Science
The Case for Mars
Jun/28/10 00:00
As I’ve posted before, I really enjoy the auto-tuned videos from the Symphony of Science. Space exploration is something that grabs the imagination of everyone, including young children, who are inspired to study science. I wish this was our goal for our planet. Read More...
The Poetry of Reality (An Anthem for Science)
Mar/16/10 11:45
As I’ve posted before, I really enjoy the auto-tuned videos from the Symphony of Science. Here’s a new one that includes all of my favorite scientists during my generation in science.
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Science, lies, and stolen emails
Dec/04/09 01:19
As this is a blog about medicine, I haven’t written much about global warming. Moreover, until a few months ago, I was a bit of a skeptic about the science behind global warming. My skepticism was centered on a few key points that I didn’t feel had been adequately addressed:
Of course, my feelings on global warming would demolish my bona fides to be skeptical about alternative medicine and other pseudoscience. However, I thought the true global warming deniers (and even more so, those who deny the human cause of global warming) were true pseudoscientists, so I decided to study it myself, learning as much as I could about the subject. As I did, my skepticism faded. I found out that the Medieval Warm Period wasn’t as warm as I presumed, and that there is little global evidence that it was actually warmer then compared to today. In fact, regional differences in temperature can be large. I guess it goes back to correlation vs. causation. I was being pseudoscientific in my early thinking about global warming.
Actually, my discomfort with the much of what I was hearing from global warming deniers was similar to what I read from the anti-vaccination crowd. Each of the climate change denier’s pseudoscience is easily debunked. Read More...
- First, I was unconvinced that current temperatures exceeded that of the Medieval Warm Period, a period of warm climate in the North Atlantic from about 800 to 1300. During this time, the weather was warm enough for the Vikings to colonize Greenland and to support a settlement in Newfoundland.
- Second, California glaciers (yes California has numerous glaciers), like Palisade Glaciers in the Sierra Nevada mountain ranges were only about 700 years old, so obviously (to me), it’s colder today than it was before these glaciers formed.
- Third, the earth is just so complicated, it might take hundreds if not thousands of years of data to see any real trends.
Of course, my feelings on global warming would demolish my bona fides to be skeptical about alternative medicine and other pseudoscience. However, I thought the true global warming deniers (and even more so, those who deny the human cause of global warming) were true pseudoscientists, so I decided to study it myself, learning as much as I could about the subject. As I did, my skepticism faded. I found out that the Medieval Warm Period wasn’t as warm as I presumed, and that there is little global evidence that it was actually warmer then compared to today. In fact, regional differences in temperature can be large. I guess it goes back to correlation vs. causation. I was being pseudoscientific in my early thinking about global warming.
Actually, my discomfort with the much of what I was hearing from global warming deniers was similar to what I read from the anti-vaccination crowd. Each of the climate change denier’s pseudoscience is easily debunked. Read More...
Our place in the cosmos
Nov/23/09 21:27
As I’ve posted before, I really enjoy the auto-tuned videos from the Symphony of Science. They have a new one posted that includes Carl Sagan, Richard Dawkins (one of the great evolutionary biologists), Michio Kaku (an American theoretical physicist who has made that field of science more understandable), and Robert Jastrow (a NASA astronomer who spent way to much time debunking the moon landing hoax conspiracy). Read More...
The 124th Meeting Of The Skeptics’ Circle
Nov/21/09 08:19
One of my favorite bloggers on debunking medical quackery and pseudoscience is hosting a little party. Visit, and read some of the best articles on debunking myths, pseudoscience, quacks and anti-science. Read More...
How pseudoscience makes its case, Part 3
Nov/19/09 09:12
This is part of my ongoing discussion on how quacks use pseudoscience to push their myths and potions on the world. Part 1 discussed the scientific method, which allows us to objectively analyze the natural world. Part 2 discussed the best way for us to examine the difference between science and pseudoscience.
I just read an outstanding analysis, by Steven Novella, MD, a clinical neurologist at Yale University, of how pseudoscience (those who pretend to praise the scientific method, yet do it in a way that is not actually science) and anti-science (those who repudiate science outright, or even undermine science, with subjective analysis and untestable spirituality) to reject evidence-based medicine.
Dr. Novella clearly states how science in medicine works:
I just read an outstanding analysis, by Steven Novella, MD, a clinical neurologist at Yale University, of how pseudoscience (those who pretend to praise the scientific method, yet do it in a way that is not actually science) and anti-science (those who repudiate science outright, or even undermine science, with subjective analysis and untestable spirituality) to reject evidence-based medicine.
Dr. Novella clearly states how science in medicine works:
This leads us to the final continuum – the consensus of expert opinion based upon systematic reviews can either result in a solid and confident unanimous opinion, a reliable opinion with serious minority objections, a genuine controversy with no objective resolution, or simply the conclusion that we currently lack sufficient evidence and do not know the answer. It can also lead, of course, to a solid consensus of expert opinion combined with a fake controversy manufactured by a group driven by ideology or greed and not science. The tobacco industry’s campaign of doubt against the conclusion that smoking is a risk factor for lung cancer is one example.The anti-vaccine movement’s fear-mongering about vaccines and autism is another. Read More...
Debunking 2012 myths
Nov/12/09 23:59
There's a new movie coming to a theatre near you tomorrow, which purports to show us how the world is going to come to an end. The movie, 2012, looks like a typical blockbuster, heavy on special effects. Now, many of us understand that movies are, well, fantasies, even when based on real events. This movie is a fantasy based on myths.
NASA, an organization filled with really smart scientists, has published a FAQ that debunks a couple of the myths that 2012 will mark the end of the world. NASA will do a much better job about demolishing the pseudoscience than I will, but the two key issues are:
NASA, an organization filled with really smart scientists, has published a FAQ that debunks a couple of the myths that 2012 will mark the end of the world. NASA will do a much better job about demolishing the pseudoscience than I will, but the two key issues are:
- A rogue planet or some other object, called Nibiru, will collide with the earth and destroy us. There are no objects during the next few years that will destroy the earth. Of course, it has happened in the past, destroying the non-avian dinosaurs, and will probably happen in the future.
- The Mayan Calendar long period calendar ends in 2012. Of course, all calendars end, then restart with a new year.
How pseudoscience makes its case, Part 2
Nov/04/09 16:30
A few days ago, I discussed how science works. It's not a belief. It's not a random set of rules. It is a rational and logical process to determine cause and effect in the natural world. Pseudoscience, by its very nature, ignores the scientific process; instead, it pretends to come to conclusions through science, although it does not.
Again, be very wary if you hear someone say, "it's proven." I've heard those words from both alternative medicine pushers and from well-trained physicians. I have previously discussed the ineffectiveness of almost every alternative medicine therapy. But what about your physician? They are, by far, devoted to your health and well-being. But they cannot know everything about medicine (thus, why we have specialists), so they may repeat information that is not valid. Read More...
Again, be very wary if you hear someone say, "it's proven." I've heard those words from both alternative medicine pushers and from well-trained physicians. I have previously discussed the ineffectiveness of almost every alternative medicine therapy. But what about your physician? They are, by far, devoted to your health and well-being. But they cannot know everything about medicine (thus, why we have specialists), so they may repeat information that is not valid. Read More...
Fox News and the flu vaccine
Nov/02/09 11:23
Fox News is not even close to being a reliable source for anything. They've been reporting about a young woman who claims that she developed dystonia after receiving the season flu vaccination. Of course, Fox News is trying to make a story where there is none. Read More...
How pseudoscience makes its case, Part 1
Nov/02/09 09:38
I always get suspicious when someone makes an argument with the statement of "it's been proven to work", "the link is proven", or, alternatively, they state the negative. Typically, I hear these kinds of statements from the pseudoscience pushing group. Many of us have debunked the "there is a proven link between vaccines and autism." Or that any number of alternative medicine (CAM) therapies don't actually work. In fact, science rarely uses the term "proven", because the scientific method is not a system to make a definitive answer on any question–scientists always leave open the possibility of an alternative hypothesis that can be tested. If the alternate hypothesis can be supported through experimentation, then it can replace the original one. When an alternative medicine or junk science supporter states "it has been proven" then you can be assured that conclusion is unsupported by scientific research. Read More...
Connected to the universe
Oct/21/09 20:11
I haven't been posting as regularly as I would like. Life seems to get into the way of good writing. Yesterday, I was pointed to this video, which celebrates the widom and intellect of four of the great scientists of our generation, Carl Sagan, Neil deGrasse Tyson (who was instrumental in the demotion of Pluto to a dwarf planet), Bill Nye (the Science Guy), and Richard Feynman. The video uses a technology called Auto-tune, which converts the pitch of any spoken word into music (I'm really simplifying what it does, but then again I am neither a music scholar nor a sound engineer). This video is both inspiring and, frankly, addicting. Enjoy.
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Terrorists. No not that kind.
Aug/06/09 00:31
I’m going to digress from the healthcare reform debate (or what should be a debate but has degenerated into yelling, but I digress from digressing).
Last week animal right’s protestors burned the vacation home of Daniel Vasella, CEO of Novartis. This incident followed one where the same protestors desecrated his mother’s grave. Apparently, the protestors wanted Novartis to quit contracting Huntingdon Life Sciences for animal testing of its pharmaceutical products. Now Huntingdon has a checkered past in animal testing* from which it has recovered, and instituted ethical policies that are admirable.
I’m not going to get into an extensive debate on animal testing. Basically, there are no alternatives to testing medical products on animals. It is done in a safe and ethical manner. The industry cannot test vaccines, medicines, and medical devices for safety and efficacy, prior to a human clinical trial, in any other reasonable or reliable manner.
These terrorists, yes they are terrorists by any definition, seek to harm humans to further their agenda. Burning a vacation home or destroying the ashes of loved one is not going to change the fact that when these terrorists need medical treatment after being injured one day during their misguided activities, they will receive the best medical care because it was thoroughly researched and tested before being used.
I understand their motivation. I might even empathize with some of their goals. But we should never support violence to further a goal. Never. Read More...
Last week animal right’s protestors burned the vacation home of Daniel Vasella, CEO of Novartis. This incident followed one where the same protestors desecrated his mother’s grave. Apparently, the protestors wanted Novartis to quit contracting Huntingdon Life Sciences for animal testing of its pharmaceutical products. Now Huntingdon has a checkered past in animal testing* from which it has recovered, and instituted ethical policies that are admirable.
I’m not going to get into an extensive debate on animal testing. Basically, there are no alternatives to testing medical products on animals. It is done in a safe and ethical manner. The industry cannot test vaccines, medicines, and medical devices for safety and efficacy, prior to a human clinical trial, in any other reasonable or reliable manner.
These terrorists, yes they are terrorists by any definition, seek to harm humans to further their agenda. Burning a vacation home or destroying the ashes of loved one is not going to change the fact that when these terrorists need medical treatment after being injured one day during their misguided activities, they will receive the best medical care because it was thoroughly researched and tested before being used.
I understand their motivation. I might even empathize with some of their goals. But we should never support violence to further a goal. Never. Read More...
Blogosphere news (May 26, 2009)
May/26/09 10:17
Over the long weekend, I read a lot of blogs that were of interest to me. I thought I’d provide some short analysis and links for those of you who want to read about it. Read More...
Harold Varmus interviewed on C-span
May/11/09 07:59
Yesterday morning, I was listening to Harold Varmus being interviewed live (interspersed with listener calls) on C-SPAN Radio. For those of you unfamiliar with Dr. Varmus, he is currently the co-chair of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, CEO of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, former Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and a recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1989. In other words, Dr. Varmus has all of the credentials of a scientists, if not one of the great scientists of our era.
I have been unable to find a transcript of the program, but a couple of points from the interview were particularly memorable to me. First, he made a full-throated support of vaccination of children, and made a diplomatic criticism of the anti-vaccination movement. The second point that stuck with me followed a call from an individual who had one of those “my friend was dying of this, and they went to this website and was cured of that” stories. In this case, the caller said a “friend” of hers was suffering from diabetes (not sure how bad or what type), and her friend went to some website (I was driving, so I didn’t have a chance to write it down) that told her to switch from a high carbohydrate diet to one with lots of proteins and fresh vegetables. Only this diet would “cure” the diabetes. Of course, my thought when I heard this story was, “well, switching to a low carb diet may have been the reason.” Read More...
I have been unable to find a transcript of the program, but a couple of points from the interview were particularly memorable to me. First, he made a full-throated support of vaccination of children, and made a diplomatic criticism of the anti-vaccination movement. The second point that stuck with me followed a call from an individual who had one of those “my friend was dying of this, and they went to this website and was cured of that” stories. In this case, the caller said a “friend” of hers was suffering from diabetes (not sure how bad or what type), and her friend went to some website (I was driving, so I didn’t have a chance to write it down) that told her to switch from a high carbohydrate diet to one with lots of proteins and fresh vegetables. Only this diet would “cure” the diabetes. Of course, my thought when I heard this story was, “well, switching to a low carb diet may have been the reason.” Read More...
Obama's science policy
Apr/27/09 08:10
Today, President Barack Obama gave a speech (audio version can be found here) to the National Academy of Sciences, the nation’s prestigious science advisors. The speech reaffirms his campaign promises regarding science policy (how refreshing that a politician actually follows up on promises made in the heat of the campaign) and follows up on his executive order to reverse George Bush’s ill-founded partial ban on stem-cell research. Below are a few key points of the speech that deserve repeating.
At such a difficult moment, there are those who say we cannot afford to invest in science. That support for research is somehow a luxury at a moment defined by necessities. I fundamentally disagree. Science is more essential for our prosperity, our security, our health, our environment, and our quality of life than it has ever been. And if there was ever a day that reminded us of our shared stake in science and research, it’s today.
Federal funding in the physical sciences as a portion of our gross domestic product has fallen by nearly half over the past quarter century. Time and again we’ve allowed the research and experimentation tax credit, which helps businesses grow and innovate, to lapse.Read More...
Our schools continue to trail. Our students are outperformed in math and science by their peers in Singapore, Japan, England, the Netherlands, Hong Kong, and Korea, among others. Another assessment shows American fifteen year olds ranked 25th in math and 21st in science when compared to nations around the world.
Obama & Science
Nov/10/08 16:35
It was an issue that did not drive polls or voter behavior. It was an issue that did not bring a lot of interest from policy wonks or political pundits. But science is one issue that has significant impact on individual, cultural, and national growth and security. If one takes a long-term strategic view of America, investment, education and training in science will profit America financially.
The Bush administration led a war on science, especially in the areas of stem-cell research and global warming. Even in areas such as the teaching of creationism in schools, the Endangered Species Act, and NASA, there is a profound anti-science attitude exhibited by the current administration. Economic security, as well as national security, result from innovative and competitive scientific and technological leadership.
But now Obama is the President-elect, and I am convinced that there will be a significant change in direction in America’s science policy. In early October, Obama released a letter that clearly states his positions on the Federal government’s role in science. He intends to appoint an individuals to provide advice and establish policy on science and technology. He wants to remove any attempts to “distort or ignore scientific research.” This is a clear first step in rebuilding the country’s scientific position. Early in the campaign for president, he answered several questions posed by scientists, which outlined his point of view. Read More...
The Bush administration led a war on science, especially in the areas of stem-cell research and global warming. Even in areas such as the teaching of creationism in schools, the Endangered Species Act, and NASA, there is a profound anti-science attitude exhibited by the current administration. Economic security, as well as national security, result from innovative and competitive scientific and technological leadership.
But now Obama is the President-elect, and I am convinced that there will be a significant change in direction in America’s science policy. In early October, Obama released a letter that clearly states his positions on the Federal government’s role in science. He intends to appoint an individuals to provide advice and establish policy on science and technology. He wants to remove any attempts to “distort or ignore scientific research.” This is a clear first step in rebuilding the country’s scientific position. Early in the campaign for president, he answered several questions posed by scientists, which outlined his point of view. Read More...