Science &THE IDEAS JOURNAL
Science. Systems. Possibility.
Explore questions across science, from everyday observations to the ideas and methods that help explain them. Clear reading for a curious mind.
Yes, mold exposure can cause a metallic taste in your mouth, but the route is indirect and the evidence is patchy. Mold does not coat your tongue with metal.
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Inside the tools of discovery ↗Mold exposure can contribute to iron deficiency and anemia, but it is not a direct cause in the way blood loss or poor diet is.
Yes, moisturizer can clog pores, but only under specific conditions: a formula containing high concentrations of certain lipids, applied to skin that already has blocked follicles, or layered in amounts that overwhelm the skin's own…
Yes, methamphetamine can enter your system through your skin, but only in tiny amounts under realistic conditions.
Milk can trigger migraines in some people, but it is not a universal cause.
Methamphetamine can trigger a psychosis that mimics schizophrenia so closely that even experienced clinicians struggle to tell them apart, but the drug does not cause schizophrenia itself.
Yes, menopause can cause neuropathy and nerve pain, though it does so indirectly rather than as a direct, universal effect.
Melatonin can modestly lower nighttime blood pressure in some people, particularly those with nocturnal hypertension, but it is not an established antihypertensive therapy.
Yes. Menopause can cause an increased heart rate, and the effect is measurable rather than imagined. Falling estradiol removes a routine brake on the sympathetic nervous system while simultaneously blunting parasympathetic tone.
Yes. Menopause can cause nightmares and vivid dreams, and the mechanism is mostly about sleep fragmentation rather than hormones acting directly on dreams.
Yes, medical assistants can give injections in California, but only under specific conditions.
Yes, some memory loss can be reversed, but only the kind caused by things you can fix.
Yes, massage therapy can be covered by insurance, but only when three conditions line up: a licensed provider, a covered diagnosis, and a plan that recognizes the billing code.
Yes, magnesium can irritate the bladder, but almost never because of magnesium itself acting as a toxin.
Yes, malnutrition can cause low blood pressure, primarily through three routes: depleted blood volume from low protein and salt intake, weakened cardiac muscle from calorie and micronutrient deficiency, and autonomic dysfunction from…
Yes, Lyme disease can cause digestive issues, but usually indirectly.
Can Lyme disease be passed from mother to child? Yes, it can — but only through a specific and narrow route, and not through the mechanisms most people fear.
No, macular degeneration cannot currently be reversed. There is no treatment that restores photoreceptors or retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) that have already been lost to atrophy.
Yes, lupus can cause tachycardia and a rapid heart rate, through several distinct mechanisms that range from immune-driven inflammation of the heart to anemia, fever, thyroid disease, and medication side effects.
Lysine can help prevent cold sores in some people, but it is not a reliable stand-alone preventive.
Yes, lumbar spinal stenosis can cause balance problems, and the link is mechanical rather than mysterious.
Lupus does not cause psoriasis, but the two diseases co-occur more often than chance predicts, and one can trigger or mimic the other.
Low potassium can contribute to erectile dysfunction, but it is rarely the direct cause.
Low ferritin can contribute to weight gain, but not through a single direct mechanism — the effect is indirect and runs through reduced energy expenditure, fatigue-driven inactivity, altered thyroid conversion, and changes in appetite and…
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