—RFK, Jr. has his mind made up about the causes of autism
In the seven months since he was sworn in as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), ...
From dyslexia to distinction: Remembering Dr. Beryl Benacerraf — a pioneer who transformed prenatal and gynecologic care
When, in 2022, I came across the obituary of Dr. Beryl Benacerraf, I was reminded of her father’s connection with ...
On zombie health risks: RFK Jr.’s crusade against cell phones and vaccines
Are cell phones and our Wi-Fi based system threats to our health? Do they cause cancer and other health disorders? ...
Are chemicals causing a decline in fertility in men? Here’s how ideology corrupts evidence-based science
Attempts to make science conform to ideology have enjoyed a long and dispiriting history. For many centuries, religion was the ...
Viewpoint: ‘We are witnessing a full-scale assault on science in the U.S’. That will be RFK, Jr.’s legacy
Back in January, during the second day of confirmation hearings for secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy ...
Viewpoint: Concerned whether pesticides in the environment are safe? Listen to hands-on experts, not ideologues
Few environmental issues are more controversial than the potential danger of pesticides used to tame weeds and disease in crops ...
Viewpoint—Undermining science: RFK, Jr.’s war on expertise
During the Senate confirmation hearings earlier this year, it became clear that the man nominated by Donald Trump to become ...
Much of what we’ve been told about secondhand smoke is wrong
In 2003, UCLA epidemiologist James Enstrom and I published a study of environmental tobacco smoke (ETS)—also called "secondhand smoke" or "passive ...
Viewpoint: Should you be concerned when you read that a chemical in your food has been linked to cancer? Here’s an epidemiologist’s checklist to detect over-hyped scares
During the outbreak of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, epidemiology ha assumed an outsized role in the public consciousness. It was pervasive ...
Groundbreaking pineapple-flavored spray vaccine could prevent urinary tract infections for up to 9 years
A breakthrough almost decade-long study of a spray vaccine offers promise for billions of women who suffer from urinary tract ...
Viewpoint: ‘Heavy’ pesticide exposure linked to cardiovascular disease? Flawed study raises ‘troubling’ questions about public health research
What do the results really show? ...
Viewpoint: Big Tech-Federal government conspiracy or sound science? A government agency just canceled its $30 million dollar study designed to tell us whether cell phones can cause cancer
Since the introduction of cell phones en masse in the 1990s, a small but vociferous faction of health advocates has ...
Can coffee drinking prevent COVID infection?
Coffee has undergone a dramatic rehabilitation since it was designated as a “possible” bladder carcinogen by the International Agency for ...
Twitter/X’s race to the disinformation bottom: Are we losing a valuable forum for rational discussion?
While many users are fleeing Twitter/X in disgust at the turn it has taken toward encouraging the spread of conspiracy ...
Unraveling the mystery of who gets lung cancer and why
Why do some heavy smokers never get lung cancer? And why do some people who never smoke get lung cancer? ...
Viewpoint: ‘Health impact of chemicals doubled in last 5 years’? Media misreporting flawed studies misleads the public
“Plastics and pesticides: Health impacts of synthetic chemicals in US products doubled in last 5 years, study finds," a July ...
Crucial misrepresentations about glyphosate continue to threaten agriculture. This scientist explains how the UN agency IARC likely manipulated the data
Glyphosate, the active ingredient in the weedkiller Roundup, was introduced over forty-five years ago and is the most widely used ...
The Guardian and Carey Gillam join long list of activists who misrepresent the science of glyphosate and exaggerate the risk of pesticides
Within hours after journalist Carey Gillam’s article in The Guardian reported that the US Centers for Disease Control had found ...
Remembering Auschwitz and the 1.1 million people who died there
The Nazi concentration camp system still remains a unicum, both in its extent and its quality. At no other place ...
Podcast: Bad science in the headlines—Epidemiologist Geoffrey Kabat explains how to spot flawed research on Google News
A just-published study found that consuming two or more sugar-sweetened beverages in a day is linked to a doubling of ...
Viewpoint: Advocacy disguised as journalism? Meet Carey Gillam, the prolific purveyor of crop biotechnology and agri-chemical disinformation
When it comes to science, how much do media narratives influence public opinion and policy? The answer is, a lot ...
Viewpoint: Will 5G harm you? Activist groups succeed in stirring conspiracy health risk phobias, as New York State legislature prepares to debate ‘growing evidence’ of harm
Two bills were recently introduced in the New York State legislature (in the Assembly and in the Senate) to establish ...
Glyphosate on trial: In an ‘unequal contest’ between science and emotion, can evidence overcome pesticide-cancer fears?
Recently, I was asked to speak about the weedkiller glyphosate on Radio Colombia. As is often the case with media ...
Viewpoint: New York Times’ Nicholas Kristof echoes scientifically dubious fears about falling sperm counts and ‘endocrine disrupting’ chemicals
The New York Times' Nicholas Kristof has shown an admirable commitment over the years towards highlighting under-reported stories. He fights ...
