Henry Jay Forman's Blog, page 2
June 18, 2014
#Pseudoscience of #Weight_loss gets busted by #Congress #Oz not in Wonderland #Science wins
Dr. Oz Grilled In Congress, Admits Weight Loss Products He Touts Don't Pass 'Scientific Muster' see the article at Huffington Post
This type of peddling of pseudoscience is the biggest reason why I started my blog. There are ways to lose weight, but too many methods are pushed that do not work or only cause temporary loss of water.
The best way to lose weight is to lower calorie consumption, increase exercise, and make sure your health is maintained by eating a balanced diet. There is no magic and it is not easy. Some people are helped by getting encouragement from others, as in groups, but the desire to lose weight is not enough. One needs self-discipline to lose weight and keep it off.
One also needs to be a real skeptic about any article that is not based on peer-reviewed research and from a reliable source.
Where to get real science based helpIf you want to read more from reliable sources click these links from The National Institutes of Health:
What's a Healthy Weight?Should I take supplements?What about alternative medicine and supplements?More information
This type of peddling of pseudoscience is the biggest reason why I started my blog. There are ways to lose weight, but too many methods are pushed that do not work or only cause temporary loss of water.
The best way to lose weight is to lower calorie consumption, increase exercise, and make sure your health is maintained by eating a balanced diet. There is no magic and it is not easy. Some people are helped by getting encouragement from others, as in groups, but the desire to lose weight is not enough. One needs self-discipline to lose weight and keep it off.
One also needs to be a real skeptic about any article that is not based on peer-reviewed research and from a reliable source.
Where to get real science based helpIf you want to read more from reliable sources click these links from The National Institutes of Health:
What's a Healthy Weight?Should I take supplements?What about alternative medicine and supplements?More information
June 16, 2014
Next stop in the #Writing_Process #Blog_Tour
Next stop in the Writing Process Blog Tour Mystery author, Jerry Last invited me to participate in a unique blog tour on writing. I’ve known Jerry for a few decades. We are both biochemists involved in lung research. But, only three years ago, I discovered that he was the author of a series of murder mysteries, most of which occurred in South America. I’m currently reading his latest, “The Origin of Murder” that takes place in the Galapagos. You can visit his website http://rogerandsuzannemysteries.blogs... to learn about his books, his writing process and other interests. You can also visit other authors on this tour by following links to them in each of the blogs. I hope you enjoy it.
To continue the tour, I have answered the four questions that each author is asked.
What are you working on?
As a busy academic scientist, much of my time is spent writing non-fiction. Or, at least, it’s supposed to be. Currently, I’m working on two manuscripts. One is about a protein in cancer cells that is involved in metastasis. That is one focus of the work in my lab. Another is about alterations of a protein in epilepsy that may contribute to seizures. That work is from my assistance to a colleague in Ferrara, Italy. Both of these may someday be written about in posts on my blog, which is mostly science for non-scientists.
I’m still in the planning stages for my second novel. As my first, it will be a murder mystery based in the world of science that is investigated by the team of Steve Jude and Cindy Firestone. Finding something of interest in the world of scientists to which non-scientists can relate is not difficult, as science affects everyone’s life. Finding something common to the careers of scientists and non-scientists to make the theme of a whole book is not so easy. In my first novel PoisonousScience , the theme familiar to everyone is competition in an era of diminishing resources. I haven’t decided the main theme yet for the second novel, but one of the ideas I’m toying with involves a false accusation of cheating, which destroys the career of a scientist.
How does your work differ from others of its genre?There are countless murder mystery novels. There are countless novels about academia. There are even several popular novels about murders that occur in academia. What is different about mine? Well in the words of the only review of eighteen on Amazon for Poisonous Science that wasn’t four or five stars, it “is too true to read it as a fiction- with the understanding that murders were to dramatize the story.” While, I certainly hope nobody starts murdering scientists in retaliation for an unfair review, I’m fairly certain that revenge of some sort has crossed the mind of everyone, scientist or non-scientist who feels that they have been the victim of injustice. But, at the same time, I put some humor into many of the situations in my stories because my outlook on life is to look adversity in the face and then break into laughter at the absurdity of it all.
Why do you write what you do?I’ve loved reading mystery novels and thought about writing one for many years before I began to write the first one. This delay wasn’t only due to being busy with writing scientific article for work, but also having to write in a style that is almost the complete opposite to the style I’ve been using for four decades.
But, I had a story I wanted to tell. Increasing competition for limited resources is so damaging to scientists and their staffs, and the limits on fixing the problem are so frustrating that it just might just make someone, more imbalanced than any real scientist I know, seek the ultimate form of revenge. So, I found the time to write my first novel. Having enjoyed the process, I will certainly find time to write more. Basically, my goal is to have fun combining two things I love to do, solving murder mysteries and informing the public about science and science policy.
How does your writing process work?Whether it’s science or fiction, I find that having an outline is essential at the beginning. In science writing, sticking with the outline is fairly easy, as the readers will be looking for the information to be presented in a fairly standard sequence and format. In fiction writing, I found it helps in getting started, but that as the intricacies of the story develop, the outline serves more as a general direction to which to return rather than an actual roadmap.
I begin each chapter of a novel with a goal of where I want my characters to reach. Obviously, for some of the characters, the goal they reach at the end of a chapter is only an intermediate in their journey and it may be in their thinking rather than reaching a physical location.
The progress in solving the crime was written from the perspective of Steven Thomas Jude, an FBI agent. As a former forensic pathologist, Steve obtained training in the scientific method. So, although Steve was never a laboratory scientist like many of the victims and suspects, his methods were clearly scientific.
Some of the chapters in my first novel contained the thoughts of the murderer. Those were fun to write. I actually thought about having the murderer be the narrator for the whole book, but then I decided to have the murderer become progressively detached from reality.
Because my goal is to make the scientist’s world understandable by non-scientists, I asked my wife, a librarian, originally trained in art, to read each chapter. Once, the whole story was complete, I asked a third grade teacher to give me feedback, particularly about what didn’t make sense to her.
My writing mostly occurs when I can avoid distractions. So, most of it is done late at night at home or while traveling on Amtrak between Merced, CA and Los Angeles. When I write dialog, I find it best to then read it out loud. To avoid getting thrown off the train, dialog is strictly written at home.
On with the tourNow let me introduce the next two authors on this tour, Judith Cranswick (http://www.judithcranswick.co.uk) and Ben Starling (https://www.facebook.com/authorbenstarling). They will be posting about their writing process around June 21st.
Judith is a British crime writer who writes standalone psychological suspense novels and the Fiona Mason Mysteries. Fiona Mason is a tour manager for a coach company and each novel is set in a different country. Judith’s love of travel is reflected in nearly all her novels as even her latest edgy suspense novel is partially set against a backdrop of the wonderful wildlife of the amazing Galapagos Islands.
Ben Starling is passionate about marine conservation and boxing, both central themes in his upcoming novel. He is currently Writer in Residence for Mirthquake Ltd., a production company that advocates for ocean health and welfare. Most recently, he has participated in protests at the Japanese Embassy in London against the dolphin slaughter in Taiji. Ben graduated from Oxford University with a Master of Arts and M Phil. He is Oxford’s only ever Quintuple Blue (varsity champion five years running), was Captain of the university boxing team, and coached and boxed competitively until about five years ago. He was born in the USA but has lived in the UK since childhood. Ben’s upcoming novel is planned for release in 2015.
Please also like my author page on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/peroxideman
To continue the tour, I have answered the four questions that each author is asked.
What are you working on?
As a busy academic scientist, much of my time is spent writing non-fiction. Or, at least, it’s supposed to be. Currently, I’m working on two manuscripts. One is about a protein in cancer cells that is involved in metastasis. That is one focus of the work in my lab. Another is about alterations of a protein in epilepsy that may contribute to seizures. That work is from my assistance to a colleague in Ferrara, Italy. Both of these may someday be written about in posts on my blog, which is mostly science for non-scientists.
I’m still in the planning stages for my second novel. As my first, it will be a murder mystery based in the world of science that is investigated by the team of Steve Jude and Cindy Firestone. Finding something of interest in the world of scientists to which non-scientists can relate is not difficult, as science affects everyone’s life. Finding something common to the careers of scientists and non-scientists to make the theme of a whole book is not so easy. In my first novel PoisonousScience , the theme familiar to everyone is competition in an era of diminishing resources. I haven’t decided the main theme yet for the second novel, but one of the ideas I’m toying with involves a false accusation of cheating, which destroys the career of a scientist.
How does your work differ from others of its genre?There are countless murder mystery novels. There are countless novels about academia. There are even several popular novels about murders that occur in academia. What is different about mine? Well in the words of the only review of eighteen on Amazon for Poisonous Science that wasn’t four or five stars, it “is too true to read it as a fiction- with the understanding that murders were to dramatize the story.” While, I certainly hope nobody starts murdering scientists in retaliation for an unfair review, I’m fairly certain that revenge of some sort has crossed the mind of everyone, scientist or non-scientist who feels that they have been the victim of injustice. But, at the same time, I put some humor into many of the situations in my stories because my outlook on life is to look adversity in the face and then break into laughter at the absurdity of it all.
Why do you write what you do?I’ve loved reading mystery novels and thought about writing one for many years before I began to write the first one. This delay wasn’t only due to being busy with writing scientific article for work, but also having to write in a style that is almost the complete opposite to the style I’ve been using for four decades.
But, I had a story I wanted to tell. Increasing competition for limited resources is so damaging to scientists and their staffs, and the limits on fixing the problem are so frustrating that it just might just make someone, more imbalanced than any real scientist I know, seek the ultimate form of revenge. So, I found the time to write my first novel. Having enjoyed the process, I will certainly find time to write more. Basically, my goal is to have fun combining two things I love to do, solving murder mysteries and informing the public about science and science policy.
How does your writing process work?Whether it’s science or fiction, I find that having an outline is essential at the beginning. In science writing, sticking with the outline is fairly easy, as the readers will be looking for the information to be presented in a fairly standard sequence and format. In fiction writing, I found it helps in getting started, but that as the intricacies of the story develop, the outline serves more as a general direction to which to return rather than an actual roadmap.
I begin each chapter of a novel with a goal of where I want my characters to reach. Obviously, for some of the characters, the goal they reach at the end of a chapter is only an intermediate in their journey and it may be in their thinking rather than reaching a physical location.
The progress in solving the crime was written from the perspective of Steven Thomas Jude, an FBI agent. As a former forensic pathologist, Steve obtained training in the scientific method. So, although Steve was never a laboratory scientist like many of the victims and suspects, his methods were clearly scientific.
Some of the chapters in my first novel contained the thoughts of the murderer. Those were fun to write. I actually thought about having the murderer be the narrator for the whole book, but then I decided to have the murderer become progressively detached from reality.
Because my goal is to make the scientist’s world understandable by non-scientists, I asked my wife, a librarian, originally trained in art, to read each chapter. Once, the whole story was complete, I asked a third grade teacher to give me feedback, particularly about what didn’t make sense to her.
My writing mostly occurs when I can avoid distractions. So, most of it is done late at night at home or while traveling on Amtrak between Merced, CA and Los Angeles. When I write dialog, I find it best to then read it out loud. To avoid getting thrown off the train, dialog is strictly written at home.
On with the tourNow let me introduce the next two authors on this tour, Judith Cranswick (http://www.judithcranswick.co.uk) and Ben Starling (https://www.facebook.com/authorbenstarling). They will be posting about their writing process around June 21st.
Judith is a British crime writer who writes standalone psychological suspense novels and the Fiona Mason Mysteries. Fiona Mason is a tour manager for a coach company and each novel is set in a different country. Judith’s love of travel is reflected in nearly all her novels as even her latest edgy suspense novel is partially set against a backdrop of the wonderful wildlife of the amazing Galapagos Islands.
Ben Starling is passionate about marine conservation and boxing, both central themes in his upcoming novel. He is currently Writer in Residence for Mirthquake Ltd., a production company that advocates for ocean health and welfare. Most recently, he has participated in protests at the Japanese Embassy in London against the dolphin slaughter in Taiji. Ben graduated from Oxford University with a Master of Arts and M Phil. He is Oxford’s only ever Quintuple Blue (varsity champion five years running), was Captain of the university boxing team, and coached and boxed competitively until about five years ago. He was born in the USA but has lived in the UK since childhood. Ben’s upcoming novel is planned for release in 2015.
Please also like my author page on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/peroxideman
June 10, 2014
My New #Facebook #Author Page #Science & #Fiction
Please take a look at http://www.facebook.com/peroxideman I'll be posting things about my writing projects there.
May 31, 2014
Why #Immunization by #Vaccination is Good #Health and #Science Policy
Just the facts#Vaccines and adjuvantsVaccines are made by mixing dead or almost dead, bacteria or viruses (together called microbes) or parts of microbes with compounds called adjuvants. The adjuvant is often a very irritating inorganic compounds such as aluminum hydroxide. And no - aluminum does not cause Alzheimer's Disease. Sometimes the adjuvant also contains molecules called lipopolysaccharides that are combinations of sugars and fatty acids that are made by bacteria. The adjuvants turn on the immune system so that it more easily starts to respond to the dead or almost dead microbes.
#AntibodiesThe body's response that is desirable to the vaccine is the development of immunity to the bacteria or virus from which the vaccine was made. Antibodies are proteins made by our own cells in response to parts of the microbes. The antibodies provide immunity by binding onto live bacteria or viruses when they come into our bodies. This changes the shape of the antibody. Once the antibody's shape changes, cells in our body that can kill microbes recognize the antibody and eat the microbe and kill it.
ProblemsVery often minor reactions, including sore muscles or fever occurs after inoculation (injection). Other side effects are rare. Vaccines do NOT cause autism. The preservatives sometimes added to vaccines do NOT cause autism.
Sometimes vaccination does not work. Some individuals immune systems fail to respond. Other times a variant (mutated) form of the microbe develops that can escape the antibodies. Microbes change often so that new vaccines are needed all the time and often cannot be developed until after many people are infected. These are problem that can be overcome by more intense effort in vaccine development. The technology is improving constantly to identify microbial components as targets for vaccine development.
Now for my opinionVaccination has saved countless lives by preventing disease. Smallpox, polio and many other deadly diseases have been largely or completely eliminated. Those are more facts.
My opinion is that as a society, we need more vaccines to be developed and we need to make them mandatory for most preventable diseases, particularly among children. Why mandatory? Because that protects those who may not have been vaccinated yet or those whose immune cells failed to produce antibodies or enough antibodies when vaccinated. I believe that it is irresponsible for anyone to risk exposing others to a disease when it can almost certainly be prevented.
Exceptions? Yes, there are diseases including some flu strains for which vaccination fails for the reason of mutation that I described above. This is why I wrote "most preventable" diseases. When immunization is not a certainty for almost everyone, then it would be absurd to to make that mandatory.
But, for the vast majority of preventable diseases where immunization is known to work, not getting immunized is just plain nuts!
#AntibodiesThe body's response that is desirable to the vaccine is the development of immunity to the bacteria or virus from which the vaccine was made. Antibodies are proteins made by our own cells in response to parts of the microbes. The antibodies provide immunity by binding onto live bacteria or viruses when they come into our bodies. This changes the shape of the antibody. Once the antibody's shape changes, cells in our body that can kill microbes recognize the antibody and eat the microbe and kill it.
ProblemsVery often minor reactions, including sore muscles or fever occurs after inoculation (injection). Other side effects are rare. Vaccines do NOT cause autism. The preservatives sometimes added to vaccines do NOT cause autism.
Sometimes vaccination does not work. Some individuals immune systems fail to respond. Other times a variant (mutated) form of the microbe develops that can escape the antibodies. Microbes change often so that new vaccines are needed all the time and often cannot be developed until after many people are infected. These are problem that can be overcome by more intense effort in vaccine development. The technology is improving constantly to identify microbial components as targets for vaccine development.
Now for my opinionVaccination has saved countless lives by preventing disease. Smallpox, polio and many other deadly diseases have been largely or completely eliminated. Those are more facts.
My opinion is that as a society, we need more vaccines to be developed and we need to make them mandatory for most preventable diseases, particularly among children. Why mandatory? Because that protects those who may not have been vaccinated yet or those whose immune cells failed to produce antibodies or enough antibodies when vaccinated. I believe that it is irresponsible for anyone to risk exposing others to a disease when it can almost certainly be prevented.
Exceptions? Yes, there are diseases including some flu strains for which vaccination fails for the reason of mutation that I described above. This is why I wrote "most preventable" diseases. When immunization is not a certainty for almost everyone, then it would be absurd to to make that mandatory.
But, for the vast majority of preventable diseases where immunization is known to work, not getting immunized is just plain nuts!
May 16, 2014
POISONOUS #SCIENCE
Why I wrote Poisionous Science
Having dealt for over thirty-five years with the increasingly competitive National Institutes of Health system for obtaining grants, I felt an urge to tell a story that would let non-scientists know how insane the situation has become. It’s a sometimes humorous mystery in which a proposal is untreated fairly and people all over the US start to die. For $2.99, the Kindle edition can fill a weekend with a fast paced police procedural with a bit of romance.
Amazon (Kindle or softcover)
I you have any questions or comments that you would rather not post for everyone, please send them to me at Doctorofmystery@gmail.com
Having dealt for over thirty-five years with the increasingly competitive National Institutes of Health system for obtaining grants, I felt an urge to tell a story that would let non-scientists know how insane the situation has become. It’s a sometimes humorous mystery in which a proposal is untreated fairly and people all over the US start to die. For $2.99, the Kindle edition can fill a weekend with a fast paced police procedural with a bit of romance.
Amazon (Kindle or softcover)
I you have any questions or comments that you would rather not post for everyone, please send them to me at Doctorofmystery@gmail.com
May 6, 2014
#Biochemist Discovers a #Murder in #South_America
Latest Jerry Last novelMy fellow biochemist and friend Jerry Last, has written another in his series of excellent murder mysteries featuring Roger, a former lawyer and police officer, and his wife Suzanne, a UCLA biochemistry professor as the investigators.
In "The Origin of Murder" Roger and Suzanne revisit South America to solve another deadly mystery. Accompanied by their son Robert and his jack-of-all-trades nanny Bruce, they take a vacation cruise through the Galapagos Islands, 600 miles west of Ecuador. En route, they visit the ancient Incan city and capital of Ecuador, Quito, which is the highest capital city in the Americas. Also on the guest list for the Galapagos cruise are their friend Paraguayan policeman Eduardo Gomez and his wife Sophia. What a strange coincidence! Of course, Suzanne finds a dead body floating in the Pacific Ocean in chapter 1. As Roger and Suzanne retrace the path that Charles Darwin sailed and walked more than 175 years ago, the body count increases almost as fast as the clues. Series fans and new readers will enjoy this mystery novel, which can be enjoyed as a standalone entry to the series. Kindle, $2.99. http://www.amazon.com/Origin-Murder-Suzanne-American-Mystery-ebook/dp/B00K4KDL3O/ref=sr_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1399265823&sr=1-7&keywords=origin+of+murderCanada: http://www.amazon.ca/Origin-Murder-Suzanne-American-Mystery-ebook/dp/B00K4KDL3O/ref=sr_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1399265823&sr=1-7&keywords=origin+of+murder
In "The Origin of Murder" Roger and Suzanne revisit South America to solve another deadly mystery. Accompanied by their son Robert and his jack-of-all-trades nanny Bruce, they take a vacation cruise through the Galapagos Islands, 600 miles west of Ecuador. En route, they visit the ancient Incan city and capital of Ecuador, Quito, which is the highest capital city in the Americas. Also on the guest list for the Galapagos cruise are their friend Paraguayan policeman Eduardo Gomez and his wife Sophia. What a strange coincidence! Of course, Suzanne finds a dead body floating in the Pacific Ocean in chapter 1. As Roger and Suzanne retrace the path that Charles Darwin sailed and walked more than 175 years ago, the body count increases almost as fast as the clues. Series fans and new readers will enjoy this mystery novel, which can be enjoyed as a standalone entry to the series. Kindle, $2.99. http://www.amazon.com/Origin-Murder-Suzanne-American-Mystery-ebook/dp/B00K4KDL3O/ref=sr_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1399265823&sr=1-7&keywords=origin+of+murderCanada: http://www.amazon.ca/Origin-Murder-Suzanne-American-Mystery-ebook/dp/B00K4KDL3O/ref=sr_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1399265823&sr=1-7&keywords=origin+of+murder
April 24, 2014
#Poison #Science #Mystery #Academia
Scientists murdered! Professor Gil Michaels was the first to die for the sin of ruining the life of an expert in poisons. For $2.99, you can get "Poisonous Science,” an exciting and humorous story of the competitive world of academic science that some reviewers think is too close to reality for comfort. Thirteen 5 star reviews on Amazon.
Softcover printed version
Barnes and Noble
Ebay
ABE Books
Kindle or softcover Amazon
Softcover printed version
Barnes and Noble
Ebay
ABE Books
Kindle or softcover Amazon
April 20, 2014
#STEM Why #science and #math training for all is important - The #Vaccine example
We may not need more scientists, but we do need more people to understand how science works
This morning I read an opinion piece by Michael S. Teitelbaum in the LA Times about how we actually have enough scientists and engineers to fill our needs in the US. I agree with some of the points, particularly about how we have likely trained too many for academic careers although some areas of science and engineering still need more trained people. He also is entirely correct that every student needs enough training in science and math to be educated because it is important for their success in other careers. But, I differ in opinion on two issues.
The US is losing the tech raceThe article claims that we are not losing the race because we are filling our needs. This ignores the fact that we have been an exporter of technology and that will diminish as other countries catch up, even if they do not go ahead of us. Training of scientists is one thing, but the diminished support for science by congress threatens our capacity for doing the fundamental work that keeps our industries ahead in the world. That diminished capacity will cause us to lose as other countries promote science and technology advances.
Science and math training are not important just for careersIt is not essential that every student of even more than a small percentage acquire the ability to solve complex problems using the scientific method. On that I agree with Teitelbaum. II also agree with him that such training is important for many other careers besides those in science and engineering. Where I differ is in the primary reason that STEM (Science Technology Engineering Math) training is essential to all is that the public's appreciation of how science works is diminishing. This affects understanding of the technologies around us, but also makes people susceptible to the anti-science rhetoric appearing all over the Internet, some of which is being used to promote legislation to ban new technologies.
The vaccine example
Arguments against advances in technology because they haven't been proven safe are specious. As an example, the anti-vaccination advocates like to state with no evidence (other than a couple of retracted articles) that they are bad because they haven't been proven to be safe. If you understand science however, you would know that while vaccines have been thoroughly tested for safety, the absence of major problems cannot prove safety only accumulate enough evidence showing a lack of adverse reactions and effectiveness of the vaccine in preventing disease to provide a reasonable amount of support for their use. Science works by trying to show hypotheses are wrong. When the evidence shows the hypothesis is wrong, the hypothesis is abandoned. If a large amount of testing fails to demonstrate the negative, then the hypothesis becomes accepted, allowing that there is the possibility that another test will show it to be incorrect. So, for vaccines being used to prevent measles, influenza, and others, there is a lack of evidence showing ill effects except for the potential for allergies for some individuals because of the method of preparation, but not the immunizing agent itself (similar to foods being in contact with nuts as an example). Thus, vaccines are generally safe. What is clearly unsafe is having unvaccinated children. What is unethical is trying to convince others to not have their children vaccinated. It is a lack of understanding STEM that leads to those who advocate this reprehensible position having a chance to convince a significant number of people.
This morning I read an opinion piece by Michael S. Teitelbaum in the LA Times about how we actually have enough scientists and engineers to fill our needs in the US. I agree with some of the points, particularly about how we have likely trained too many for academic careers although some areas of science and engineering still need more trained people. He also is entirely correct that every student needs enough training in science and math to be educated because it is important for their success in other careers. But, I differ in opinion on two issues.
The US is losing the tech raceThe article claims that we are not losing the race because we are filling our needs. This ignores the fact that we have been an exporter of technology and that will diminish as other countries catch up, even if they do not go ahead of us. Training of scientists is one thing, but the diminished support for science by congress threatens our capacity for doing the fundamental work that keeps our industries ahead in the world. That diminished capacity will cause us to lose as other countries promote science and technology advances.
Science and math training are not important just for careersIt is not essential that every student of even more than a small percentage acquire the ability to solve complex problems using the scientific method. On that I agree with Teitelbaum. II also agree with him that such training is important for many other careers besides those in science and engineering. Where I differ is in the primary reason that STEM (Science Technology Engineering Math) training is essential to all is that the public's appreciation of how science works is diminishing. This affects understanding of the technologies around us, but also makes people susceptible to the anti-science rhetoric appearing all over the Internet, some of which is being used to promote legislation to ban new technologies.
The vaccine example
Arguments against advances in technology because they haven't been proven safe are specious. As an example, the anti-vaccination advocates like to state with no evidence (other than a couple of retracted articles) that they are bad because they haven't been proven to be safe. If you understand science however, you would know that while vaccines have been thoroughly tested for safety, the absence of major problems cannot prove safety only accumulate enough evidence showing a lack of adverse reactions and effectiveness of the vaccine in preventing disease to provide a reasonable amount of support for their use. Science works by trying to show hypotheses are wrong. When the evidence shows the hypothesis is wrong, the hypothesis is abandoned. If a large amount of testing fails to demonstrate the negative, then the hypothesis becomes accepted, allowing that there is the possibility that another test will show it to be incorrect. So, for vaccines being used to prevent measles, influenza, and others, there is a lack of evidence showing ill effects except for the potential for allergies for some individuals because of the method of preparation, but not the immunizing agent itself (similar to foods being in contact with nuts as an example). Thus, vaccines are generally safe. What is clearly unsafe is having unvaccinated children. What is unethical is trying to convince others to not have their children vaccinated. It is a lack of understanding STEM that leads to those who advocate this reprehensible position having a chance to convince a significant number of people.
April 17, 2014
#GMOs, #Aspartame and gibberish
Final post on GMOsI've been on a GMO kick for a couple of weeks. I'll move onto another hot topic next week. But, for now, one last comment regarding how the opponents of GMOs often have their "facts" so confused that they seem to be writing gibberish. An examples is saying that aspartame, which is a synthetic ester of a peptide of three amino acids, is made by GMOs. This is total nonsense, but writing such silliness allows the promoters of anti-science to attack two of their favorite targets simultaneously.
But, for a fun look at gibberish, read my murder mystery. It has more real science in it than GMO opponents can tolerate! It concerns what happens after a grant to study a fictional toxic substance called gibberishin is turned down and people start to die.
It's dangerous to mess with a toxicologist. For $2.99, you can get "Poisonous Science,” an amusing and exciting view of the murderously competitive world of academic science. Ten 5 star reviews on Amazon.
Amazon (Kindle or softcover)
Softcover printed version
Barnes and Noble
Ebay
ABE Books
But, for a fun look at gibberish, read my murder mystery. It has more real science in it than GMO opponents can tolerate! It concerns what happens after a grant to study a fictional toxic substance called gibberishin is turned down and people start to die.
It's dangerous to mess with a toxicologist. For $2.99, you can get "Poisonous Science,” an amusing and exciting view of the murderously competitive world of academic science. Ten 5 star reviews on Amazon.
Amazon (Kindle or softcover)
Softcover printed version
Barnes and Noble
Ebay
ABE Books
April 13, 2014
#GMOs If you question the anti-#GMO rumor spreaders, you get attacked.
Who is warning you against GMOs?
Honest people who do not know betterThis is probably a large part of the people who are spreading the rumors (stories not based on peer-reviewed scientific evidence) about GMOs causing harm. It's irresponsible, but some of them actually think they are doing good.
The haters of #MonsantoI don't like some of Monsanto's business practices. But its development of GMO seeds is not a bad thing. Some of these Monsanto haters may just hate any large corporation or maybe they work for a competitor. Regardless, they hurt their own arguments, as specious as they are for other reasons, with the vitriol directed at that company.
The "natural" or "organic" proponentsHooray for natural and organic farming! The food sometimes tastes better and is aiding the economy by making those who can afford it spend more money on farm products. Personally, I don't like that so many pesticides and herbicides are being used without thorough evaluation for safety. That doesn't mean they are bad, but they do have potential to be so. Nonetheless, GMOs, which make pesticides, make those that have been thoroughly tested!
But, I suspect that some of those in the organic business have a conflict of interest in spreading anti-GMO rumors. I've noticed that some of these have phony names on Google+.
Why am I defending GMOsBecause I am on a crusade to have political decisions based on science rather than rumor. But, in pointing out the flaws in the statements made by the anti-GMO rumor mongers, I have been personally attacked. In my previous blog I explained GMOs a bit more and so will refrain from repeating myself here.
Disclaimer - I have no interests in any company that makes GMOs. None of my laboratory research is supported by that industry. I am just a fanatic about using science for the good of humanity and fighting junk science and the spreading of non-scientific beliefs. Because this blog is meant for non-scientists, I try not to use jargon. For those interested in greater detail, please feel free to ask questions in the comments section. For those interested in insulting me for my opinions (as has happened in other forums), I will simply delete them.
Honest people who do not know betterThis is probably a large part of the people who are spreading the rumors (stories not based on peer-reviewed scientific evidence) about GMOs causing harm. It's irresponsible, but some of them actually think they are doing good.
The haters of #MonsantoI don't like some of Monsanto's business practices. But its development of GMO seeds is not a bad thing. Some of these Monsanto haters may just hate any large corporation or maybe they work for a competitor. Regardless, they hurt their own arguments, as specious as they are for other reasons, with the vitriol directed at that company.
The "natural" or "organic" proponentsHooray for natural and organic farming! The food sometimes tastes better and is aiding the economy by making those who can afford it spend more money on farm products. Personally, I don't like that so many pesticides and herbicides are being used without thorough evaluation for safety. That doesn't mean they are bad, but they do have potential to be so. Nonetheless, GMOs, which make pesticides, make those that have been thoroughly tested!
But, I suspect that some of those in the organic business have a conflict of interest in spreading anti-GMO rumors. I've noticed that some of these have phony names on Google+.
Why am I defending GMOsBecause I am on a crusade to have political decisions based on science rather than rumor. But, in pointing out the flaws in the statements made by the anti-GMO rumor mongers, I have been personally attacked. In my previous blog I explained GMOs a bit more and so will refrain from repeating myself here.
Disclaimer - I have no interests in any company that makes GMOs. None of my laboratory research is supported by that industry. I am just a fanatic about using science for the good of humanity and fighting junk science and the spreading of non-scientific beliefs. Because this blog is meant for non-scientists, I try not to use jargon. For those interested in greater detail, please feel free to ask questions in the comments section. For those interested in insulting me for my opinions (as has happened in other forums), I will simply delete them.
