10 myths about vaccination. {*style:<b> </b>*}While better hygiene, hand washing and clean water can protect people against diseases such as influenza and cholera, most viruses spread regardless of how clean we are. If people are not vaccinated, so-called old diseases will quickly reappear, such as measles.
Owing to the complexity of the human immune system, no vaccine provides 100% protection, but this persistent myth also draws on the fact that true immunization status is not always recorded correctly and that numbers can be manipulated. Over 90% of the people with measles cases reported in 2009 had received less than the recommended two doses of measles vaccine. All medical treatments, including vaccination, can have side-effects. But soreness, mild fever and the extremely rare serious side-effects must be compared to the consequences of having a vaccine-preventable disease.
{*style:<b> Diseases such as measles, mumps and rubella are called childhood illnesses because they usually affect children. NeuroLogica Blog. Jul 14 2015 Why Pluto is Important As I write this post we are just minutes away from the closest approach of the New Horizons probe to Pluto, the farthest world we have thus far explored (24 minutes and counting). It’s an exciting moment, not just for astronomy buffs or science enthusiasts, but for humanity. I’m glad to see an appropriate level of excitement among the media and the general public.
Still, a couple of people have commented to me or in my presence that they don’t understand what the big deal is or why this is important, so allow me a moment to explore why I think this is such a big deal. First, let us not forget what it took to get there. Continue Reading » Jul 13 2015 Supporting the Narrative in an Echochamber Dunning, commenting on the implications of the Dunning-Kruger effect, wrote: This seems accurate, but I think the situation is actually worse. This more active process has been called the “echochamber effect.” Continue Reading » Jul 09 2015 New Zealand Ban on “Trolling” Skepchick. Respectful Insolence. Science-Based Medicine. SCIENCE-BASED PARENTING. Symphony of Science. Seven Warning Signs of Bogus Science.
Robert L. Park, Ph.D The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is investing close to a million dollars in an obscure Russian scientist's antigravity machine, although it has failed every test and would violate the most fundamental laws of nature. The Patent and Trademark Office recently issued Patent 6,362,718 for a physically impossible motionless electromagnetic generator, which is supposed to snatch free energy from a vacuum. And major power companies have sunk tens of millions of dollars into a scheme to produce energy by putting hydrogen atoms into a state below their ground state, a feat equivalent to mounting an expedition to explore the region south of the South Pole. There is, alas, no scientific claim so preposterous that a scientist cannot be found to vouch for it. Before 1993, court cases that hinged on the validity of scientific claims were usually decided simply by which expert witness the jury found more credible.
Justice Stephen G. What are the warning signs? 1.