Posted on 12/30/2005 9:38:40 AM PST by Doomonyou
The Top 10 Junk Science Claims of 2005
Thursday, December 29, 2005
By Steven Milloy
It’s that time of year again when we at JunkScience.com reflect on all the dubious achievements and irresponsible claims made by the junk science community throughout the year.
These “lowlights” have a lot in common — namely exaggeration and hidden agendas — but they cover a diverse range of scientific themes, from child development to embryonic stem cell research to everyday radiation exposure to trying to lay blame for hurricanes.
Although virtually the entire “Top 10” could easily consist of global warming items — climate hysteria being the most important junk science issue of our time — in the interest of diversity, JunkScience.com’s Top 10 for 2005 are:
1. Obese Statistics Get Liposuction. After years of alarming the American public with ever-scarier estimates of obesity-related deaths, the Centers for Disease Control finally backed away from its exaggerated 2004 claim of 400,000 deaths annually and made a 93 percent downward adjustment to just 25,814 deaths. It’s not clear that even that number can stand up to scrutiny. Read more...
2. Cruelty to Students. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) was permitted to incorporate its radical animal rights school curriculum throughout America via its “education” arm known as TeachKind. PETA’s “learning materials” claim that such innocuous behavior as drinking milk is an example of “animal cruelty,” which their Web site repeatedly claims is an unmistakable predictor of future adult psychopathy. Read more…
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Anyone else notice how all but one of these junk science examples (the exception is possibly the adult stem cells story) are basically left-wing agenda points?
8. Stem Cell Fast-One. August headlines touted the latest breakthrough in stem cell research - Harvard researchers announced they had discovered a way to fuse adult skin cells with embryonic stem cells, effectively bypassing the ethical concerns surrounding stem cell research by not having to produce or destroy human embryos. In reality, the hype was not only premature -- since the new cells were still contaminated with embryonic genetic material -- it appears to have been an exercise in political science as the Senate neared consideration of a bill that would circumvent President Bush's funding limitations for embryonic stem cell research. Read more...
How is this not a left-wing attempt?
Studies have shown that 100% of obese adults alive today will be dead in the next 100 years. As soon as I get my million dollar government grant I'll begin my formal research to prove this.
You got it.
An artifact of the news source. Plenty of junk science on both sides of the aisle.
Steve Milloy is pretty even handed with his debunking.
bump
10) Intelligent Design
9) Intelligent Design
8) Intelligent Design
7) Intelligent Design
6) Intelligent Design
5) Intelligent Design
4) Intelligent Design
3) Intelligent Design
2) Intelligent Design
.....and the Number One Junk Science Claim of 2005 is [drumroll]...............
1) Intelligent Design
Well, I'm reading the stem cell one this way: Using adult stem cells would be an alternative that the religious right could appreciate-- if it truly worked. But it apparently doesn't, which is semi-vindication for the left's position.
I did use the qualifier "possibly" in my post, because I'm not 100% sure about this one. If you want to take it back and make the top ten a clean sweep, by my guest!
Other than intelligent design (which I agree goes beyond junk science into total fantasy) what would you call rightwing junk science?
1)Spontaneous Generation, or
2)Chance is not just a description of probability but a creative force, or
3)Life can come from non-life on it's own
Nope. ID/Creationism's whacked-out proponents take the cake in book. These clowns are either Evil in that they are pushing an agenda aimed at the very core of Conservatism, Progress, and Western Civilization or they are are totally ignorant and continue to repeat the same ID/Creationism crap that their demented Masters tell them to, in which case they are truly Useful Idiots.
I did use the qualifier "possibly" in my post, because I'm not 100% sure about this one. If you want to take it back and make the top ten a clean sweep, by my guest!
Harvard researchers announced they had discovered a way to fuse adult skin cells with embryonic stem cells, effectively bypassing the ethical concerns surrounding stem cell research by not having to produce or destroy human embryos.
What I don't understand is how fusing adult skin cells with embryonic stem cells bypasses harvesting embryonic stem cells...
All will be well.
It isn't. It never has been.
Actually, ID has been declared "not science" - that would exclude it from this category
YOU can believe what YOU wish. As for myself, the absence of these important pieces of Western Civilization are not in MY worldview.
.........."Intelligent design" may be interesting as theology, but as science it is a fraud............
~Charles Krauthammer
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1524441/posts
Once again, the purpose of the Creationist/ID Movement is to destroy Conservatism and this website. I will not let these Trolls to accomplish this.
You've got a good point to your question-- and I confess that I've got no clue how fusing one kind of stem cells to another obviates the need for the other.
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