tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post7135603062424818831..comments2024-03-28T12:01:31.049-04:00Comments on Writers Who Kill: Beliefs of Scientists and the General PublicJim Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15090252530437277145noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-52155895726925806282015-02-06T14:53:05.164-05:002015-02-06T14:53:05.164-05:00Shari, I was just reading about the whooping cough...Shari, I was just reading about the whooping cough making a come back. So sad. It's awful that children with leukemia and other illnesses that can't be vaccinated are no longer safe because there are parent's who won't have their kids vaccinated.Gloria Aldenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13581719606924364447noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-87813100287685788182015-02-05T18:38:46.145-05:002015-02-05T18:38:46.145-05:00This was a fascinating post, Gloria. I've been...This was a fascinating post, Gloria. I've been following the vaccine debate closely because of a conversation I had with our pediatrician years ago.<br />He had been chief of staff at a large hospital and said part of the training for young doctors involved watching a video of a child with pertussis/whooping cough (which he showed me). I'll never forget how absolutely sickening it was to watch that terrified child in the video struggle to breathe. Pertussis is another disease that is making a comeback after years where it was virtually eradicated. More people should see the real effects of these diseases before they decide not to vaccinate their children.Shari Randallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16425493627354028820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-65853981832312995132015-02-05T14:09:03.475-05:002015-02-05T14:09:03.475-05:00Kara, I don't doubt that sometimes there's...<br />Kara, I don't doubt that sometimes there's money behind certain research, however I don't believe that's the norm.Or at least, I don't want to believe that.<br /><br />E.B. I'm so glad they've now decided coffee and dark chocolate is good for us. :-)Gloria Aldenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13581719606924364447noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-43259828794506380792015-02-05T12:50:23.216-05:002015-02-05T12:50:23.216-05:00Jim and Kara make good points. The biggest problem...Jim and Kara make good points. The biggest problem with the weather issue is one of longevity. Mini weather patterns can't predict long-term changes in climate. I think we are impacting the weather, but then I thought we had a hole in our ozone layer, which miraculously disappeared. Sometimes observations, no matter how real, can't be used for predictive measure. Three hundred years from now, perhaps we'll have enough data to make those predictions, but now, we barely have 120 years of data. So I can understand why people question what the "experts" say. You know all about those studies--one day something isn't good for you, the next day--it's fine for you. We want instantaneous answers. When they are given to us, we distrust them--rightly so. E. B. Davishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16746747050278597888noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-34429766007212952432015-02-05T12:32:16.672-05:002015-02-05T12:32:16.672-05:00I didn't realize there was a substantial gap b...I didn't realize there was a substantial gap between the opinions of scientists and the general public. Perhaps scientists need to learn how to translate the data so it's understandable to a larger group of people. Or, maybe the sciences should be emphasized more in school. <br /><br />Also, after living in the D.C. area for a number of years, I have learned that scientific organizations (I won't name names) have a political aspect to them. Sadly, it's not just about the science. I understand why people mistrust the message.Kara Cerisehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16484336785514235707noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-4563937469991147832015-02-05T11:26:56.809-05:002015-02-05T11:26:56.809-05:00Warren, I think you're right about scientists ...Warren, I think you're right about scientists not always explaining themselves for the average person to understand what they're trying to get across. For instance, I know I wouldn't be able to understand a discussion on quantum physics, for instance. Maybe it's also why journalists don't explain things accurately, either.<br /><br />KM, you are so right about the changes made. I remember those shoe X-ray machines. Weren't they fun? Also I often served my kids lunch of macaroni and cheese with hot dogs. My poor kids. Me, too. And then there are the new medications on the market that promise so much only to be found not good for you after a certain amount of time taking them. I'm thinking of the miracle drug for menopause that would keep us forever young. I certainly feel some religions promote false science, too.Gloria Aldenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13581719606924364447noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-51166328171549093952015-02-05T10:47:38.914-05:002015-02-05T10:47:38.914-05:00Scientific knowledge is constantly evolving, and w...Scientific knowledge is constantly evolving, and what scientists "know" often changes, leading people to be skeptical.<br /><br />Even the advisability of the foods we eat changes constantly. When I was a child, parents were encouraged to emphasis meat, eggs, cheese, etc. in their family meals. Liver and bacon was considered one of the most nutritious meals around.<br /><br />Soft margarine was much better than solid butter.<br /><br />Smoking was supposedly calming.<br /><br />Babies were seldom breast fed.<br /><br />Chemical pesticides were a boon to mankind.<br /><br />Shoe stores had X-ray machines so you could see if a pair of shoes squashed the bones in your feet.<br /><br />Eventually some opinions do become so obviously wrong that they join the "Flat Earth Society" set of beliefs, but there is so much we don't know, it's not surprising that people are confused. Or that some interests distort information for there own purposes.<br /><br />And then, of course, we have the perceived chasm between religion and science over the centuries. As in, some ethnic groups (African, Native American, Irish) are subhuman, and don't need to be accorded the same consideration as "real" humans. Or that God will never permit any species of his creation to become extinct, so we don't have to worry about killing off huge populations. <br /><br /><br /><br />KM Rockwoodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03973749764907859829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-12933194665642403782015-02-05T10:08:55.049-05:002015-02-05T10:08:55.049-05:00I think part of the problem is that, as a group, s...I think part of the problem is that, as a group, scientists don't explain well what they do. Another part is that journalists rarely report science accurately since, as a group, they don't understand the basic concepts. I remember one story when experimental results debunked a popular belief. The reporter gave the results and then said but it does not explain why...He then repeated the popular belief. Warren Bullhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07789270258599769915noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-8703927340478332742015-02-05T09:08:17.977-05:002015-02-05T09:08:17.977-05:00You make a very good point, Jim. I hadn't thou...You make a very good point, Jim. I hadn't thought of that. Still, I do think there's enough evidence that climate change is human-caused.Gloria Aldenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13581719606924364447noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-92003154975499859732015-02-05T08:02:40.213-05:002015-02-05T08:02:40.213-05:00I think the Pew study is flawed in this regard: Wh...I think the Pew study is flawed in this regard: When asking about the safety of nuclear power plants, for example, a lepidopterist is no more qualified to answer than the vast majority of layman. More interesting would be to compare professionals in the field in question to (1) other scientists and then (2) the general public.<br /><br />Secondly, entrenched scientists are prejudiced toward their research. It took a long time for physicists to embrace quantum mechanics. Now they do. I don’t know what percentage of physicists embrace string theory, but I will bet that the percentages have been changing over the last decade.<br /><br />The public does not understand that when scientists refuse to say that X definitely causes Y it does not mean they think X does not cause Y, only that they are unable to scientifically test the hypothesis to disprove the null hypothesis. The MOUTHS jump on this “inconsistency” combined with anecdotal evidence and come to their own definite (and often incorrect) solutions.<br /><br />When my father taught statistics he had a graph that showed the number of births in (I think it was) Amsterdam for a long period in the past. Over that he laid a graph of the number of stork nests in the city. The correlation was nearly 1:1. Only the most feeble minded believe this proved storks brought babies to the mothers. Yet the public and the trumpeting media make that same mistake all the time.<br /><br />~ Jim<br />Jim Jacksonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15090252530437277145noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-47066787030755218992015-02-05T06:58:24.575-05:002015-02-05T06:58:24.575-05:00Kait, I so agree with you. One would think that af...<br />Kait, I so agree with you. One would think that after what happened in that Gulf spill, we would learn. I'm as happy to spend less at the gas pump as everyone, but there is a downside to the drop in gas prices, too. Now people are back to buying large vehicles that use more gas leading to more climate change. Nine of the ten hottest years on record since they started keeping track, have been in since 2000.Gloria Aldenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13581719606924364447noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-993649290245605005.post-19032736854530334912015-02-05T06:40:42.483-05:002015-02-05T06:40:42.483-05:00Off-shore drilling makes my blood run cold. As an ...Off-shore drilling makes my blood run cold. As an avid diver, the only off-shore rigs I like to see are the Tenneco Towers - a wreck dive site in the water off Broward County. We are still seeing (and learning about) the effects of the tragedy in the Gulf of Mexico a few years ago. It not only decimated the aquatic life, the human toll was huge. To paraphrase an old margarine commercial - it's not nice to fool with Mother Nature!Kaithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07758348842858993203noreply@blogger.com