Blog Feed: The Science Bit

As part of my day job, I’m involved in psychology research examining the effects of having other people around when you’re trying to cope with mental stress. Here’s the summary of our findings to date: it’s complicated. But not to … Continue reading → > read more

Galway nuked, radiation fireball blasts Athlone :(

Published on 2012-05-12 10:55:28

The other day, a live World War II hand grenade was found in a garden just down the street from my house. Thirty families were evacuated from their homes in the middle of the night while the army bomb disposal … Continue reading → > read more

Headline-spectrum of the day: Dino-apocalypse by ‘wind’

Published on 2012-05-07 16:11:39

So apparently, the dinosaurs are extinct. That’s not really news of course (time to let it go, Nessie fans). But what is making the news is some new research about how those terrible lizards ended up shuffling off this mortal coil en … Continue reading → > read more

Is there evidence for anti-ageing creams?

Published on 2012-05-03 04:00:44

Here is a short piece I wrote for Tuesday’s Irish Independent. It was part of their ‘Science For Life’ supplement (not available online), in which scientists provide answers to “some of life’s big questions“. I was asked to respond to a … Continue reading → > read more

Once more, with feeling: ‘Weather’ is NOT ‘climate’

Published on 2012-05-01 03:00:56

What is it with some media outlets and their tendency to gloss over the difference between ‘weather‘ and ‘climate‘? Let me give you the basics. Here’s the Wikipedia* explanation of the term ‘weather‘: …the state of the atmosphere, to the … Continue reading → > read more

Euphemistic congress

Published on 2012-04-27 15:34:40

Everybody knows that it is perfectly acceptable to say anything you like about religion. Anything. Go on, try it. Nobody will care one way or the other. After all, for as long as the history of human civilization has been recorded, … Continue reading → > read more

Aside: More on the science of college exams

Published on 2012-04-24 06:53:21

Yesterday I drew attention to a study claiming that students who bring water into exams get better grades. I made the point that at this time of year the media are often keen to report ‘science news’ that can be … Continue reading → > read more

Water on the brain

Published on 2012-04-23 08:24:33

It’s coming up to that time of year again (in the Northern Hemisphere, at least). The daylight creeps longer into the evening hours, leaves on tree and shrub begin to glow in clouds of verdant splendour, migrating birds return to … Continue reading → > read more

If it smells right, do it/him/her

Published on 2012-04-20 14:51:46

Smell anyone nice lately? Did it make you feel a little, you know, frisky? (That’s another word for romantic, kids.) Well, you are not alone. In fact, the entire rest of the human race is with you on that one. And what’s … Continue reading → > read more

Homeopathy, vaccination, autism: Together again

Published on 2012-04-13 06:55:25

As you can see above, this here blog caught the attention of the Irish Times yesterday, with founder skeptic Paul O’Donoghue using it as the hook for his latest column in the science section. [Greetings, Irish Times readers! By the way, here's … Continue reading → > read more

Cancer: Misinformation is a risk factor too

Published on 2012-04-07 13:17:50

People who know me personally will know that I don’t take cancer lightly (for various reasons I won’t go into here). So I am always a bit reluctant to criticize people who make the fight against cancer their life’s mission. After … Continue reading → > read more

Happy Meals make you unhappy? Not so fast…

Published on 2012-04-02 11:41:53

So here is even more scientific research into the non-obvious consequences of eating junk food. As regular readers will know, we’ve recently heard of a couple of studies claiming that eating chocolate either (a) helps you lose weight or (b) helps you … Continue reading → > read more

Chocolate keeps you thin? Fat chance!

Published on 2012-03-27 08:13:46

It seems like only yesterday I was writing about the idea that scoffing mounds of chocolicious contraband might actually be — bear with me — bad for your physical health. That’s right. Call me Doctor Bigbrains and give me my … Continue reading → > read more

I’ve decided to do my bit for homeopathy awareness…

Published on 2012-03-23 09:54:21

I recently came across this campaign for homeopathy awareness. Sounds good to me, we could certainly do with a helluva lot more awareness in this area. In fact, one of the more surprising reactions I encounter when I discuss homeopathy … Continue reading → > read more

Personality goes a long way…toward making you sick

Published on 2012-02-19 09:42:04

This is dangerously close to “day job” territory, but yesterday evening I was on the wireless talking about the relationship between psychological traits and physical health. This was part of the excellent Futureproof show on Newstalk 106-108 fm, hosted by … Continue reading → > read more

One year in: The Science Bit’s greatest hits

Published on 2012-02-17 03:30:37

I am generally nonplussed by birthdays. And I realise that blog posts about blog posts can sometimes be boring. However, as I’m an obsessive hoarder and a data geek, in this case I am going to make an exception. You … Continue reading → > read more

Want to lose weight? Hint: Do NOT eat chocolate cake

Published on 2012-02-13 03:00:31

Mmmmm. Chocolate cake. As in “cake” with “chocolate” in it. It’s a straightforward, yet somehow radical, concept. Except it’s not that radical. It’s just everyday, common-or-garden, run-of-the-mill chocolate cake. Tastes nice, but is not good for you; eating lots of … Continue reading → > read more

How to argue illogically: Tony’s ten top tips

Published on 2012-02-08 07:51:02

Last Friday, the Irish Examiner published an opinion piece by pop psychologist Tony Humphreys, presenting a re-hash of the now anachronistic view that autism is caused by poor parenting (the so-called “refridgerator mom” theory). Oh, and despite claiming to explain … Continue reading → > read more

Scientific literacy on the rise (Must put a stop to that then…)

Published on 2012-02-06 04:38:52

Late last year, I posted a piece on a hoax news story then doing the rounds online, concerning a local councillor in Ireland who claimed that his area was especially suitable for cloud computing because of all the clouds. The … Continue reading → > read more

The costs of complementary medicine

Published on 2012-02-03 09:01:17

Here is an opinion piece I wrote for in this week’s Modern Medicine magazine. The version below is the final draft prior to some very minor typographical edits. The article also appears online at irishhealth.com, where you can also read a companion … Continue reading → > read more

L’Oréal are at it again

Published on 2012-02-01 06:41:52

L’Oréal are at it again. Today the UK Advertising Standards Authority have once more come down hard on one of their advertisements, which has now been banned. The ad was deemed flawed in one pretty critical respect. It was flagrantly … Continue reading → > read more

EXCLUSIVE: Britain facing boom in dodgy surveys

Published on 2012-01-25 11:09:42

The scientific method is truly amazing. Not only can it be applied to such clichéd domains as physics, chemistry, biology, flying people to the moon, curing cancer, adding ears to the backs of mice, cloning sheep, and running tarantulas through … Continue reading → > read more

It’s official! Internet overuse causes brain damage! Oh wait…no, it doesn’t…

Published on 2012-01-21 11:52:05

Either overusing the internet destroys your brain, or it doesn’t. If it does then I apologize (I’m assuming that as you’re reading this humble blog instead of, say, Art Project, the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, or Celebrity Bitch Fest [Scarlett Johansson … Continue reading → > read more

“Atheists die first”?

Published on 2012-01-13 05:34:50

My post on Dr Wendy Walsh — “Atheists die first”: CNN’s “expert” fights back — has been experiencing a spike in hits over the past day or so. It deals with the research evidence surrounding claims that religious belief (and … Continue reading → > read more

That sensational Kindle bargain: UPDATE (includes rant)

Published on 2012-01-07 12:06:08

Last September I blogged about this very exciting discount available from Amazon.com. Now, please restrain yourselves…I’m only talking about a mere $467 price reduction on a single-volume book! I guess the downside was the remaining outlay. A lot of people felt the tag … Continue reading → > read more

An age-old problem: Public relations as science

Published on 2011-06-30 04:56:57

There is no doubt that in our increasingly image-conscious and superficially focused times, age discrimination presents a creeping civil rights problem. The tendency to judge the professional and social worth of a person on the basis of his or her ap > read more

Stop the spread of the ecological fallacy

Published on 2011-06-23 05:00:03

Have a look at this recently launched public health campaign, pithily titled “Stop the Spread“. It aims to address the problem of overweight in the general population. Co-ordinated by Safefood, the statutory body responsible for the promo > read more

Wake up and smell the…woahhh!

Published on 2011-06-16 17:16:34

Let’s get the controversy out of the way first. In the interests of full disclosure, I need to reveal an interest. I consume coffee. There. I’ve said it. Now you may think there is nothing particularly strange about that. After all, some > read more

Sit down while I explain…

Published on 2011-06-11 09:43:29

In case you haven’t heard, tobacco smoking is very bad for your health. In fact, it is extremely dangerous. It is associated with an astoundingly morbid gallery of adverse consequences, including a quadrupling of cardiovascular disease risk, a > read more

This week’s carcinogen: Your mobile phone

Published on 2011-06-01 16:49:03

So it looks as though we are all going to die. Again. This time it’s our mobile phones that are going to kill us. And who says so? Well, exactly. As in, the WHO says so. In a news story that has captured the imagination of cancer obsessives around > read more

Why is this paper still cited?

Published on 2011-05-26 16:07:31

What’s the most cited academic paper on complementary and alternative medicine (CAM)? Is it an evidence-based trial demonstrating the efficacy of a particular therapy? Is it a systematic review of a collection of efficacy literature? Is it a paper > read more

Publish and be (quite rightly) damned

Published on 2011-05-20 17:30:57

This week, the popular science magazine Psychology Today found itself at the centre of controversy following their publication of a blog post by evolutionary psychologist Satoshi Kanazawa. His post was subsequently removed from the Psychology Today w > read more

Talking science with Scibernia

Published on 2011-05-16 06:12:59

I was recently interviewed by the folks over at Scibernia.ie, who produce an excellent bi-monthly podcast featuring science news, debate, and analysis. The interview was conducted by tech journalist (and “recovering philosopher“) Sylvia > read more

“Racecardgate” on Storify

Published on 2011-05-13 08:45:37

This is a slightly unusual format for a post on this blog, but I thought it was worth recording for posterity. It concerns the rather bizarre suggestion made yesterday by some UK-based homeopaths about a good way of defending homeopathy against forma > read more

Test (temporary)

Published on 2011-05-12 12:09:33

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On your breast behaviour

Published on 2011-05-12 03:30:21

While breastfeeding is of clear benefit to babies in terms of providing them with efficient and wholesome nutrition, the idea that it also stimulates cognitive and behavioural development does not currently enjoy robust empirical support. Nonetheless > read more

When correlation does not imply “casualness”

Published on 2011-05-08 15:24:45

Yesterday, the Daily Mail published a news story with the following headline: “Psychologists warn of ‘casual link’ between internet porn and rise in sex offences”. Hmm, a “casual link” you say? Really?! “Casual”? (Thank you to @Evi > read more

A study not worth its salt?

Published on 2011-05-06 10:49:07

This week’s news that researchers had apparently debunked the link between dietary salt intake and heart disease was surprising to say the least, but for all that it was lapped up enthusiastically by the media. Some headline writers revelled in the > read more

It’s true, college is a rat race

Published on 2011-05-03 11:16:44

Earlier this week, a new paper by neuroscientists at Bristol University was covered across several media outlets. Very quickly, a common thread began to emerge through the headlines: “Stress can help when studying for exams” reported the Daily Te > read more

Skeptics vs. Quacks: Who’s winning?

Published on 2011-04-30 14:30:58

@bengoldacreben goldacre How many people believe in quackery? In case you thought we were winning http://post.ly/1uofh April 18, 2011 5:16 pm via PosterousReplyRetweetFavorite Last week, the British market research firm YouGov published findings from > read more

Towards a quantum Theory of Everything (including dirty dishes)

Published on 2011-04-26 07:24:11

Perhaps few words in contemporary science have been abused as much as “quantum”. Simply put, a quantum is the minimum amount of an entity that can actually do anything. One example is a photon, which is the minimum amount of light that can be inv > read more

Politico.ie covers “The Babel Fish”

Published on 2011-04-25 08:21:46

Following up on last week’s Irish Skeptics Society lecture on science communication, journalist John Holden filed a report on the Irish politics and current affairs website, Politico.ie. As part of his analysis, Holden notes that: ”In th > read more

The Babel Fish Dilemma: Talking Science with Non-Scientists

Published on 2011-04-21 15:29:55

Last night I gave a public lecture in Dublin for the Irish Skeptics Society, entitled “The Babel Fish Dilemma: Talking Science with Non-Scientists“. The Irish Skeptics, under the leadership of psychologists Paul O’Donoghue and Nóir > read more

Alcohol causes cancer? If you assume so, yes

Published on 2011-04-12 04:16:58

Last week, a study published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) linked alcohol consumption with cancer risk, and duly attracted extensive international media coverage. News outlets around the world keenly reported on the carcinogenic properties of > read more

Extinction of religion predicted by mathematics? Don’t count on it

Published on 2011-04-07 17:46:25

Recently, a mathematical model predicting the extinction of organized religion received global media attention after its presentation at a research meeting of the American Physical Society. According to the BBC news website, the researchers had shown > read more

“Atheists die first”: CNN’s “expert” fights back

Published on 2011-04-04 06:18:09

This is psychologist, Dr Wendy Walsh, discussing the merits of religion on CNN. Rather melodramatically, she is focusing on the purported advantage of being religious during catastrophic survival situations. According to Walsh, “Most studies on > read more

A fishy tale: Omega-3, Alzheimer’s, and IQ

Published on 2011-03-30 04:13:09

The Irish Times’s tolerance for pseudoscientific health claims has been discussed here before. This week, as if responding to an impulse, the Times again published a controversial health story under the guise of grassroots health activism. On this > read more

Superfast “supermoon” U-turn by the Daily Mail

Published on 2011-03-24 07:30:33

I realise that the rolling news agenda can change extremely quickly in today’s media saturated world, but even this is slightly dramatic… Daily Mail, 9 March 2011: Daily Mail, 11 March 2011: Full credit to this week’s Private Eye ma > read more

“Radiation is good for Japan”: Coulter’s case dissected

Published on 2011-03-23 04:31:09

Have a listen to Ann Coulter talking to Bill O’Reilly on Fox News last week (the show aired on St Patrick’s Day, hence O’Reilly’s green tie). Coulter is a social conservative columnist and lawyer, well known in the US for her right-wing diatr > read more

Reiki, cancer, and the problem of informed consent

Published on 2011-03-18 04:00:35

Reiki is a complementary therapy in which a therapist’s hands are placed on — or simply near — a patient’s body, with the intention of redirecting what are purported to be vital energy flows in order to enhance the patient’s physica > read more

When is a nuclear meltdown not a nuclear meltdown?

Published on 2011-03-15 13:05:30

The horror of human suffering caused by the catastrophe in Japan is vicariously traumatic, and only compounded by the fearful prospect of mass radioactivity contamination. News organizations have a pivotal role when reporting such events in both info > read more

Can geography affect depression treatment?

Published on 2011-03-11 04:00:32

The Guardian published some of their own research last week, examining the variations that exist in prescription rates for antidepressants across the UK. The headline statistics were shocking in various ways. Firstly, the Guardian found that the rate > read more

The Irish Times: Promoting homeopathy, endangering children?

Published on 2011-03-08 16:22:40

The Irish Times is the so-called “newspaper of record” in Ireland. It has a reputation for being Ireland’s leading print source of intellectual commentary and political analysis. It is widely regarded as maintaining impeccable journalistic stan > read more

The BMA’s dodgy claim about British GPs and CAM

Published on 2011-03-07 03:00:38

Providers of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) are always absolutely thrilled whenever real medical doctors claim to support their activities. Such support from authentic physicians constitutes a highly persuasive form of community adverti > read more

Right-wingers are better looking, study doesn’t show

Published on 2011-03-04 03:00:02

Last week, the news agency Agence France-Presse (AFP) issued a press release with the title, “Rightwing candidates are better looking, says study”. The item described a study conducted by Swedish and Finnish economists in which 2,500 non-Finns ra > read more

How not to perform genetic engineering

Published on 2011-03-02 15:12:53

Demonstrating that good people are capable of bad things, here is the BBC attempting to explain genetic engineering to its news audience. Most of what is presented is fine really. Except for the bit about genes. The problem here relates to the graph > read more

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