What Makes Scientists Certain and How Can We Spot “Bad” Science?

What Makes Scientists Certain and How Can We Spot “Bad” Science?
What Makes Scientists Certain?
Despite unprecedented advancements in science
and medicine, there is still a fair amount of skepticism and distrust in science (Links to an external site.). One reason
may be that scientists seem to never be really 100% certain about anything when
asked a question on television, and they appear to change their minds a lot.
(Or do they?) You can probably cite several examples from the COVID-19
pandemic, among them scientists first not recommending face masks, then
suddenly recommending them. What would increase trust in science, and how can
the scientific method help?
How Can We Spot Bad Science?
And how can we get better at spotting bad
science? Anecdotal evidence comes up frequently of the Miracle Medical Solution (Links to an external site.) (MMS)
cure, a substance that apparently can cure anything, from hives to cancer, HIV
and COVID! (Here’s one example from ABC news (Links to an external site.) of a
Hollywood actress who claims it worked for her. For the record, MMS is
not a cure for anything, and it is dangerous to ingest! So why do
people still go for it?)

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