Bad science is everywhere, from social media to your news outlets; but how
would you distinguish it from all the information out there? We ask students
from Ryerson University some common scientific questions that scientists
worldwide have evidence-based answers for. Let's find out
Do you think vaccines have adverse effects on human health? Yes; yes I do; yeah; yeah
In terms of climate change, Do you think that climate change is caused or is partially caused by humans? Yes; yes; yes
Does detoxification by juices or crystals help cleanse your body? No;
no; yeah; yes I do; yeah!
Nearly 10% of Americans think vaccines are unsafe
Only 48% of Americans believe that climate change is caused by human
activity
There are no clinical evidence that support healing effect of cleansing
juice, this is just bad science; however, majority of students interviewed
answered with yes.
Difference of bad and good science.
In general, bad science
isn't supported by evidence; it is usually overly dramatic and makes
claims that are difficult to prove.
Good science is backed up with proper
experimentation and is peer reviewed; this means that it is checked by many
scientists before it is released.
Digital divide.
so why they divide? What makes
science so difficult to access?
One of the reasons include language barrier.
Of the over 75,000 documents, including journal articles, books, and theses, some
35.6% were not in English.
Of these, the majority was in Spanish 12.6% or Portuguese 10.3% simplified
Chinese made up 6%, and 3% were in French.
In general, science based data,
like big data, can be broken into three V's; the first is variety where we have
credible peer-reviewed journal articles. These can include nature, JAMA, or Cell
amongst many others. On the other end of the spectrum, we have questionable data
which could come from Facebook or Twitter users who don't necessarily have
a science background.
The second V is velocity. Good science is
very slow since only a few people can actually publish; and it also takes a
very long time to do so. Questionable data, on the other hand, is very fast;
almost anyone with internet can post their opinion without any screening
process. the last V is volume; there aren't as many good data sources since
the databases are quite limited while for questionable data there's
practically an endless supply
Some possible solutions.
An NPO web-based platform run by researchers appointed
policymakers and academic institutes that provide digestible scientific
information.
Evidence-based, reliable, accessible complies with the AODA and
ww3 interactive and allows for the ability to ask questions.
Good science
allows us to develop new technologies, solve practical problems
and make informed decisions; both individually and collectively.
Bad science is everywhere, and anyone can be a victim of it. However, the key to
preventing filter bubbles starts with you.
If you stick with reliable sources,
ask questions, and educate others who are victims of digital divide, you can spread
the knowledge of good science and help yourself and others make better life
choices
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