Daily Dose of Common Sense

Look out, ladies and gents. Science and scientists are getting banged around all over the place.

A recent poll asked 1,000 Americans to name a single scientist. 23% could not name one. That equates to one out of four people who don’t remember Einstein, Curie, Edison, or the like. The same survey discovered that 65% of Americans couldn’t name a famous female scientist. Wonder how high the percentage would be if they asked for the name of a famous female reality star?

And, it’s not just historical scientists who are having a hard time. Simon Singh is not a name many in the U.S. know, but this British physicist is in the battle of a lifetime across the pond. Highly respected as a scientist and author, Singh’s legal troubles began when he spoke out against chiropractors. Some chiropractors in England claim the ability to help cure colic, asthma, or ear infections in children through spinal manipulation.

In his book, Dr Singh questioned whether chiropractors could really achieve the results they claim. Later, in a column in the Guardian newspaper, he went further, saying the therapies for children were ‘bogus’.

Unsurprisingly, he came under an avalanche of criticism and the BCA [British Chiropractic Association] demanded an apology and a retraction. When it received neither from Dr Singh, it decided to sue him personally for libel.

There is no solid science to back up what the chiropractors claim. But, amazingly, the arcane libel laws in England make it so that Singh is guilty before proven innocent. The BCA doesn’t have to prove he’s wrong; instead, Singh has to prove the accuracy of his comments. Why is this all important? This suit could have ripple effects on other scientific journalists and their ability to exercise free speech. We should all be rooting for Dr Singh’s appeal to go through.

Lastly, science is really fighting an uphill battle concerning vaccines. There is no proven scientific evidence linking vaccines to autism, yet celebrities like Jenny McCarthy and Jim Carrey continue to spread a lot of incorrect anti-vaccination information. Sadly, a lot of people listen and kids will die. [Check out the Jenny McCarthy Body Count.]

Because the anti-vax movement picked up steam, 2008 saw the largest outbreak of measles in almost ten years. Whooping cough and mumps are also making a reappearance. Why are people so distrustful of science?

Now, more than ten years after unfounded doubts about vaccine safety first emerged, scientists and public health officials are still struggling to get the story out. Their task is made far more difficult by the explosion of misinformation on the Internet, talk shows, and high-profile media outlets, by journalists’ tendency to cover the issue as a “debate,” and [...] by an erosion of trust in experts.

Science is what saves us. It’s what heals, allows for better quality of life as we get older, and keeps our loved ones around longer. It searches for answers and constantly questions itself. It isn’t perfect, but it strives to find the truth.

Despite its use of actors instead of the real deal, I love the idea of the current Intel ad campaign that portrays their computer programmers and engineers as rock stars. Perhaps someone should create a similar campaign for the likes of Norman Borlaug, Jonas Salk, Rosalind Franklin, or Niels Bohr.

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 2nd, 2009 at 9:03 pm and is filed under Science. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.