A Firehose of Junk Science

Every day is bringing fresh coronavirus quackery disguised as science. Getting COVID makes you dumber; kids are at significant risk of COVID; the unvaccinated are driving infections--these are actual, mainstream ideas out there. There are not enough days in the week for me to debunk it all: my vacation is over today; my cracked bathroom ceiling is half-scraped and the fan-light I dropped and broke needs to be replaced; and I badly need some time engaging with people who haven't lost their minds.

So I am calling on readers to sharpen their thinking skills, use the scientific method and learn how to read studies and understand risk. Don't worry--the videos below are entertaining and succinct. In less than an hour, you'll know more about science than most reporters on the news.

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This four-minute video by Gerd Gigerenzer shows you the difference between relative and absolute risk--or how Pfizer can claim, with a straight face, 90% effectiveness for a vaccine that provides what most of us would call a real-world risk reduction of 3.7%. You can see it in 28 languages here.

Tom Naughton makes us laugh as he shows us how to spot mistakes in scientific research. The presentation is called "Science for Smart People," but don't worry if you don't remember algebra or the periodic table. The video is aimed at laymen.

If studies aren't up your alley, you can make observations and test your hypotheses. (Just make sure you aren't succumbing to errors and biases--the easiest person to fool is yourself!) Dr. Ted Noel cuts through mask confusion below in an experiment you could replicate at home.

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Dana Carpender's Podcast; Dr. Davis on YouTube; Labor Day Sales

Dana Carpender, who's written several recipe books and other works on low-carb, has a podcast and is still writing articles at carbsmart.com. She's a terrific writer and amateur researcher (otherwise known as reading , as Jimmy Dore jokes ). I use her book 500 Low-Carb Recipes all the time and I'm looking forward to hearing more from her. I've embedded her podcast on my blog (click on the three lines at the top right if you don't see it, or go to Spotify or other podcast source if you're getting this by email). Carbsmart.com doesn't seem to have a blog feed, so if you want to see the latest posts there, you can sign up for notifications at their site. Dr. Davis has been putting a lot more videos on YouTube, so I've added his channel to the lineup. Click on the three lines on my blog if you don't see it, or go to his channel here . * * * * * Primal Kitchen is having a Labor Day sale-- 20% off everything. They sell high quality collagen powder, con...

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Pain, Pain, Go Away!

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