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Antivaccine nonsense Medicine Politics Popular culture

COVID-19 as an “ethnically targeted” bioweapon: RFK Jr. embraces antisemitism and racism

A couple of weeks ago, RFK Jr. shared an antisemitic conspiracy theory that COVID-19 might have been an :”ethnically targeted” bioweapon that spared the Chinese and Ashkenazi Jews, showing how conspiracy theories ultimately devolve into antisemitism. Then he denied it. Same as it ever was.

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Antivaccine nonsense Cancer Medicine

“Contamination” of COVID vaccines with SV40: The stupidity continues

It’s ba-ack. Dr. Peter McCullough has latched onto a recent claim that COVID-19 vaccines are contaminated with cancer-causing “SV40.” It’s all biobabble bereft of understanding of basic molecular biology. Again.

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Antivaccine nonsense Medicine Skepticism/critical thinking

“CDC whistleblower” conspiracy theory, resurrected by “new school” antivaxxers

In 2014, Andrew Wakefield unveiled Brian Hooker’s “CDC whistleblower” conspiracy theory featuring William Thompson, a CDC scientist who claimed that a vaccine-autism link was being covered up. Now, Steve Kirsch and other COVID-19 antivaxxers are resurrecting it.

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Antivaccine nonsense Medicine Politics

“New school” anti-(COVID-19)-vaxxers are all-in on “old school” vaccines-cause-autism antivax

Over the last month, Orac has noticed that “new school” COVID-19 antivaxxers are rediscovering old school “vaccines cause autism” pseudoscience in a huge way. Also, there’s transphobia. Lots of transphobia. WTF is going on?

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Antivaccine nonsense Clinical trials Medicine Skepticism/critical thinking

Retracted papers never die in the age of COVID-19

Last month, a study showed that papers about COVID-19 that are retracted tend to be cited far more than average and continue to be heavily cited after retraction. Clearly, scientific publishing and the scientific community need to do better.