Category Archives: Bad Science
Depleted Cranium
Depleted Cranium
Bad Science And Scary Science
Why You Cannot Build a Nuclear (Fission) Reactor At home
What a nuclear reactor is: In order to continue, it is important to first qualify exactly what a nuclear reactor is. In some sense, one could consider any device in which a nuclear reaction occurs to be a reactor, regardless of the type of reaction. By this definition, combining an alpha emitting isotope with aluminum or [...]
MAJOR DECISION: US Supreme Court Rules Human Genes Can’t Be Patented
In a major decision that is sure to have enormous effects in the United States and beyond, the US Supreme Court has ruled that human genes are not patentable. The Court rules that the genes are naturally occurring and therefore a discovery, not an invention. This decision does not directly impact artificially inserted or manipulated genes, [...]
New Clues in Colony Collapse Disorder
Colony Collapse Disorder has been reported on here before. It’s a recent and disturbing trend that has been seen in numerous places around the world in which honey bee populations abruptly plummet as hive colonies “collapse” and die out. The implications are worrisome, since bees are important pollinators for food crops. There have been numerous causes [...]
Setting the Record Straight On Radiation Experiments
In the 1940’s and 1950’s, the United States government undertook a large number of experiments involving radiation, radiotoxicity and nuclear safety. While most of this research was done within reasonable ethical standards, using animal models, tissue cultures and occasionally human volunteers, it is known that there were some experiments which involved human test subjects and [...]
No, Agent Orange Is Not Being Used On Turkish Protestors
Unless you have been living under a rock the past few days, you are probably aware that there have been massive protests in Turkey. These protests have, unfortunately, turned violent, largely as a result of the government’s actions to try to suppress them. The protests started over urban development projects but quickly grew into general [...]
Could the Tide Be Turning on Anti-GMO Groups?
Genetically Modified Organisms may be one of the greatest single achievements of science of the late 20th century. In addition to providing better crops, they can produce unlimited amounts of human clotting factor, insulin and other compounds needed by medicine. As far as food crops go, there is absolutely no reason to think they are dangerous [...]
This Month In Radiophobia
We all know that radiophobia is rampant. Every time there is even a hint that someone might get exposed to some ionizing radiation, the media goes nuts. It seems like it’s the latest thing to write “studies” pegging cancer risk to medical x-rays or using the wrong kind of tile grout. [...]
High School Chemistry Demonstration Gone Wroing
One of the great benefits of the proliferation of cameras on phones and devices is that so many wonderful events of every day life are not captured and uploaded to the internet. Here’s a great one from a high school chemistry class. Now I’m all for hands-on learning, because it shows how science can be fun and [...]
The Truth About Energy Drinks
Recently, there has been a lot of controversy about so-called energy drinks. These are caffeinated drinks sold as energy boosters. They may be carbonated or uncarbonated and can be found at just about any convenience store or gas station. Many come in large-sized cans, but an increasing number are of the “shot” variety, coming in [...]
Eleanor R Adair – 1927-2013
The name probably does not sound familiar, but Dr. Eleanor Adair should be remembered as one of the most important figures in advancing our understanding of the health effects of microwave radiation. She did some of the first controlled large-scale trails on humans, including herself, which helped establish the thermal effects of non-ionizing radiation. As [...]
more....
Bad Science And Scary Science
Why You Cannot Build a Nuclear (Fission) Reactor At home
What a nuclear reactor is: In order to continue, it is important to first qualify exactly what a nuclear reactor is. In some sense, one could consider any device in which a nuclear reaction occurs to be a reactor, regardless of the type of reaction. By this definition, combining an alpha emitting isotope with aluminum or [...]
MAJOR DECISION: US Supreme Court Rules Human Genes Can’t Be Patented
In a major decision that is sure to have enormous effects in the United States and beyond, the US Supreme Court has ruled that human genes are not patentable. The Court rules that the genes are naturally occurring and therefore a discovery, not an invention. This decision does not directly impact artificially inserted or manipulated genes, [...]
New Clues in Colony Collapse Disorder
Colony Collapse Disorder has been reported on here before. It’s a recent and disturbing trend that has been seen in numerous places around the world in which honey bee populations abruptly plummet as hive colonies “collapse” and die out. The implications are worrisome, since bees are important pollinators for food crops. There have been numerous causes [...]
Setting the Record Straight On Radiation Experiments
In the 1940’s and 1950’s, the United States government undertook a large number of experiments involving radiation, radiotoxicity and nuclear safety. While most of this research was done within reasonable ethical standards, using animal models, tissue cultures and occasionally human volunteers, it is known that there were some experiments which involved human test subjects and [...]
No, Agent Orange Is Not Being Used On Turkish Protestors
Unless you have been living under a rock the past few days, you are probably aware that there have been massive protests in Turkey. These protests have, unfortunately, turned violent, largely as a result of the government’s actions to try to suppress them. The protests started over urban development projects but quickly grew into general [...]
Could the Tide Be Turning on Anti-GMO Groups?
Genetically Modified Organisms may be one of the greatest single achievements of science of the late 20th century. In addition to providing better crops, they can produce unlimited amounts of human clotting factor, insulin and other compounds needed by medicine. As far as food crops go, there is absolutely no reason to think they are dangerous [...]
This Month In Radiophobia
We all know that radiophobia is rampant. Every time there is even a hint that someone might get exposed to some ionizing radiation, the media goes nuts. It seems like it’s the latest thing to write “studies” pegging cancer risk to medical x-rays or using the wrong kind of tile grout. [...]
High School Chemistry Demonstration Gone Wroing
One of the great benefits of the proliferation of cameras on phones and devices is that so many wonderful events of every day life are not captured and uploaded to the internet. Here’s a great one from a high school chemistry class. Now I’m all for hands-on learning, because it shows how science can be fun and [...]
The Truth About Energy Drinks
Recently, there has been a lot of controversy about so-called energy drinks. These are caffeinated drinks sold as energy boosters. They may be carbonated or uncarbonated and can be found at just about any convenience store or gas station. Many come in large-sized cans, but an increasing number are of the “shot” variety, coming in [...]
Eleanor R Adair – 1927-2013
The name probably does not sound familiar, but Dr. Eleanor Adair should be remembered as one of the most important figures in advancing our understanding of the health effects of microwave radiation. She did some of the first controlled large-scale trails on humans, including herself, which helped establish the thermal effects of non-ionizing radiation. As [...]
more....