Category: Science

The Science Is Settled?

I’ve always been skeptical of the disease model of addiction, and the treatment industry that flows from that theory. Disagreements of a fundamental nature in the scientific community on a host of issues are remarkably common, contrary to what the mainstream media would like you to think.

Smith was steadfast in her belief that her actions were volitional from the start. Her drug use and crimes were not the products of an immoral character or a faulty brain incapable of change, but rather of an environment where heroin was accessible and desirable. This outlook determined her experiences in prison and beyond, ultimately leading her to dedicate her life to challenging predominant medical models of addiction with her research. Today, she is an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioural sciences at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.

 

The Sound Of Silenced Science

ADHD – the Truth Goes Down the Memory Hole

This is in my view one of the great scandals of our age. We have turned away in horror from the chastisement of naughty children, to such an extent that in some European countries it is a crime to smack a child. Yet we drug children, often at very young ages and in increasing numbers, with amphetamines whose use is in general sternly banned by law. If smacking a defenceless child is wrong, then surely drugging a defenceless child is just as wrong. And yet conventional wisdom, which decides these things, regards the smack as an outrage, and the drug as normal and right. It is in these anomalies that we find out what is really wrong with our world.

The “Science”

Spectator- Ofcom still isn’t sure what a woman is

So, to be clear, the regulator thinks the view that man-made carbon emissions are causing global warming is so scientifically robust that broadcasters are under no obligation to present alternative opinions, but the notion that sex is binary, immutable and biological is so contentious that if GB News interviews some heretic who thinks trans women aren’t women it has to interview someone alongside them who thinks they are.

What Would We Do Without Science Explainers?

Watch @marilenharo “science explain” that giving taxpayers access to the research they’ve paid for is really just DEI.

From 1 July, researchers funded by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) will be required to make their scientific papers available to read for free as soon as they are published in a peer-reviewed journal. That’s according to the agency’s latest public-access policy, aimed at making federally funded research accessible to taxpayers.

Established under former US president Joe Biden, the policy was originally set to take effect on 31 December for all US agencies, but the administration of Biden’s successor, Donald Trump, has accelerated its implementation for the NIH, a move that has surprised some scholars. That’s because, although the Trump team has declared itself a defender of taxpayer dollars, it has also targeted programmes and research projects focused on equity and inclusion for elimination. And one of the policy’s main goals is to ensure equitable access to federally funded research.

The Sound Of Settled Science

Via Owen Gregorian;

A comparative genome study of earthworms and their marine relatives could challenge Darwin’s theory of evolution by showing that worms colonized land in evolutionary jumps. […]

The team has shown that marine annelids (worms) reorganised their genome from top to bottom, leaving it unrecognisable, when they left the oceans. Their observations are consistent with a punctuated equilibrium model, and could indicate that not only gradual but sudden changes in the genome could have occurred as these animals adapted to terrestrial settings. The genetic mechanism identified could transform our concept of animal evolution and revolutionise the established laws of genome evolution.

The paper is here.

Follow The Science

All the way back to Beijing;

Two Chinese nationals have been accused of smuggling a fungus into the US that officials describe as a “dangerous biological pathogen”.

Yunqing Jian, 33, and Zunyong Liu, 34, have been charged with conspiracy, smuggling goods, false statements, and visa fraud, the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan announced on Tuesday.

The complaint alleges Mr Liu tried to smuggle the fungus through Detroit airport so he could study it at a University of Michigan laboratory where his girlfriend, Ms Jian, worked.

The fungus called Fusarium graminearum can cause a disease in wheat, barley, maize and rice that can wipe out crops and lead to vomiting and liver damage if it gets into food.

The fungus is described in scientific literature as a “potential agroterrorism weapon”, according to the US Attorney’s Office, adding it is responsible for “billions of dollars in economic losses worldwide each year.”

Officials further allege Ms Jian received funding from the Chinese government for her research on the pathogen in China. They also claim she is a member of the Chinese Communist Party.

“This one isn’t missing us.”

That would be 7-8 AM CST in Saskatchewan. Grok explainer: Continue reading

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