I recently ran a pair of episodes investigating claims of the health effects of deuterium, a stable heavy isotope of hydrogen. The first interview was with a Naturopath, and the second was with a real medical doctor publishing peer reviewed papers on the topic. And my focus in this effort is on drilling through the BS to get to what the evidence says. This takes sustained skepticism, and it doesn’t always make friends. Many people are turned off by the methods of science. It reminds me of why I never liked the TV series X-files. The scientist was always being appropriately skeptical of phenomena that have, at best, only breathless anecdotal support. But she was constantly being shamed by the male character for not ‘believing’ that the truth is out there. But believing extraordinary claims without sufficient evidence makes you gullible. You have the choice of being a friendly fool in believing that astrology or alternative medicine, homeopathy, or other superstitions should be given equal standing with experimentally tested scientific knowledge.
So in this episode I want to give you some tools to identify bafflegab, gobbledygook, and pseudo-science, while reviewing some of the reactions I received.
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Dr. Steven Levitsky on the crisis in American democracy
Prof. Naomi Oreskes exposes the ’Big Myth’ of neo-liberal economics
David McRaney on how to change minds
Jonah Messinger and Helium 4 are excited by Cold Fusion
Dr. Steven Levitsky on how democracies die
Dr. Indranil Banik weighs in on dark matter vs. MOND
What does science say about determinism and free will?
Polarizing Fukushima wastewater
Are we facing insect armageddon?
Origins of the anti-nuclear movement
Dr. Michael Shermer on science and skepticism
What’s all the fuss about superconductors?
Superconductors, UFOs, lab leaks, and climate change
Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson on The Rational View
Dr. Jack Gilbert describes how the microbes in our gut keep us healthy
Dr. Lee McIntyre makes war on disinformation
Dr. Brooke Goldner shares nutritional advice for autoimmune disorders
Bob McDonald on the Energy Transition
Bolstering your cognitive immunity with Dr. Andy Norman
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