Monthly Archives: August 2016

Who reviews scientific papers and how do reviews work?

I spent my afternoon reviewing a paper for a scientific journal and making a recommendation about whether or not the paper should be published. As a scientist, this is not an uncommon task for me, but it is a process … Continue reading

Posted in Nature of Science | Tagged | 10 Comments

Measles is not better than autism: Debunking anti-vaccine arguments

Over the weekend, I was unfortunate enough to come across an article by Jaclyn Harwell at “Modern Alternative Health” called “5 Reasons That Measles is Better Than Autism.” Unsurprisingly, it was full of misinformation and shoddy arguments. Indeed, it was … Continue reading

Posted in Vaccines/Alternative Medicine | Tagged , , , , | 106 Comments

4 meaningless words: toxin, natural, organic, and GMO

News articles and blog posts are often full of buzzwords that are heavy on emotional impact but light on substance, and for scientific topics such as nutrition, health, medicine, and agriculture, four of the most common buzzwords are “toxins,” “natural,” … Continue reading

Posted in GMO, Rules of Logic | Tagged , | 73 Comments

Evolutionary mechanisms part 6: Genetic drift

Many people are under the false impression that evolution is always beneficial, but it can actually be quite harmful. This is especially true for evolution via genetic drift. Like natural selection, genetic drift removes variation from a population, but unlike … Continue reading

Posted in Science of Evolution | Tagged , | 6 Comments

Are scientists arrogant, close-minded, and dismissive?

I spend a lot of time debating people who reject science, and I have observed a common tendency for people to try to dismiss scientific results by attacking scientists with accusations that they are, “arrogant,” “close-minded,” “dismissive” and don’t “take … Continue reading

Posted in Nature of Science | Tagged , , , | 27 Comments