A Guardian "Favourite Reads--as Chosen by Scientists" Selection "Tackles some of science's most enduring misconceptions." --Discover A falling apple inspired Isaac Newton's insight into the law of gravity--or did it really? Among the many myths debunked in this refreshingly irreverent book are the idea that alchemy was a superstitious pursuit, that Darwin put off publishing his theory of evolution for fear of public reprisal, and that Gregor Mendel was ahead of his time as a pioneer of genetics. More recent myths about particle physics and Einstein's theory of relativity are discredited too, and a number of dubious generalizations, like the notion that science and religion are antithetical, or that science can neatly be distinguished from pseudoscience, go under the microscope of history. Newton's Apple and Other Myths about Science brushes away popular fictions and refutes the widespread belief that science advances when individual geniuses experience "Eureka!" moments and suddenly grasp what those around them could never imagine. "Delightful...thought-provoking...Every reader should find something to surprise them." --Jim Endersby, Science "Better than just countering the myths, the book explains when they arose and why they stuck." --The Guardian | Author: Ronald L. Numbers | Publisher: Harvard University Press | Publication Date: January 07, 2020 | Number of Pages: 304 pages | Language: English | Binding: Paperback | ISBN-10: 0674241568 | ISBN-13: 9780674241565
During the early 1800s British and American scientists concluded that the Negroid race was inferior to Caucasoid race due to the small mea...
Why is science so credible? Usual answers center on scientists' objective methods or their powerful instruments. In his new book, Thomas Gieryn argues that a better explanation for the cultural authority of science lies downstream, when scientific claims leave laboratories and enter courtrooms, boardrooms, and living rooms. On such occasions, we use \"maps\" to decide who to believe--cultural maps demarcating \"science\" from pseudoscience, ideology, faith, or nonsense. Gieryn looks at episodes of boundary-work: Was phrenology good science? How about cold fusion? Is social science really scientific? Is organic farming? After centuries of disputes like these, Gieryn finds no stable criteria that absolutely distinguish science from non-science. Science remains a pliable cultural space, flexibly reshaped to claim credibility for some beliefs while denying it to others. In a timely epilogue, Gieryn finds this same controversy at the heart of the raging \"science wars.\"
I went to a Flat Earth convention. Here's what separates science deniers from scientists.
Richard Feynman's method for understanding science can also be used for detecting pseudoscience.
Those Well-Versed In The Arts Often Make For Better Scientists
Highlights Science has never been more crucial to deciding the political issues facing the country. About the Author: Chris Mooney is the author of The Republican War on Science and Storm World. 376 Pages Political Science, Political Ideologies Description About the Book This stinging indictment of how one party has placed politics over science is a stunning account of the government's unwillingness to distinguish between legitimate research and ideologically driven pseudoscience. Book Synopsis Science has never been more crucial to deciding the political issues facing the country. Yet science and scientists have less influence with the federal government than at any time since the Eisenhower administration. In the White House and Congress today, findings are reported in a politicized manner; spun or distorted to fit the speaker's agenda; or, when they're too inconvenient, ignored entirely. On a broad array of issues-stem cell research, climate change, missile defense, abstinence education, product safety, environmental regulation, and many others-the Bush administration's positions fly in the face of overwhelming scientific consensus. Federal science agencies, once fiercely independent under both Republican and Democratic presidents, are increasingly staffed by political appointees and fringe theorists who know industry lobbyists and evangelical activists far better than they know the science. This is not unique to the Bush administration, but it is largely a Republican phenomenon, born of a conservative dislike of environmental, health, and safety regulation, and at the extremes, of evolution and legalized abortion. In The Republican War on Science, Chris Mooney ties together the disparate strands of the attack on science into a compelling and frightening account of our government's increasing unwillingness to distinguish between legitimate research and ideologically driven pseudoscience. About the Author Chris Mooney is the author of The Republican War on Science and Storm World. A Knight fellow in science journalism at MIT, he contributes to many publications, including Mother Jones, Wired, the Boston Globe, and Slate. He lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Scientists have transformed the humble spinach plant into a bomb detector.
Could sea monsters be real? Charles Paxton thinks that the plural of sea monster anecdotes could be data, and he's found possible explanations for supposed sea monster sightings in the past.
Scientific discoveries are constantly in the news. Almost daily we hear about new and important breakthroughs. But sometimes it turns out that what was trumpeted as scientific truth is later discredited, or controversy may long swirl about some dramatic claim. What is a nonscientist to believe? Many books debunk pseudoscience, and some others present only the scientific consensus on any given issue. In At the Fringes of Science Michael Friedlander offers a careful look at the shadowlands of science. What makes Friedlander's book especially useful is that he reviews conventional scientific method and shows how scientists examine the hard cases to determine what is science and what is pseudoscience. Emphasizing that there is no clear line of demarcation between science and nonscience, Friedlander leads the reader through case after entertaining case, covering the favorites of "tabloid science" such as astrology and UFOs, scientific controversies such as cold fusion, and those maverick ideas that were at first rejected by science only to be embraced later. There are many good stories here, but there is also much learning and wisdom. Students of science and interested lay readers will come away from this book with an increased understanding of what science is, how it works, and how the nonscientist should deal with science at its fringes.
A new book entitled Survival of the Friendliest by the researchers from Duke University said that dogs are 'exhibit A' when it comes to the benefits of cooperation in evolution.
Stand up for science with our Earth is NOT Flat T-Shirt, a bold statement in the fight against pseudoscience. Part of our esteemed Scientists Club collection, this shirt is perfect for anyone who values truth and scientific rigor. With the message Earth is NOT flat, it serves as a conversation starter about the importance of education and the scientific method in understanding our world. Ideal for teachers, researchers, or any science enthusiast, this Science Advocacy Shirt proudly declares your stance for evidence-based knowledge. Wear it to your next science club meeting, university event, or casual outings to promote critical thinking and debunk myths with style. Equip yourself with this Truth in Science Tee and be a beacon of rationality in a world oversaturated with misinformation. About our Science Shirt: Product details: • This garment-dyed t-shirt is made 100% with ring-spun cotton. • The soft-washed, garment-dyed fabric brings extra coziness to your wardrobe while the relaxed fit makes it an excellent daily choice. • The double-needle stitching throughout the tee makes it highly durable while the lack of side-seams helps the shirt retain its tubular shape. • Discover our twelve colors in our Gildan 64000 color chart. • This tee is made with high quality fabric, 100% ring-spun cotton for long-lasting comfort. • Made using 100% US cotton that is ethically grown and harvested. Care instructions: • Wash inside out with like colors. • Tumble dry or hang to dry. • Try not to iron directly over the design. Iron if necessary! ORDER YOUR´S TODAY! Click the “Add to Cart” button now and make your mark with our Scientist Lifestyle T-Shirt! How to order: 1) Choose your T-shirt color, and size 2) Click “Add to Cart” 3) Check your shipping address for accurate delivery. 4) Submit your order Thank you for trusting us!
Pseudoscience is a "claim, belief, or practice which is presented as scientific... but lacks supporting evidence or cannot be reliably tested." America is awash in it. "Roughly one in three American adults believes in telepathy, ghosts, and extrasensory perception," a trio of scientists wrote in a 2012 issue of the Astronomy [...]
Dead algae sinking to the ocean floor may have sequestered carbon 445 million years ago, triggering the glaciation that accompanied the Late Ordovician mass extinction.
More than 7 million viewers are captivated weekly by Fringe, a science fiction procedural in the best tradition of The X-Files with a taut central mythology, rich characters, and it's own laboratory cow. In its weekly cases and its overarching plot, Fringe strikes a compelling balance between the strange and the familiar, and the quirky and the tragic. Fringe Science delves into the science, science fiction, and pseudoscience of Fringe with a collection of essays by science and science fiction writers on everything from alternate universes to time travel to genetically targeted toxins, as well as discussions on the show's moral philosophy and the consequences of playing God.
Research to calculate amount of ‘space grease’ in the Milky Way found enough for 40 trillion trillion trillion packs of butter
Richard Feynman's method for understanding science can also be used for detecting pseudoscience.
Although scientists never could quite turn lead into gold, they did attempt some noteworthy experiments
Anthropologists at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History and an international team of collaborators have discovered that early humans in East Africa had—by about 320,000 years ago—begun trading with distant groups, using color pigments and manufacturing more sophisticated tools than those of the Early Stone Age. These newly discovered activities approximately date to the oldest known fossil record of Homo sapiens and occur tens of thousands of years earlier than previous evidence has shown in eastern Africa. These behaviors, which are characteristic of humans who lived during the Middle Stone Age, replaced technologies and ways of life that had been in place for hundreds of thousands of years.
'At the time of Einstein, he could not think or dream of what we are showing today'
Dowsing, or divining, has been going on for thousands of years to find water but it’s still falsely regarded as a pseudoscience by modern scientists
Another quick tool for teaching information fluency: 10 Questions To Distinguish Real From Fake Science 1. What is the source? 2. What is the agenda? 3. What kind of language does it use? 4. Does it involve testimonials? 5. Are there claims of exclusivity? 6. Is there mention of a conspiracy of any kind? 7.
Why is science so credible? Usual answers centre on scientists' objective methods or their powerful instruments. This text argues that a better explanation for the cultural authority of science lies downstream, when scientific claims leave laboratories and enter courtrooms, boardrooms, and living rooms. On such occasions, we use "maps" to decide who to believe - cultural maps demarcating "science" from pseudoscience, ideology, faith, or nonsense. Thomas F. Gieryn looks at episodes of boundary-work: Was phrenology good science? How about cold fusion? Is social science really scientific? Is organic farming? After centuries of disputes like these, Gieryn finds no stable criteria that absolutely distinguish science from non-science. Science remains a pliable cultural space, flexibly reshaped to claim credibility for some beliefs while denying it to others. In an epilogue, Gieryn finds this same controversy at the heart of the raging "science wars".
Scientists who found the fossils believe they are the remains of five people and far older than all previous finds. But how do the remains really fit into the bushy family tree of modern humans?
Our eyes may be our window to the world, but how do we make sense of the thousands of images that flood our retinas each day? UC Berkeley scientists have found that the brain is wired to put in ord…
Science has never been more crucial to deciding the political issues facing the country. Yet science and scientists have less influence with the federal government than at any time since the Eisenhower administration. In the White House and Congress today, findings are reported in a politicized manner; spun or distorted to fit the speaker's agenda; or, when they're too inconvenient, ignored entirely. On a broad array of issues-stem cell research, climate change, missile defense, abstinence education, product safety, environmental regulation, and many others-the Bush administration's positions fly in the face of overwhelming scientific consensus. Federal science agencies, once fiercely independent under both Republican and Democratic presidents, are increasingly staffed by political appointees and fringe theorists who know industry lobbyists and evangelical activists far better than they know the science. This is not unique to the Bush administration, but it is largely a Republican phenomenon, born of a conservative dislike of environmental, health, and safety regulation, and at the extremes, of evolution and legalized abortion. In The Republican War on Science, Chris Mooney ties together the disparate strands of the attack on science into a compelling and frightening account of our government's increasing unwillingness to distinguish between legitimate research and ideologically driven pseudoscience.
The journal Social Psychology retracts yet another paper by Diederik Stapel, citing falsified and manipulated data.
Do people like Richard Dawkins and Francis Collins impact public opinion on how science and religion relate? Tania Lombrozo considers a study on the influence of big-name scientists on the debate.
When it supports their claims, Western scientists value what Traditional Knowledge has to offer. If not, they dismiss it
DNA's instructions are written in a code of four molecular "letters," labeled A, C, T and G. For the first time, researchers have created and inserted two brand-new letters into a living cell.
Many physicists consider string theory our best hope for combining quantum physics and gravity into a unified theory of everything. Yet a contrary opinion is that the concept is practically pseudoscience, because it seems to be nearly impossible to test through experiments. Now some scientists say we may have a way to do exactly that, thanks to a new conjecture that pits string theory against cosmic expansion.
Earlier this year, scientists identified the existence of a brand new DNA structure never before seen in living cells.
Thousands of so-called “Stolpersteine,” or "stumbling stones," remind passersby of the victims of Nazi terror.
Maria Popova | Necessary cognitive fortification against propaganda, pseudoscience, and general falsehood.
A much-needed debunk of shortsighted comments about science investments.
A list of the first photos of various things. These may be the earliest photos ever captured or the oldest surviving image known.
