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Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Science, bad science and ignorance



There are a lot unknowns about the current outbreak of Ebola. It's made the jump from isolated villages to densely packed urban areas. It appears to be spreading faster than previous outbreaks. Since more people have become infected there's been more opportunity for the virus to mutate.

There are systematic methods of separating speculation from fact. It's called science. It's methodical and painstaking. It might not always get things right, but science is supposed to correct for that. Observation and experiment provide information and a better understanding is arrived at.

Unfortunately what we've seen recently is a lot of bad science. People want to know what's going on and they don't want to wait. Because of that demand there's been a lot of bad science floating around. Theories are promoted as fact. Anecdotal stories are given the same weight as large case studies. Sensational stories, no matter how badly researched, are promoted over more balanced reporting.

Then we have outright ignorance. Science is hard. Books have to be read. Work has to be done. Pay offs take time. Too many idiots on TV are ignorant about what's going on and seem to believe ignorance is a good as knowledge. Maybe we can blame bad science for at least part of that attitude. When I see ignorance and fear being used instead of science, I get a bit ticked off. Unreasoning panic helps no one. Ignorance and prejudice are bad combinations. That's how during the 14th century plagues the Jews ended up being blamed and persecuted. Never mind that they were suffering as much as everyone else.

We are going to need more good science. Thanks to science we have ways of dealing with horrible infectious diseases. If the disease has changed, good scientific practices will eventually figure out what to do. That is, if we decided to provide the resources to make it happen. Ignorance is cheap, at least in the short term. In the long term, it could be fatal.

-Sixbears

8 comments:

  1. nobody has presented two vectors

    insect or animal transmission

    delibert acts by suicidal agents

    but hey all that money can't stop it and our leadership is incomponent to do the hard means of stopping iuts spread

    and yet real science is ignored by those promising "quickie solutions"

    feel extinct yet?

    Wildflower

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    Replies
    1. Nope, don't feel extinct, but might have a good view of the event.

      Delete
  2. The FDA and CDC practice bad science.Their vaccines
    Are all non legally liable by vaccine manufacturers. The vaccine contain aluminum cause s autism.A whistle blower for cdc a scientist revealed this Two other scientists for cdc have a lawsuit.They worked for Merk pharmaceutical. Merk lied about vacancies. Its in court right now .The head of CDC went to work for Merk.
    The vacines have peanut oil in them also.So when the babies are vaccinated with up to 5 or moe vacines before 36 months. (WHY DOD CHILDREN HAVE so much Peanut Allergies.
    Do not trust bad science.CDC, FDA, HOMELAND SECURITY. The are owned by big pharmaceutical.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Somewhere, a tree is tirelessly producing oxygen so you can breathe.

      I think you owe it an apology.

      Delete
  3. The one piece of good science that has been ignored from the beginning is quarantine. This has been proven time and time again. Quarantine is more effective than vaccines. TPTB finally figured that out with smallpox which is why we no longer vaccinate the general population, no matter what the current party line may be.

    You're not allowed out of the contaminated/infected area until you have spent 3 weeks in isolation to prove you haven't got it. No ifs...No ands...No buts.

    We could get rid of every virus that is transmitted human-to-human that way. Viruses are self-limiting. But NO we have to show up to work, school, get on a plane/bus or where ever no matter how sick we are because the world demands we do.

    Can you tell I've gotten sick more than once because some a$$hole didn't stay home? And I've received more than one letter of reprimand because I did. Okay, time for me to crawl back under my rock.

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  4. Sweet mother of God.

    There's no airborne ebola. It's not the flu. It's not rhinovirus or TB or scary stuff like that. You need direct contact with body fluids. If Hep C doesn't scare you, ebola shouldn't.

    If it's wet and sticky and not yours, don't touch it.

    ReplyDelete