Category Archives: Science

Abe Recommends: Magnets

Posted on July 14, 2014 by Noah Dillon

My brother Abe sends me a lot of cool videos and articles about science: recent research, new inventions, educational materials, or the work of grad students who are sharing presentations of their findings on YouTube. This week he sent me this great video, explaining … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Science, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Is Science Close-Minded?

Posted on July 11, 2014 by Josh DeWald

I’ve been frequently labelled “close-minded.” Usually the speaker (or writer) isn’t really targeting me. What they seem to mean is that “scientists are closed minded, and so are you people that worship them,” to only slightly paraphrase such sentiments. As you can … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Science | Tagged , , , | 15 Comments

Is Big Pharma Ignoring Marijuana?

Posted on June 28, 2014 by Eric Hall

Last year I wrote a post about an argument I had with a family member over the use of marijuana. My position has a few different facets. I feel our government has it wrong on making it illegal. Some reasonable … Continue reading →

Posted in Health, Science | Tagged , , , | 11 Comments

Pregnancy, Pesticides, and Autism

Posted on June 27, 2014 by Stephen Propatier

News media outlets love a good story. Exciting narratives draw eyeballs and sell publications. Unfortunately, people rely on news media outlets for their health and science information. Experience has shown that news media often either get the information wrong, or place far too … Continue reading →

Posted in Health, Science, TV & Media, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 9 Comments

Employer Bias When Recruiting Women Leads to An Unjust Society

Posted on June 22, 2014 by Bruno Van de Casteele

An interesting study popped up in one of my “Skeptoid ideas” feeds. Dr. Stijn Baert from the University of Ghent, Belgium and of the IZA Institute in Bonn, Germany, is applying an interesting research methodology to the field of employer … Continue reading →

Posted in Science | Tagged , , | 16 Comments

GMO Labeling: Consumer Protection or Fear Mongering?

Posted on June 19, 2014 by Stephen Propatier

The use of Genetically Modified Organisms, better known as GMO, is an area of debate among skeptics. GMO is actually a broad term that has a lot of moving parts. Forced labeling for consumer foods containing GMOs in the United States … Continue reading →

Posted in Conspiracy Theories, Health, Science, Technology | Tagged , , , | 134 Comments

Use Caution When Reading Anything About Guns

Posted on June 14, 2014 by Eric Hall

I had reservations about writing this post. I have considered writing it a few times, only to put it away because it is a difficult subject to tackle in a single post. The subject matter is also highly politicized and … Continue reading →

Posted in Science, TV & Media | Tagged , | 102 Comments

About That Turing Test Win…

Posted on June 12, 2014 by Mike Weaver

This past weekend, the media was all abuzz about how the Turing test had just been passed by a computer. This was an amazing achievement that heralded a new milestone in computing history. Or was it? Let’s take a look at … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Science, Technology | Tagged , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Elderly Sexual Activity: Some More Myths

Posted on June 8, 2014 by Bruno Van de Casteele

Last month, I reported on research done in Belgium that debunked several myths around sexuality. This research was done by one of the two biggest universities in the Flemish-speaking part of the country, Ghent. Not to be outdone (I guess), … Continue reading →

Posted in Health, Science | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

Using Bad Physics To Explain Video Game Physics

Posted on June 7, 2014 by Eric Hall

As a little departure from serious debunking, I felt it necessary to correct this egregious error in an explanation of video game physics. While watching a video sent by a friend, the video posted below came up as a suggestion. … Continue reading →

Posted in Cool Stuff, Education, Science | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments