“You have cancer.” It’s a phrase that comes as a shock, then is quickly followed by a whirlwind of decisions that somehow feel fast and slow at the same time.…
Category: Anthropology
I’m a Philly forensic psychologist who has conducted dozens of psychopathic evaluations – here’s why an evaluation of R.C. Horsch in the ‘80s didn’t identify him as a possible psychopath
Seven missing women have been linked to the house that was shared by 44-year-old Eugene Horsch and his late father, Raymond “R.C.” Horsch, in the Olney section of Philadelphia. With…
Many vapes and e-cigarettes are now banned in Pennsylvania – here’s what Philly consumers and businesses need to know
Many popular nicotine vapes are now banned in Pennsylvania, with only six companies approved to sell their products in the state after a legal ban went into effect on Oct.…
The science and politics behind the panic over ultraprocessed foods
Ultraprocessed foods have a terrible reputation. Studies have linked them with multiple chronic diseases. Journalists and health influencers characterize them as poison. Some public health experts call for a global…
Treating depression during pregnancy may benefit baby’s brain development – new research
Treating pregnant women’s depression with a short course of talk therapy doesn’t just improve their health – it can also shape how their babies’ brains develop before birth. That’s the…
Pennsylvania’s aging prisons weren’t built for today’s extreme weather – leaving women and seniors especially at risk of illness and death
When outdoor temperatures spike to 103 degrees Fahrenheit (39 degrees Celsius), or drop to -9 F (-23 C), like they did across Pennsylvania last year, people locked up in jails…
Can social media bans protect young people’s mental health? Early research suggests that bans aren’t the answer
The year 2026 has been an expensive one for social media platforms. Since March, YouTube and Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, have settled or paid out in…
Ketamine’s role in alleged Cornell rape highlights flood of psychoactive drugs on campus
Former Cornell student Jane Doe, who filed a civil lawsuit in September 2026 alleging that seven fraternity members raped her at a party, said the young men who assaulted her…
Cystic fibrosis patients got their ‘miracle drug’ thanks to federal research funding – new Trump administration rules may cut future miracles short
The hardest disease to care for when I was training as a pediatrician in the late 1970s was cystic fibrosis, a disease in which abnormally thick mucus secretions block the…
I’m a pediatrician and a mom
Four words that parents in the classroom group chat dread to read: ‘My kid has lice.’ Head lice (Pediculus humanus capitis) are parasites that primarily infest children in childcare, preschool…
