Smoking

The 6 trillion cigarettes produced every year generate over 1.2 million tonnes of toxic butt litter in the environment. Now, researchers at RMIT University in Australia have found a new way to safely dispose of cigarette butts: seal them up inside roads and paths.

​A new study has found the vapor from electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes, can cause as much DNA damage as smoke from tobacco cigarettes. The results surprised researchers, who concluded that e-cigarettes are "potentially as harmful as tobacco cigarettes."

For years researchers have noted an unusual association between smoking and schizophrenia. New research may have finally solved the mystery while also paving the way for the development of new, more targeted treatments for several mental health conditions.

Organs-on-chips allow the study of drugs and diseases without testing on animals or humans. Now a team at Harvard has designed a device that smokes cigarettes and sends the smoke through a lung-on-a-chip, to examine just how the habit damages health.

A new study suggests that belief about nicotine content in cigarettes can influence cravings and brain activity in chronic smokers.

What if we could get rid of cigarette butt litter by using them to make bricks? A team at RMIT University in Australia tried the idea out and found that not only could it reduce toxic waste, but also makes for better bricks.

The health benefits of quitting smoking are huge, but actually doing so can be extremely difficult. Recently, scientists have been working to develop vaccines to help people in the effort, and it's looking fairly promising, with a new treatment proving effective in tests on laboratory mice.

Researchers have uncovered an enzyme found in nature they say could greatly improve on the effectiveness of smoking cessation aids by devouring nicotine in smokers before it can deliver its "reward" to the brain.

San Francisco-based startup Urchin Sky equips a simple throwing knife with more than 20 different functions in the form of its Kniper multi-tool. The Kniper combines typical multi-tool elements like wrenches and drivers with not-so-typical inclusions like a tobacco pipe and fork.

There are a growing number of e-cigs with temperature control functionality, allowing a fool-proof way to avoid either the overheating of Propylene Glycol (PG) and Glycerine (VG), or a "dry puff", where the wick becomes too dry to produce vapor, and simply burns instead.

Many people assume e-cigarettes are a healthier – or less unhealthy – option than regular cigarettes. While the long-term effects of e-cigarettes are still unknown, research out of Johns Hopkins University has found that e-cigs may deliver a false sense of security along with their nicotine hit.

If you're a smoker who's trying to quit, you may recall hearing about vaccines designed to cause the body's immune system to treat nicotine like a foreign invader. Scientists at the Scripps Institute are claiming that their vaccine should work better, by being more selective in what it targets.