Graham Kendall, University of Nottingham Many people who are old enough to have experienced the first moon landing will vividly remember what it was like watching Neil Armstrong uttered his famous quote: “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.“. Half a century later, the event is still one of the […]
Category Archives: Science
Audio Illusions – can we trust our ears?
We all know how our eyes can easily be deceived, as there are a lot of visual illusions that trick our eyes. But, it turns out our ears can be deceived too. We can easily be fooled into hearing something that actually isn’t there. ASAPScience published an amazing video about audio illusions.
Can a 4-day work week save the planet?
Anupam Nanda, University of Reading The idea of a four-day working week is gaining traction. Recently, several high-profile companies have trialled reduced hours. And in the UK, the Labour Party has pledged a 32-hour four day work week within ten years should it come to power.
How to spot a conspiracy theory when you see one
Jovan Byford, The Open University Anyone who engages critically with the phenomenon of conspiracy theories soon encounters a conundrum. Actual conspiracies occur quite regularly. Political assassinations, scandals and cover-ups, terrorist attacks and a lot of everyday government activity involves the collusion of multiple people in the attempt to bring about a desired outcome.
How to spot bogus science stories and read the news like a scientist
Doug Specht, University of Westminster and Julio Gimenez, University of Westminster When fake news, misreporting and alternative facts are everywhere, reading the news can be a challenge. Not only is there plenty of misinformation about the coronavirus pandemic, climate change and other scientific topics floating around social media, you also need to read science stories, […]
Pseudoscience is taking over social media – and putting us all at risk
Santosh Vijaykumar, Northumbria University, Newcastle Search for “climate change” on YouTube and before long you’ll likely find a video that denies it exists. In fact, when it comes to shaping the online conversation around climate change, a new study suggests that deniers and conspiracy theorists might hold an edge over those believing in science. Researchers […]
An organized collection of irrational nonsense (v. 5.0)
An organizational collection of irrational nonsense (previously known as the“Venn diagram of irrational nonsense”) v. 5.0. A complete list of irrational bullshit.
Demonising processed food undermines our trust in science
Alan Kelly, University College Cork I have a radical suggestion: let’s ban processed and ultra-processed foods. Not the products, but the terms.
A quantum computing future is unlikely, due to random hardware errors
Subhash Kak, Oklahoma State University Google announced this fall to much fanfare that it had demonstrated “quantum supremacy” – that is, it performed a specific quantum computation far faster than the best classical computers could achieve. IBM promptly critiqued the claim, saying that its own classical supercomputer could perform the computation at nearly the same […]
What Einstein meant by ‘God does not play dice’
‘The theory produces a good deal but hardly brings us closer to the secret of the Old One,’ wrote Albert Einstein in December 1926. ‘I am at all events convinced that He does not play dice.’ Einstein was responding to a letter from the German physicist Max Born. The heart of the new theory of […]