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Antivaccine nonsense Bad science Medicine Politics

“Debate me” bros in the age of COVID-19 disinformation

Quacks, science deniers, and conspiracy theorists love to challenge doctors, scientists, and science communicators to “live public debates” over the science they deny. I just say no, and you should say no too if you are in a position to receive such a challenge.

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Bad science Computers and social media Medicine Science Skepticism/critical thinking

“Metabolic optimization” probably won’t save you from COVID-19

A favorite claim by those favoring “holistic” therapies is that using diet to “optimize metabolism” can prevent or treat COVID-19. These claims are of a piece with similar claims for many other diseases and are just as exaggerated.

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Antivaccine nonsense Politics

The Republican Party is now undeniably the antivaccine party

It’s been several years coming, but President Biden’s issuing of a vaccine mandate for federal employees and large employers has removed all doubt that the Republican Party is not just anti-vaccine mandate. It’s antivaccine.

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Antivaccine nonsense Medicine Politics Popular culture Pseudoscience Quackery

No License for Disinformation: Why are doctors so threatened?

It’s not “cancel culture” to take away the medical licenses of physicians promoting dangerous COVID-19 disinformation. It’s quality control. Why do so many doctors seem to think otherwise and react as though the concept threatens them?

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Antivaccine nonsense History Holocaust Holocaust denial Politics World War II

COVID-19 vaccines and the Nuremberg Code, revisited

Antivaxxers love to claim that vaccine mandates (especially COVID-19 vaccine mandates) violate the Nuremberg Code and call for Nuremberg-style tribunals to hold public health and vaccine advocates “accountable”. As usual, they have no idea what they are talking about. This is also not a new antivax narrative, although what is unprecedented is that what was once fringe even among antivaxxers is now mainstream.