P-Hacking and Other Statistical Sins
I love learning new terms that precisely capture important concepts. A recent article in Nature magazine by Regina Nuzzo reviews all the current woes with statistical analysis in scientific papers. I...
View ArticleEating Yoga Mats
This is the worst example of pseudoscientific fearmongering I have seen in a while, and that’s saying something. Vani Hari, a blogger known as “food babe,” has started a petition to get Subway to...
View ArticleNew Science and Religion Survey
A new Rice University survey of 10,000 people explores issues of science and religion. Surveys are always fascinating, giving us a “lay of the land” of what people around us believe. However, they are...
View ArticleGM Potatoes and Disease Resistance
The issue of genetically modified food is an excellent one for skeptics – it is a complex question that mostly revolves around scientific data, popular beliefs are rife with myths, misconceptions, and...
View ArticleReality Testing and Metacognitive Failure
Imagine coming home to your spouse and finding someone who looks and acts exactly like your spouse, but you have the strong feeling that they are an imposter. They don’t “feel” like your spouse....
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Pareidolia Watch – Mercury Edition
I only have time for a quick entry today, so here is any easy one – another example of pareidolia unrestrained by reality testing. Pareidolia is the tendency for our brains to match known patterns to...
View ArticleWhat’s in a Name?
Classification systems are important in science. They often reflect our fundamental understanding of nature, and are also important for efficient and unambiguous communication among scientists. But...
View ArticleKrauthammer’s Global Warming Straw Men
A recent column by political commenter, Charles Krauthammer, attacking the notion that global warming is “settled science,” has been getting a lot of attention. Although perhaps he is making a more...
View ArticleWarning Labels on Cell Phones
Hawaii Senate Bill 2571, which is making its way through the legislature, would require that a large non-removable warning label be attached to the back of every cell phone. Originally the warning...
View ArticleMore Yoga Mat Hysteria
The “yoga mat chemical” (azodicarbonamide) is the latest food-based fearmongering, thanks to an unscientific petition by the self-described “food babe,” who apparently feels that she is qualified...
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