Tag: conspiracy theories

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Antivaccine nonsense Computers and social media Medicine Pseudoscience Skepticism/critical thinking

Did Anthony Fauci have a “conflict of interest” because his wife is Chief of Bioethics at NIH?

Drs Anthony Fauci and Christine Grady
Drs Anthony Fauci and Christine Grady.

While Orac was off last week, Twitter’s new owner Elon Musk resurrected an antivax conspiracy theory that Anthony Fauci’s wife was “supposed to make sure” that he “behaves ethically.”

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Antivaccine nonsense Skepticism/critical thinking

What does antivax really mean since COVID-19?

What does antivax mean?

In 2010 I wrote about how I define “antivaccine.” Has my definition changed since COVID-19? Yes and no, but that’s why an update was needed. So what does “antivax” mean now, since COVID-19?

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Antivaccine nonsense Bad science Medicine Skepticism/critical thinking

Overconfidence as a contributor to science denial among physicians and scientists

Overconfidence Figure 2

The pandemic has brought scientists who have rejected science with respect to COVID-19 public health measures a disturbing level of influence. Recent research suggests reasons why and who among the public susceptible to such misinformation remains persuadable.

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Antivaccine nonsense Medicine

Antivaxxers rejoice over the spillover of distrust of COVID-19 vaccines to all vaccines

RFK Jr. in Berlin: Science denial at its worst
RFK Jr. at an antimask anti-"lockdown" rally.

Distrust of COVID-19 vaccines has led to spillover of distrust to all childhood vaccines, and among antivaxxers antivaxxers is much rejoicing.

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Antivaccine nonsense Medicine Skepticism/critical thinking

Conspiracy theories about monkeypox sound an awful lot like COVID-19

Monkeypox

A week and a half ago the Biden administration officially declared monkeypox to be a national public health emergency. Unsurprisingly, conspiracy theories abound, many of them recycled from COVID-19 and older antivax conspiracy theories.