Samantha Bonar

California lawmakers are considering a bill this week that would tax sugary drinks to the tune of one cent per fluid ounce. That would add 12 cents to your typical can of Coke -- but not Diet Coke. It would also affect the price of sweet tea, but not tea......

Do termites know something we don't? Bioengineers suggest that wood could be the answer to the world's hunger problems, ScienceNOW reports. Cellulose, the main ingredient in wood, is one of the most abundant organic compounds on Earth. Scientists in Virginia have discovered a way to turn cellulose into starch, the......

Nearly half of U.S. meat is contaminated with "superbugs"--antibiotic-resistant bacteria--according to an Environmental Working Group analysis of recently released government tests. Medical News Today reported the findings. The "dirtiest" meat is ground turkey, 81 percent of which contained the dangerous microbes. In addition, 55 percent of ground beef and 39......

Researchers have found unacceptably high levels of lead in rice imported into the U.S., particularly from China and Taiwan, BBC News reports. Some samples exceeded the "provisional total tolerable intake" (PTTI) set by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) by a factor of 120......

On Meatless Monday, here's another reason to make yourself a nice soyrizo burrito: A new study shows that red meat makes bacteria that can lead to heart disease proliferate in your gut. The study, published in the journal Nature Medicine on April 7, showed that a substance in red meat......

Ten million pounds of frozen pizza and other snacks have been recalled due to contamination with a rare strain of E. coli, according to the Food and Drug Administration. Buffalo, N.Y.-based Rich Products Corp. is recalling all items produced by at its Waycross, Ga. plant with "Best By" dates ranging......

Pizza Hut's executive chef Wiley Bates III has come up with a veritable Frankenpizza, a deformed creation consisting of the company's traditional pan pizza with 16 U-shaped wading pools of melted cheese affixed to the crust (two for each slice). The Crazy Cheesy Crust pizza debuted nationwide yesterday at $12.99......

Eating fish could reduce your risk of dying by more than 25%, according to a new study from the Harvard School of Public Health and the University of Washington. Scientists found that older adults with the highest levels of fatty acids found in fish lived 2.2 years longer on average......

If, like any good Episcopalian, you feel that you should enjoy hot cross buns but, like many of us, you nonetheless loathe the yeasty rolls with their bitter bits of candied citrus peel, chef Minh Phan of Hollywood's Beachwood Cafe may have a solution for you. She replaces the citrus......

Wondering what's really in those meatballs? German scientists have come up with a way to determine the precise quantities of plant, animal and microbial substances in foods using DNA analysis. The technique could prove beneficial for people with food allergies, to test for pathogens in foodborne-illness outbreaks, and to discover......