with the SciSchmooze
Hello Fans of Science and Reason,
I do have to admit that it is easy to accept claims when the evidence is plentiful yet still anecdotal and usually has no evidence to support it. I suggest that this may not be the best way to collect data and arrive at conclusions though. This is how many “misperceptions” gain traction and become, shall we say “uncommon unknowledge”. Here are a few links to peruse to see some examples…
Common Misconceptions About the Human Body
Five Misperceptions Surrounding the Environmental Impacts of Single-Use Plastic and then read the comments. (Note: there is a paywall. This gives you a bit of insight in to how information can be misunderstood!) Comment on “Five Misperceptions Surrounding the Environmental Impacts of Single-Use Plastic” (note: this is a critique of the industry supported report that isn’t available to non-subscribers!)
Misperceptions can threaten scientific advancement
8 Myths About Public Understanding of Science
Over the past decades there have been various public interpretations of what the future of our climate will look like. At one point it was global freezing, then it was global warming, then back again to freezing. How Do We Predict Future Climate? Here’s a nice collection of articles… Climate + Science
Here are a few articles to cast some heat on the subject as well… What El Niño means for the world’s perilous climate tipping points and 10 Common Myths And Misconceptions About The Science Of Weather, take a look at ‘The Parrot and the Igloo’ traces the history of climate denialism
What does seem to be clear is that there will be big swings/changes in climate over much or all of the planet for the foreseeable future!
I hope that it is as good as the pre-release marketing is. Of course like so many other things in life we will only know after it happens. I hope that we aren’t let down by “Oppenheimer” which is set to release on 7.21. I have written before about the unsung and uncredited people/heroes, notably women, who actually make many of the biggest contributions to how we understand this amazing universe we call home. Well… Female physicists aren’t… “While the Manhattan Project wouldn’t have been possible without the work of many accomplished female scientists, the only women seen in the movie’s trailer are either hanging laundry, crying or cheering the men on. Let’s hope that the film does better than the marketers.” Here’s another example of how the portrayal starts one way and doesn’t go where you might hope… The Women of Los Alamos Here’s something to help put the record straight… Pioneering Women in Los Alamos and The Women Who Built the Bomb
Lost Women of Science tells the remarkable stories of groundbreaking women who never got the full recognition they deserved – and still do.
So what is coming to the SF Bay Area this week? Well, here’s a few suggestions…
- How the James Webb Space Telescope is Transforming Astronomy Mon @ 6:00 SF
- Nerd Nite SF #134: Sharks, DNA, & Tarot! Wed @ 8:00 SF Livestream
- Weird Earth: Strange Ideas about Our Planet Thu @ 4:00 Livestream
- Observing Animals and Nature Sat 11-4 SF
- Summer Science Fundays – Chemistry Funday Sat 11-2 Berkeley
Young paddle boarders have captured a rare video of the world’s smallest and weirdest whale.
Beware of AI scam calls and what might be called “cheap fake“
The Biggest Lies They Ever Taught You In Science Class, maybe!
I am a bit of an optics fan and find lens and mirror design interesting, especially in telescopes and cameras (recently a bit more in eye glasses as well!) I’m hoping that one of you readers who know a lot more can help me understand this one… thin-lensed telescope design could far surpass James Webb – goodbye mirrors, hello diffractive lenses.
Last week there was a problem with the streaming of the Bernie Krause and David Harrington talk. I was lucky to be there. In case you missed it or want to review it this should get to to Tuning into the Biophony with Bernie Krause and David Harrington.
Have an amazing week learning more about science and how the universe works and keep the doubt!
herb masters
“The danger to society is not merely that it should believe wrong things, though that is great enough; but that it should become credulous, and lose the habit of testing things and inquiring into them; for then it must sink back into savagery.”
— William Kingdon Clifford
“Science is fun. Science is curiosity. We all have natural curiosity. Science is a process of investigating. It’s posing questions and coming up with a method. It’s delving in.”
— Sally Ride
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