Donald Trump and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. (RFK Jr.)

Antivaxxers easily see through the misdirection of RFK Jr.’s MAHA

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has been antivax for two decades. His fellow travelers are not happy about his leaving out vaccines in his "Make America Healthy Again." To them it's an obvious misdirection, and they are turning on him.

/ October 14, 2024

The President of Stanford Is Unsure Which Number is Larger, 9 or 133

It doesn't bode well for the future that leaders of major American institutions say naked emperors are wearing beautiful clothes.

/ October 11, 2024

Elderberry (What is it good for)

Accumulated evidence does not demonstrate that elderberry has meaningful beneficial effects.

/ October 10, 2024
Diagram showing the worm C. elegans with focus on nervous and muscle systems (A), genetic differences in lin-4 and lin-14 mutants (B), and research contributions by Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun on microRNA lin-4's interaction with mRNA (C).

microRNA – 2024 Nobel in Physiology or Medicine

The 2024 Nobel prize in physiology or medicine goes to two researchers, Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun, for their work on microRNA. They began their research in the same lab in the late 1980s as postdoctoral fellow, and then continued to collaborate after they each started their own labs. Their research involves a key question about multicellular life. Every cell in the...

/ October 9, 2024
Controlled opposition running limited hangouts

Antivax as ideology: “Limited hangouts” run by “controlled opposition”

Antivax is more ideology and conspiracy than science. The recent accusation that antivax influencers are running "limited hangouts" as part of "controlled opposition helps illustrate this characteristic, in which the insufficiently radical are portrayed as useful idiots for the enemy or even heretics.

/ October 7, 2024

Conspiracy Thinking And Alternative Medicine

Just recently, in casual conversation, someone commented to me that “they” already have a cure for cancer but are hiding it. This is a claim I frequently encounter. One survey, from 2005, found that 27.3% of those surveyed endorsed this belief. Another survey from 2014 found that 37% of people believe the FDA is suppressing natural cancer cures on behalf of “Big...

/ October 2, 2024
NCCIH Logo defined

The NCCIH embraces the quackery that is “functional medicine”

The process of "integrating" quackery with medicine continues apace as the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health embraces the quackery that is "functional medicine."

/ September 30, 2024

A “Biosafety” Organization Partnering With Dr. Jay Bhattacharya To Guard Against Viruses Is Like A Zebra Teaming Up With A Lion To Promote Vegetarianism

Biosafety Now is fine working with a pro-virus, misinformation doctor to prevent a potential pandemic. What about a doctor who worked with patients and countered misinformation during an actual pandemic?

/ September 27, 2024
cause - effect - cause - effect

Post Hoc Bias in Medicine

We are more likely to use an ineffective treatment after slight symptom improvement, even when the changes are coincidental.

/ September 26, 2024