From the category archives:

skepticism

The Downfall of Vaccine Denial

March 30, 2010
Thumbnail image for The Downfall of Vaccine Denial

If you thought the vaccine denial movement was immune to the Downfall video meme, you’re in for a surprise. As you can see here, der Führer had a rough time of it after learning about a Danish study demonstrating no causal link between vaccines and autism. It’s worth it to hear him scream: It’s not [...]

  • Share/Bookmark
Read the full article →

“Scientifically Unsupportable”

March 16, 2010
Thumbnail image for “Scientifically Unsupportable”

Last Friday, special masters of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims released their findings on the second phase of the Omnibus Autism Proceedings, and found no evidence of a causal link between autism and thimerosal in vaccines. (The first phase, decided last year, addressed the claim that the MMR vaccine caused autism. ) Test cases [...]

  • Share/Bookmark
Read the full article →

Try Reason, Not “Everything”

March 5, 2010
Thumbnail image for Try Reason, Not “Everything”

Last week Time magazine published “The Autism Debate: Who’s Afraid of Jenny McCarthy?” As much as I’d like to rant about her, as I’ve done before, instead I’ll call your attention to this paragraph, buried halfway into the article: There are dark murmurings from scientists and doctors asking, Was her son ever really autistic? Evan’s [...]

  • Share/Bookmark
Read the full article →

Irresponsible and Dishonest

February 2, 2010
Thumbnail image for Irresponsible and Dishonest

Almost exactly a year ago, I wrote about Andrew Wakefield’s falsification of data linking vaccines and autism, calling his behavior “irresponsible and criminal.” Last week the General Medical Council, the British medical licensing body, arrived at the same conclusion: In reaching its decision, the Panel notes that the project reported in the Lancet paper was [...]

  • Share/Bookmark
Read the full article →

Chocolate, or Shinola?

October 21, 2009
Thumbnail image for Chocolate, or Shinola?

Taza Chocolate sent me an email today announcing the availability of this year’s Special Edition Stone Ground Chiapan Chocolate. I’ve tasted last year’s edition (is “edition” really the appropriate description for a short-run foodstuff?), it’s definitely good chocolate, but the stuff costs $9.50 for a three-ounce bar. I’ll buy a bar or two this year [...]

  • Share/Bookmark
Read the full article →

Science and the Deity

October 20, 2009
Thumbnail image for Science and the Deity

Not the Deity, Mr. Deity. If you haven’t heard of him, visit his web site and get caught up on his doings. Recently he’s been looking for a science advisor, and may have found one in PZ Meyers, biologist and writer of the blog Pharyngula: “Evolution, development, and random biological ejaculations from a godless liberal.” [...]

  • Share/Bookmark
Read the full article →

Mahlon Hoagland: 1921-2009

September 25, 2009
Thumbnail image for Mahlon Hoagland: 1921-2009

He worked with James Watson and Francis Crick. He discovered transfer RNA and amino acid activation. He was twice nominated for the Nobel Prize. His name was Mahlon Hoagland, he passed away last week, and you have never heard of him. I had never heard of him until a series of unlikely circumstances brought us [...]

  • Share/Bookmark
Read the full article →