Uncertainty and Misinformation

Scientists share certain habits of mind, regardless of whether we study pathogens, people, or plants. As legendary astronomer Carl Sagan wrote: “Science is a way of thinking much more than it is a body of knowledge.” Here are three key values we scientists hold dear. 🤓 PROACTIVELY SEEK OUT COMPETING VIEWS…. …even those from the Read more…

A: Be civil. Focus on finding common ground. Choose your battles: You have greatest influence with those you know offline. Don’t waste your time on trolls. Good news: The science of science communication (yes, that’s a thing!) convincingly confirms that we all can help battle misinformation online. So what does the evidence say about the Read more…

[This post was updated by Those Nerdy Girls from the original written on 11/23/22.] My uncle is knee-deep in science conspiracy theories. Any tips on respectfully engaging him? A: Experts recommend the SART strategy: Show empathy; Affirm critical thinking; avoid Ridicule; and invoke conspiracy theory “exiters” as Trusted messengers. And it never hurts to remember Read more…

Belief perseverance, also called the backfire effect, occurs when we hold on to our beliefs even after they are proven wrong. Critical thinking, meaningful reflection, and open-mindedness to a broad array of trustworthy resources can help prevent us from falling into that trap! It feels like everyone has that friend or weird uncle who clings Read more…

Tl;dr: Ad hominem attacks are used to insult a person’s motive or character rather than address the content of a specific idea or argument. This type of mudslinging is an intellectual fallacy that draws attention away from the issue at hand and creates distrust of the individual. Let’s look at how ad hominem attacks can Read more…

Tl;dr: Commitment bias is when we stick to what we did or said in the past, even when we were clearly wrong, and the outcome didn’t turn out well. We are more likely to exhibit this if those behaviors were public and others were aware. Commitment bias can limit our personal growth and ability to Read more…

Building and maintaining trusting relationships with our readers and our partners has always been our guiding principle. We do that by doing what we have always done. And we will continue to do that now. We will: Provide evidenced-based information Address events and decisions that affect public health rather than focusing on the decision makers. Read more…

Tl;dr: Decision fatigue is that worn-out, run-down feeling we get when we have too many choices to make. As we become overwhelmed with choices, our ability to make decisions gets worse. We can minimize decision fatigue by reducing the number of decisions we need to make every day, having routines, and resting. Ever found yourself Read more…

Tl;dr: The Horn and Halo Effects are cognitive biases where our first impression influences our decision making and how we feel about someone. This impression can be based on a single characteristic that is not actually relevant, such as their race, gender identity, or even how attractive we find someone. To break this cycle, we Read more…

Get the Facts on Predatory Publishing and Fake Scientific Journals ❗️Misinformation Alert❗️ Predatory scientific publishing is a thing. There is an entire industry of essentially fake, for-profit “journals” that will publish just about anything for a fee. Academics get “invitations” to publish in these journals all the time. Most often they have humorous flaws like Read more…