Correction (6/12/2013): I originally referred to a vaccine containing multiple vaccinations as both “comcomitant” and “conjugate.” In fact, a “conjugate” vaccine is different; it is one where an antigen is attached to a protein from the same parent organism in an attempt to confer the immunological properties of the carrier […]
Science
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An article caught my attention today, written by Linda B. Blackford for Kentucky.com. The article, entitled, “GOP lawmakers question standards for teaching evolution in Kentucky,” [1] contained some choice quotes that exposed the bald motivations of legislators opposing the teaching of Natural Selection (the only established unifying principle of all […]
Last summer, it was hotter than hell in Texas. We nearly broke the all-time record for most consecutive days over 100F. We missed it by a mere one day, which – as far as I am concerned – is a statistical fluke. Remember that the winter of 2011 was termed […]
Since January, I have been embarked on a data-driven lifestyle. What does this mean? It means that I have been meticulously tracking my levels of activity during the day using a Fitbit device [1]. I have been keeping careful track of my eating habits using Loseit [2]. I have also […]
Science Based Medicine has a very good blog post on the snakeoil diet known as the “HCG Diet.” I have an acquaintance who swears by it and even admits that she’s willing to pay for the placebo effect. This post also outlines the dangers associated with the low-calorie diet and […]
Finding Parallel Worlds In the series “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,” a well-crafted transporter modification is capable of hurling the crew of the station into a “mirror universe.” Everyone who exists in the known universe also exists in the mirror universe, but there they are not the same people. Major […]
In today’s New York Times [1], writer Jim Holt gave his opinion on the row initiated by physicist Lawrence Krauss regarding the value of philosophy. You can go read the details of that spat on your own; I’m about as interested in that debate as I am in polo. For […]
A number of my students in CFB/PHY 3333 [1] decided to write research papers about the hCG Diet. I was particularly interested in their papers because an acquaintance of mine told me last year that they had decided to try the diet. At the time, I did not know what […]
This was a good week for prime examples of propaganda and pseudoscience. Let’s get started. 49 Cherry-Picked Questionable Authorities Can’t Be Wrong There was some recent buzz about “49 authorities” who sent a letter [1] to NASA’s chief and asked the agency to stop promoting the idea of human-induced climate […]
American Airlines is planning to run an anti-vaccination message from the Australian Vaccination Network, AVN. AVN is a mis-leadingly named organization that promotes the discredited link between vaccines and autism, among other anti-scientific nonsense. They claim there is scientific debate about the dangers of vaccines (there is no such debate) […]
A child infected with measles, a disease easily prevented with a simple vaccination. From http://www.flickr.com/photos/julien_harneis/4140374881/ Please find below the letter I just sent to American Airlines pertaining to the claim by the Australian Vaccination Network (AVN) press release claiming that AA will give them a platform for their anti-vaccination message. […]
Preface: Many thanks to Profs. John Cotton, Randy Scalise, Ron Wetherington, and John Wise for their tireless efforts to promote science. Their perspectives on the scientific method, and the issues I outline below, have been a tremendous influence on my thinking and writing about this subject. I also thank Profs. […]