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Bad science Bioethics Medicine Popular culture Pseudoscience Quackery Skepticism/critical thinking

Looking back on 2020: Too many physicians behaving badly

Looking back on 2020, if there’s one thing that the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us, it’s that crises reveal character. Unfortunately, even as many doctors bravely risked their lives taking care of COVID-19 patients, the character of too many other physicians was been found wanting, as they spent 2020 denying the pandemic and spreading misinformation. What can be done?

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

Steak-umm vs. COVID-19 misinformation

Of all the strange things that have happened during the COVID-19 pandemic, the rise of a frozen meat company as a source of critical thinking and skepticism regarding COVID-19 misinformation and disinformation is one of the strangest. How did Steak-umm become a champion of critical thinking about the pandemic?

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Antivaccine nonsense Medicine Politics Science

It’s been a week since Joe Biden won. Now what for medical science policy?

In 2016 and 2020, scientists expressed surprise and alarm at the results of the Presidential election. In 2016 it was alarm that someone as antiscience as Donald Trump was elected, and in 2020 it was over how close the election was, given Trump’s dismal record on science, medicine, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Are scientists out of touch? And now what, for federal science policy and the response to the COVID-19 pandemic?

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Bad science Computers and social media Medicine Science Skepticism/critical thinking

“Metabolic optimization” probably won’t save you from COVID-19

A favorite claim by those favoring “holistic” therapies is that using diet to “optimize metabolism” can prevent or treat COVID-19. These claims are of a piece with similar claims for many other diseases and are just as exaggerated.

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Bad science Medicine Popular culture Pseudoscience Quackery

Dr. Kelly Victory: Another despicable physician spreading disinformation about COVID-19

Dr. Kelly Victory is spreading dangerous disinformation about COVID-19. It embarrasse me how easily doctors spread this sort of nonsense.