NYU physicist Alan Sokal thought very little of the research performed by his colleagues in the social sciences. To prove his point, he wrote a paper that used plenty of trendy buzz words but made absolutely no sense. As he later explained, Dr. Sokal wanted to find out if a humanities journal would "publish an article liberally salted with nonsense if (a) it sounded good and (b) it flattered the editors' ideological preconceptions."
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The official March for Science Twitter account recently criticized the Trump Administration for bombing ISIS, claiming that the gigantic bomb the U.S. dropped on the terrorists is an "example of how science is weaponized against marginalized people." After a justified mocking, delete went the tweet.
Could it be that the Mediterranean Diet works best for those individuals raised or genetically associated with the Mediterranean? Put another way,are traditional diets, the ones consumed by our genetic ancestors keep us healthier?
A high school student who makes bad grades is not only setting himself up for professional failure; he's also likely making lifestyle choices that will put him on a course to bad health.
OK, folks. Time for a five-question pop quiz, based upon reading Access Imperative by McKinsey and Company. And for you overachievers out there, there's a bonus question for extra credit! Go for it.
In 2005 an article indicated that medical care was responsible for 50% of bankruptcies. It became a myth that a new study clearly refutes.
This list, published annually by the Environmental Working Group, should be ignored for a multitude of reasons. It wrongly promotes the idea that organic foods don't have pesticides, while also making sweeping claims unsupported by scientific evidence. So media, why are you repeating EWG's nonsense without doing some fact-checking?
Gases are being now infused into various beverages, especially coffee and beer for a variety of reasons. But there is a viral video of two maniacs who tried "helium-infused beer." If they were looking for laughs they succeeded mightily. But is it real?
CDC data shows that for the past few weeks, of sick people who went to the hospital and got tested about 26% of specimens were positive for influenza. Now in Week 7 of 2018, it has dropped to 25%. Finally, we appear to have turned the corner on this awful flu season.
1. Organic Consumers Association, and the groups it funds, like US Right To Know and the lawyer-run partisan attack site Sourcewatch, may be in a lot of trouble.
Before you pay for the juice cleanse, learn how your body actually rids itself of harmful toxins absolutely free of charge. The American Chemical Society's video series explains how our very own bodies are equipped to help keep us clear of toxins.
Heavy metals get a bad rap. For the most part, it is deserved because they are usually toxic. Except when they aren't. You have probably consumed a whole lot of at least one or two of them and are just fine. Here's why.
With the rise in popularity of open-access publishing, and over 28,000 scientific journals in existence, it's often hard to tell which journals are reputable and which are simply junk. A new study did a cross-section analysis and came up with 13 traits of predatory journals, so now you can tell the difference. Here's how.
Like most scientific endeavors, depression is hard to study in humans or non-human primates. So like many researchers, neuroscientists study depression in mice. But how can you tell whether a mouse is depressed? Here's how, and it's kind of fascinating.
With respect to the state of England's National Health Service and its rapidly eroding quality of care, the bad news just keeps coming. Recently, its new chief hospital inspector declared that, among other serious issues, current practices endanger patients.
Kids are more resilient than you think, but are also magical thinkers. In the absence of direct communication from a parent, they will create their own narrative which can foster greater worry.
Added sugars are the focus of the latest nutrition culture wars, with articles helping us find "hidden" sugars. You know, the ones listed on the ingredients labels. The problem isn't really added sugar — it's over-consumption.
Synthetic biology is like genetic engineering on steroids. Using cutting-edge computational design, synthetic biology aims to design novel biological molecules -- or even entire metabolic systems. Here's a plan to use this new technology to develop a world-changing treatment for Celiac disease.
As if there aren't enough nuts out there ranting about crystals or Ouija boards, it's time to welcome The Alternative Daily. The guys writing for this website make Joe Mercola sound smart, which is roughly equivalent to climbing Mt. Everest with a Steinway grand piano on your back.
Scientific research is not cheap. But what is the process that academic scientists go through in order to receive funding for their work? This article – the first of a two-part series – describes this stressful and highly competitive procedure.
If you want to lose weight – excluding all fad diets – how should you eat? A new study suggests that it's more effective to choose foods with lower calories than to try to simply eat less of everything.
Nature is amazing. When potatoes go bad they sometimes turn green and produce a potent neurotoxin. But the chemical that's responsible for the green is chlorophyll, which is anything but toxic. How does the green color indicate that the potato is bad?
Immunology studies the way we maintain our body’s integrity – “immunity’s central motif” – as well as our definition of self. Differentiating our self from "other" has many scales, and it's been used to separate tribes, ethnicities, nations. So in addition to cells, can immunology also help us understand the interactions of humans?
When bitter custody battles hit the front page (e.g. the mom recently jailed for secretly baptizing her daughter), it is mostly the child who suffers.
The University of California Irvine has accepted a $200 million donation to fund a center studying integrative medicine, which would firmly root the field of pseudoscience in academia. This not only legitimizes practices not backed by science, but it crosses a line where academia becomes a place where money influences what's true or false.
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