Science

Hotels and houseplants: why we should doubt Ellen Langer’s mind-over-matter miracles

Harvard psychologist Ellen Langer's research claims powerful mind-over-matter effects, based on small studies with implausible outcomes - we should be skeptical

Toby Young’s Daily Sceptic and Free Speech Union are no allies of critical thinkers

Toby Young's Daily Sceptic vociferously champions pseudoscientific conclusions, while his Free Speech Union defends those positions with which he agrees.

The evidence from plant neurobiology for the sentience of plants is far from well-grounded

Plant neurobiologists have come to promote the idea that plants have a form of rudimentary sentience, but the evidence is slim, and the explanation is unnecessary

Zero Hour for climate change: the time is now to back the Climate and Nature Bill

Given the need for climate action has never been more urgent, Zero Hour and Extinction Rebellion are putting climate change firmly on the political agenda

Panpsychism revived, in James Bridle’s “Ways of Being”

"Ways of Being" argues that intelligence isn't a purely human phenomenon, but in doing so strays into a quasi-mysticism to explain the material

“Big Pharma” has its flaws, but like all industries, it’s made up of people – some bad, some good

It's easy to criticise Big Pharma as a monolith, but there are plenty of regular workers for pharmaceutical companies who are motivated to make medicines safer

Did we really discover pain in insects? Maybe… but we can’t be sure they feel it like we do

Studies have shown insects can detect negative stimuli that we would register as pain, but we can't assume that's the same as feeling pain

Does a prohibition-based approach to drugs and disposable vaping make sense?

The government are often swift to ban recreational drugs, even without evidence of harm - but when it comes to disposable vapes, are they right?
- Advertisement -spot_img

Latest news