Science

News, commentary, critique, reviews, research and more from the world of science.

Psychology

HADD its day: there’s no evidence for an inherited hyperactive agency detection device

Kat Ford -
That our superstitious beliefs can be explained by an inherited trait for hyperactive agency detection is simple, elegant... and not remotely evidence-based
Science

Unborn in the USA: being honest about IUDs could help us fight the anti-abortion movement

Colin Brewer -
We shouldn't shy away from the fact that IUDs are abortifacients - embracing it could help highlight the hypocrisy of anti-abortionists
Placebo Effect

The evidence for pill colour impacting placebo effects gets flimsier the more you examine it

Mike Hall -
The idea that the colour of a pill influences what placebo response you get is based on a succession of badly designed or badly interpreted trials
Conspiracy Theories

Comparing misinformation to a virus is both accurate and useful in preventing its spread

Sander van der Linden -
In response to a recent article in The Skeptic, Professor Sander van der Linden argues that there is value and validity to the misinformation-as-virus analogy
Archive

From the archives: The Weight of Evidence – Gyroscopes can’t levitate UFOs

Dave Love -
From the archives in 1990, Dave Love explains the physics of gyroscopes after a scientific paper claimed the devices could generate lift
Psychology

The Sullivanians, psychoanalysis, and the worst therapy in the world

Carlos Orsi -
Based on the now-discredited teachings of Sigmund Freud, psychoanalysis quickly took on all the trappings of a cult, complete with infallible, abusive leaders
Alternative Medicine

Could AI help fix the issues of ineffective alternative medicine regulation?

Michael Marshall -
A new study uses AI to identify misleading health claims, showing that with the right motivation and technology, proper regulation of alternative medicine is possible
Placebo Effect

Does the colour of a pill really influence what kind of placebo effect you’ll experience?

Mike Hall -
It's said that pill colour influences what placebo effect people experience, but the primary source for this claim is flimsy at best
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