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Computers and social media Medicine Politics Popular culture Science Skepticism/critical thinking

John Ioannidis and Vinay Prasad team up to lecture social media about “obsessive criticism”

Formerly respectable academics John Ioannidis and Vinay Prasad published a complaint about “obsessive criticism” on social media. Hilarity ensued, and many irony meters were reduced to sparking, smoking, sputtering ruin.

Categories
Antivaccine nonsense Autism Medicine Pseudoscience Quackery Skepticism/critical thinking

Vaccine scientist and advocate Dr. Paul Offit receives a much-deserved award

With the weekend so busy that the cracks were starting to show in Orac’s blogging activity, Orac nearly missed posting. Fortunately, he learned that Dr. Paul Offit received the Albert B. Sabin Gold Medal for his vaccine science and advocacy. Orac is, of course, more than happy to congratulate him.

Categories
Antivaccine nonsense History Medicine Pseudoscience

The annals of “I’m not antivaccine,” part 26: “No, I’m not an ‘vaccine safety’ advocate”

Many are the antivaxers who claim they aren’t antivaccine. Few are the antivaxers who are honest enough to openly proclaim they are antivaccine.

Categories
Autism Bad science Popular culture Quackery

William Shatner: New celebrity pitch man for dubious anti-aging stem cell treatments?

A week ago, William Shatner Tweeted that he had received an anti-aging stem cell therapy. Perusal of the website of the clinic where he got the cells reveals yet another for-profit dubious stem cell clinic. Is
William Shatner the new stem cell clinic pitchman?

Categories
Antivaccine nonsense Computers and social media Medicine

Harassment: The price of defending science-based medicine

Harassment by cranks and antivaxxers is all too often the price of defending science-based medicine. Is it worth it? How can we stop it?