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Cancer Medicine

NBC News and false balance on whole body MRIs

A week ago, NBC News aired a story on whole body MRI scans. Although it did include the usual cautions about false positives and the harm they cause, the caution was diluted by the story’s focus a rare case of a woman who had a brain tumor detected. Overall, it was false balance that reminded me of vaccine/autism stories 20 years ago.

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Antivaccine nonsense Bad science Computers and social media Medicine Politics Popular culture

John Ioannidis vs. the “science Kardashian” and critics of the Great Barrington Declaration

John Ioannidis’ “science Kardashian” article is the bad science that keeps demonstrating why we should have no superheroes in science. Ideology can warp any of us.

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Bad science Bioethics Entertainment/culture Medicine Popular culture Skepticism/critical thinking

“Science Kardashians” versus the Great Barrington Declaration?

John Ioannidis has used a satirical bibliometrics index to portray Great Barrington Declaration signatories, who argue for a “natural herd immunity” approach to the COVID-19 pandemic, as the underdogs mobbed by “science Kardashians.” Why?