Mental Health & Society

By James Smoliga, High Point University

By Tareq Yousef, Dalhousie University

Conspiracy theorists who oppose the fluoridation of drinking water claim that fluoride is added not to strengthen teeth but to allow for mind control.

Human overpopulation is one of the biggest myths we keep needing to debunk. The reason is because this belief has an insidious effect, in some cases leading to profound acts of evil.

While much remains unknown about SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19, we do know this: Like others before it, the new virus evolved naturally, perhaps in bats, before "jumping" into humans.

Several years ago, I received an invitation to attend a conference hosted by the Breakthrough Institute, an organization that promotes technological solutions to problems like climate change.

Conspiracy theories are a funny thing.

The biggest surprise when I became a science communicator nearly 10 years ago was the level of animosity and vitriol aimed at "experts," including scientists like me.

Chronicling the ongoing, stunning decline of the New York Times from America's newspaper of record to a malicious, partisan rag unworthy of the paper it's printed on is something of a hobby of mine.

One of the most depressing features of American life in 2020 is the fact that everything has become politicized.