Popular Misconceptions II: Science in the Media

Bad Science

The way I see it, a lot of the confusion and mistrust of science among the general public comes from  the way it's reported on in the media.

Herbal Remedies to Modern Medicine

I’ve seen quite a few headlines lately about the magical wonder-cure that is marijuana. While I think it really is wonderful that its medicinal qualities are being seriously studied, I wanted to comment on those misleading headlines, since they appear to be creating the illusion of scientifically-based support for the idea that ‘pot’ is good for you and should be perfectly legal.

GMOs, Go, Go, Go!

It seems the pseudo-scientific issue that bears the most weight with the people in my life is anti-GMO activism, so I once again find myself evaluating an article on that topic. This time around, Roberta L. Millstein attempts to take a middle road, but falls into a standard anti-science trap. “Just label it,” says the pseudo-scientist, “let the people decide.” Sure, label the GMOs. Teach the creationists’ “controversy”. Let the parents decide whether to vaccinate their kids. Oops, was my opinion leaking through here? I’ll get back to that in a bit.

She takes issue with the argument that the anti-GMO movement, and even the suggestion to label GMOs, is anti-science. She has conveniently listed her reasons in a numbered list, so let me take a specific look at these arguments.