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Bad science Medicine Politics Popular culture

Healight: A highly implausible treatment for COVID-19

Last week, President Trump proposed using internal light to treat COVID-19. Partisans defended him by pointing to Healight, an experimental device to do just that. It didn’t help.

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Bad science Medicine Politics Pseudoscience Science Skepticism/critical thinking Television

President Trump and “just asking questions” about disinfectants and UV light to treat COVID-19

Donald Trump and Lysol

Last night, President Trump remarked about somehow getting disinfectants or light “inside” the body could kill coronavirus. Hilarity ensued, but his inadvertent promotion of COVID-19 quackery is deadly serious.

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Antivaccine nonsense Bad science Medicine Popular culture Pseudoscience

Nobel laureate Luc Montagnier embraces the conspiracy theory that SARS-CoV-2 was made in a Wuhan lab

Nobel laureate Luc Montagnier

Nobel laureate Luc Montagnier, co-discoverer of HIV, the virus causing AIDS, went further down the rabbit hole of pseudoscience, embracing the conspiracy theory that SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, was made in a lab.

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Bad science Medicine Politics Popular culture Pseudoscience Quackery

Dr. Oz and Dr. Phil’s COVID-19 denial: Oprah has a lot to answer for

COVID-19 denial by Dr. Phil on Laura Ingraham's show

For some reason, Dr. Oz and Dr. Phil have decided to bolster Fox News’ COVID-19 denial and disinformation by adding to its whataboutism and false dilemmas. Oprah Winfrey has a lot to answer for.

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Bad science Bioethics Clinical trials Medicine Popular culture Skepticism/critical thinking

Dr. Didier Raoult: Bad science on COVID-19 and bullying critics

Didier Raoult is the French “brave maverick doctor” who’s been promoting hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin to treat COVID-19. Like all true cranks, he’s now lashing out at critics as the science trends towards the conclusion that his treatment doesn’t work.