https://theconversation.com/why-its-crucial-that-young-scientists-are-taught-the-value-of-being-wrong-54839

"Albert Einstein is the most famous scientist of all time. From Calgary to Cape Town the image of the wild-haired, contemplative lone genius holed up in a messy office, changing the universe, has evolved into the archetype of how society sees scientists. More than that, it has shaped the social perception of the whole scientific endeavour.

True science, we are led to believe from a very young age, is never wrong. True scientists – the Galileos, Newtons and Curies – stare into the abyss and return with deep truths about the universe we inhabit. Anything less and, well, you might as well throw in the towel. And so scientists spend their careers desperately trying to be right in every classroom, seminar and paper.

But this is not how science works. It’s not even how science is supposed to work.

The scientific method is built on four cornerstones: observation, hypothesis, experiment and the revision of the hypothesis based on the results of the experiment. The last is just a fancy way of saying “admitting that you were wrong."

..."

https://theconversation.com/why-its-crucial-that-young-scientists-are-taught-the-value-of-being-wrong-54839

"Albert Einstein is the most famous scientist of all time. From Calgary to Cape Town the image of the wild-haired, contemplative lone genius holed up in a messy office, changing the universe, has evolved into the archetype of how society sees scientists. More than that, it has shaped the social perception of the whole scientific endeavour.

True science, we are led to believe from a very young age, is never wrong. True scientists – the Galileos, Newtons and Curies – stare into the abyss and return with deep truths about the universe we inhabit. Anything less and, well, you might as well throw in the towel. And so scientists spend their careers desperately trying to be right in every classroom, seminar and paper.

But this is not how science works. It’s not even how science is supposed to work.

The scientific method is built on four cornerstones: observation, hypothesis, experiment and the revision of the hypothesis based on the results of the experiment. The last is just a fancy way of saying “admitting that you were wrong."

..."


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A good piece that should be shared widely, IMO.

http://groundedparents.com/2016/03/01/meet-the-alternative-medicine-doctor-who-uses-flint-as-a-marketing-ploy/

"...

So I asked — Do you work in Flint? Gant just shrugged and said no. Because he doesn’t distinguish between true lead-poisoning and the trace amounts of lead normally found in human bodies, Gant has no qualms marketing his services to everyone, including privileged hipsters whose drinking water is probably just fine. Here in DC, it’s the residents who can’t afford to replace older lead pipes who are really at risk for lead poisoning.

Getting safe, privileged Americans to freak out and spend money seems to be the sine qua non of environmental health advocacy these days. The Environmental Working Group — the group whose stated mission is to protect human health — most recently used the Flint water crisis to remind people to buy EWG-recommended water filters.

The constant message seems to be spend money to save your family from risks that are either unlikely or don’t exist at all (hello, fluoride). Meanwhile, do nothing to help the poorest Americans (in Flint and elsewhere) who are actually at risk.

After Gant concluded his talk, we left the room and my son pressed me to answer whether of any of that was true. I told him he should read more about lead poisoning and make up his own mind about Charles Gant, but he’s in middle school and he just said, Noooo that’s boring. Just tell me!

..."

--------------------------------------------------------

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/02/160225153612.htm

"Children with autism have no unique pattern of abnormal results on endoscopy or other tests for gastrointestinal (GI) disorders, compared to non-autistic children with GI symptoms, reports a study in the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition (JPGN), official journal of the European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition and the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition.

The study finds no evidence of cellular intestinal inflammation, lactase deficiency, or "leaky gut" specific to autistic children with GI symptoms, according to the new research, led by Timothy Buie, MD, Rafail Kushak, PhD, and Harland Winter, MD, of MassGeneral Hospital for Children, Boston. The results raise questions about previous scientific and non-scientific reports linking GI abnormalities to autism and autistic behaviors.

Similar Findings in Autistic versus 'Neurotypical' Children with GI Symptoms

The researchers analyzed the results of diagnostic tests in 61 children with autism being evaluated for GI symptoms, such as abdominal pain or constipation. The findings were compared with those in 50 non-autistic, or "neurotypical," children undergoing similar tests. All tests were performed as part of routine clinical care--not solely for the purposes of the study.

..."


-------------------------------------


FYI.

http://www.naturopathicdiaries.com/is-your-naturopathic-doctor-talking-about-you-on-the-internet/

"I was not going to write about the recent “Naturopathic Chat” forum leak. But then, while having dinner tonight, I had a dark thought: What if my hypothetical naturopath (or real doctor) were talking about me, my medical history, family, and other personally identifiable information in a web forum with a readership of 3,300 members? And what if this so-called private venue had a known spy–someone who was lurking, reading, and sharing these posts with others across the Internet?

If you are a naturopathic patient, the likelihood that your naturopath is chatting about you online is high. You are at risk of being a victim of a HIPAA violation.

The patients of real doctors, that is medical doctors, do not need to worry as much, if at all, about this kind of regular breach of privacy because chatting online about patients is considered highly unethical and is vehemently discouraged by any legitimate medical profession. For naturopaths, however, who have little sense of what is ethical, let alone legal, online forums are places where they engage in melees of transgression and ineptitude.

...

Having said that, what bothers me the most about the NatChat leaks is that naturopaths display an utter disregard for preserving patient anonymity. Now that I am aware of how other medical professionals conduct themselves, naturopaths seem entirely in violation of health privacy laws. The naturopaths in this online forum know, for certain, that someone is sharing their messages. And yet, they continue to ask questions with inappropriate details that can lead to compromising the identity of those under their care.

..."

------------------------------

The utter lack of professionalism among Naturopaths just never seems to end.

Pharma giants have cut research on psychiatric medicine by 70% in 10 years, so where will the next ‘wonder drug’ come from?
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/jan/27/prozac-next-psychiatric-wonder-drug-research-medicine-mental-illness

"When the last major wave of “blockbuster” psychiatric drugs such as Prozac arrived on the market in the late 1980s and 90s, they ushered in a new era in the treatment of depression. With fewer serious side effects than their predecessors and aggressively marketed as a new class of “wonder drug”, they were prescribed very quickly to tens of millions of people living with depression and other debilitating conditions worldwide while pharmaceutical companies made a fortune.

A quarter of a century later, questions are being asked about what, if anything, will be the next significant leap forward in psychiatric pharmacology, be it for depression or other diagnoses such as schizophrenia or anxiety. With a quarter of the population likely to experience some kind of mental health difficulty in their lifetime, it is a pretty important question.

Since the heyday of SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) such as Prozac, “big pharma” has withdrawn from psychiatric drugs research and development, and industry experts are warning the pipeline is running dry.

According to Harry Tracy, whose newsletter NeuroPerspective tracks developments in drug treatments for psychiatric problems as well as neurological conditions such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, the number of psychopharmacological drugs research programmes in larger drug firms has shrunk by 70% in the past decade.

..."


------------------------------------------------------------------------


Hmm.

Genomic testing at your pharmacy: Ready for prime time?
https://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/genomic-testing-at-your-pharmacy-ready-for-prime-time/

"Genomic testing isn’t routinely offered by your physician for a reason: At this time, its usefulness is not clear. Until better evidence emerges to demonstrate that genomic testing actually helps improve health, buying it from your pharmacy may do more harm than good. Genomic testing looks promising. But until its effectiveness has been validated, it’s probably best to seek out clinical trials, where you can help build the evidence base. There may as yet be an important role for pharmacists in the community to offer this testing. They are well positioned to guide advice to consumers (and other health professionals) on therapy decisions. But testing and advice needs to be offered when it’s useful to patient care – and not just when it supports a pharmacy’s bottom line."

http://modernliberals.com/5-reasons-to-avoid-gmo-food/

"From frankenfruit to corn that is sentient, everyone knows the dangers of GMO foods are real!

Here are five reasons why you might avoid GMOs:

...

1. The idea of children needlessly being blind and dying is appealing to you.

Approximately 250 million (yes, 250,000,000) children have a Vitamin A deficiency. Of those, 250,000 to 500,000 lose their vision, and about half of those children die each year. Foods like Golden Rice and the GM Banana may increase the bioavailability of Vitamin A, helping to resolve the micronutrient deficiency. While there are Vitamin A supplement programs in practice already, they require constant attention (people & money) to maintain implementation and are not available in all areas.

..."


-----------------------------------------------------

A bit blunt, but at least it's accurate.

http://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2015/05/07/404963436/scientists-crack-a-50-year-old-mystery-about-the-measles-vaccine

"Back in the 1960s, the U.S. started vaccinating kids for measles. As expected, children stopped getting measles.

...

Childhood deaths from all infectious diseases plummeted. Even deaths from diseases like pneumonia and diarrhea were cut by half.

Writer Roald Dahl and his wife, actress Patricia Neal, with two of their children, Theo and Chantel Sophia "Tessa." The photo was taken a few years after oldest daughter, Olivia, died of measles.

Scientists saw the same phenomenon when the vaccine came to England and parts of Europe. And they see it today when developing countries introduce the vaccine.

..."

---------------------------------------------------------

Yeah, it's from last May, but it's still a good read.

http://theness.com/neurologicablog/index.php/identifying-real-or-fake-images/

"...

The task of sniffing out fake photos, however, (at least from a technical perspective) is getting more difficult. There are two basic ways to make a fake photo. The most common is to take a real photo and manipulate it. Just replace the words on that protest sign to say whatever dumb thing you want to mock.

...

The researchers are focusing on CG images of human faces. This is the most challenging to create because of the uncanny valley. The human brain has a tremendous capacity to detect subtleties of the human face, probably because of our need to be very sensitive to the facial expressions of others, and to recognize individuals under a variety of conditions. In neurological terms, there is a large part of the cortex dedicated to processing visual information about human faces.

What CG animators discovered is that when artificial human images get closer and closer to realistic people tend to like them and relate to them more. However, when they get very close but not quite realistic, that affinity sharply drops (the uncanny valley) because the images start to look creepy. That effect goes away only when the images become almost indistinguishable from real faces.

...

Perhaps more important than how the subject did on this study was how they compared to the same study from 5 years ago. The researchers report that subject did much better previously, and their ability to separate real from CG images is getting worse as CG technology improves (as one might expect).

..."

------------------------------------------------

It's going to be a crazier world as time goes on, I guess. Or, duh. But...