OSTEOPATHY – NOT ALL IT’S CRACKED UP TO BE

This is an unusual post: it is by an osteopath who sent it to me for publication but insists he does not want to be named because he is still working in the profession. I think he has an interesting story to tell and therefore agreed to publishing his article, even though its author has […]

Read the rest here: OSTEOPATHY – NOT ALL IT’S CRACKED UP TO BE

Acupuncture: it is time to stop redundant, foolish, wasteful and unethical pseudo-science.

Acupuncture is a branch of alternative medicine where pseudo-science abounds. Here is yet another example of this deplorable phenomenon. This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of acupuncture in the management of primary dysmenorrhea. Sixty females aged 17-23 years were randomly assigned to either a study group or a control group. The study group […]

Read the rest here: Acupuncture: it is time to stop redundant, foolish, wasteful and unethical pseudo-science.

American Loon #2098: John Pearrell

John Pearrell is pastor of Gateway Community Church in Covington, Georgia, which is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. Pearrell is a young earth creationist, and has spent quite some efforts promoting his creationist views in letters to the editor of outlets like Rockdale...

Read the full lunacy: #2098: John Pearrell Encyclopedia of American Loons

Herbal medicines for the induction of labor? No, definitely not!

I regularly scan the new publications in alternative medicine hoping that I find some good quality research. And sometimes I do! In such happy moments, I write a post and make sure that I stress the high standard of a paper. Sadly, such events are rare. Usually, my searches locate a multitude of deplorably poor […]

Read the rest here: Herbal medicines for the induction of labor? No, definitely not!

American Loon #2097: Vinnie Paz

A.k.a. Vincenzo Luvineri (real name) Vincenzo Luvineri, or Vinnie Paz, formerly Ikon the Verbal Hologram, is an Italian American rapper for the hip hop group Jedi Mind Tricks (JMT) and frontman of the supergroup Army of the Pharaohs. JMT is primarily known for some pretty outspoken...

Read the full lunacy: #2097: Vinnie Paz Encyclopedia of American Loons

Universal Medicine follower's daughter hopes jury verdict stops 'dangerous cult' recruitment - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

A neuroscientist who tried in vain to claw back part of her mother's dying gift of $1.4 million to an unproven spiritual healer says she has been vindicated by a jury verdict that the breast cancer victim was exploited by a "socially dangerous cult"... Universal Medicine follower's daughter hopes jury verdict stops 'dangerous cult' recruitment - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Medlab - just a little prick | Plague of Mice

Now, of all the companies worldwide calling themselves Medlab – and they are legion – this appears to be the only one flogging an “at-home finger prick blood test”. My initial reaction was “live blood analysis scammers”. I was wrong.

It’s a completely different kind of scam... Medlab - just a little prick

2018 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming Digest #44

Story of the Week... Toon of the Week... Quote of the Week... SkS in the News... SkS Spotlights... Coming Soon on SkS... Climate Feedback Reviews... SkS Week in Review... Poster of the Week...

Story of the Week...

Startling new research finds large buildup of heat in the oceans, suggesting a faster rate of global warming

A post-sunset swimmer at Moonlight Beach in Encinitas, Calif., this month. (Mike Blake/Reuters) 

The world’s oceans have been soaking up far more excess heat in recent decades than scientists realized, suggesting that Earth could be set to warm even faster than predicted in the years ahead, according to new research published Wednesday.

Over the past quarter-century, Earth’s oceans have retained 60 percent more heat each year than scientists previously had thought, said Laure Resplandy, a geoscientist at Princeton University who led the startling study published Wednesday in the journal Nature. The difference represents an enormous amount of additional energy, originating from the sun and trapped by Earth’s atmosphere — the yearly amount representing more than eight times the world’s annual energy consumption.

In the scientific realm, the new findings help resolve long-running doubts about the rate of the warming of the oceans before 2007, when reliable measurements from devices called “Argo floats” were put to use worldwide. Before that, differing types of temperature records — and an overall lack of them — contributed to murkiness about how quickly the oceans were heating up.

The higher-than-expected amount of heat in the oceans means more heat is being retained within Earth’s climate system each year, rather than escaping into space. In essence, more heat in the oceans signals that global warming is more advanced than scientists thought. 

Startling new research finds large buildup of heat in the oceans, suggesting a faster rate of global warming by Chris Moody & Brady Dennis, Energy & Environment, Washington Post, Oct 31, 2018 

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Toon of the Week...

 

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SkS in the News...

In his Op-ed, In praise of 'real' science, published in the Times Colonist (Victoria, BC), Geof Johnson wrote:

In the online journal Skeptical Science, John Cook, a research assistant professor at the Centre for Climate Change Communication at George Mason University, writes: “The assertion that humans are, one way or another, at the root of global warming is the position of the academies of science from 80 countries.” 

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Quote of the Week

 “We thought that we got away with not a lot of warming in both the ocean and the atmosphere for the amount of CO2 that we emitted,” said Resplandy, who published the work with experts from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and several other institutions in the United States, China, France and Germany. “But we were wrong. The planet warmed more than we thought. It was hidden from us just because we didn’t sample it right. But it was there. It was in the ocean already.”

Startling new research finds large buildup of heat in the oceans, suggesting a faster rate of global warming by Chris Moody & Brady Dennis, Energy & Environment, Washington Post, Oct 31, 2018  

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SkS Spotlights...

Climate Action 100+ is a five-year initiative led by investors to engage systemically important greenhouse gas emitters and other companies across the global economy that have significant opportunities to drive the clean energy transition and help achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement. Investors are calling on companies to improve governance on climate change, curb emissions and strengthen climate-related financial disclosures.

Investor representatives from AustralianSuper, California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS), HSBC Global Asset Management, Ircantec and Manulife Asset Management have helped to lead the design and development of Climate Action 100+. The initiative is coordinated by five partner organisations: Asia Investor Group on Climate Change (AIGCC); Ceres; Investor Group on Climate Change (IGCC); Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change (IIGCC); and Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI). It builds on the successful investor engagement programmes coordinated by the partner organisations over a number of years. 

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Coming Soon on SkS...

• How (not) to talk about climate change (Climate Adam)
• Climate sensitivity uncertainties leading to more concern (Greenman)
• Climate change science comeback strategies: 'In it for the money' (Karin Kirk)
• What the US midterm election means for climate change (Dana)
• New research this week (Ari)
• 2018 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #45 (John Hartz)
• 2018 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming Digest #45 (John Hartz)

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Climate Feedback Reviews

Washington Post accurately describes ocean warming study with potential implications for future carbon budget

Climate Feedback asked a team of scientists to analyze the article, Startling new research finds large buildup of heat in the oceans, suggesting a faster rate of global warming by Chris Moody & Brady Dennis, Energy & Environment, Washington Post, Oct 31, 2018

Three scientists analyzed the article and estimate its overall scientific credibility to be 'high'.

A majority of reviewers tagged the article as: Accurate, Insightful, Sound reasoning.

Review Summary 

This article in The Washington Post covers a new study estimating the amount of heat energy that has accumulated in the ocean in recent decades. Such estimates have been limited because the most complete network of ocean temperatures did not exist until the 2000s. The new study uses an indirect method, instead relying on changes in atmospheric gases caused by warmer oceans. This method leads to a larger estimate of the ocean warming that resulted from human activities.

Scientists who reviewed the article found that it did a good job of describing the study, while noting that the study’s conclusions (and implications) require additional investigation. In particular, discussion among scientists has focused on clarifying what impact this study’s results have on our understanding of climate sensitivity (how much warming occurs from a given amount of greenhouse gas emissions) and, consequently, how much the world can emit before reaching 2 °C warming. 

Washington Post accurately describes ocean warming study with potential implications for future carbon budget, Edited by Scott Johnson, Climate Feedback, Nov 3, 2018

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SkS Week in Review... 

• 2018 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #44 by John Hartz
• New research, October 22-28, 2018 by Ari Jokimäki
• Climate impacts, Guest Post by And Then There's Physics (ATTP) 
• China's Greenhouse Gas Emissions by Riduna
• A eulogy to Guardian's Climate Consensus - the 97% by Dana1981
• Canada passed a carbon tax that will give most Canadians more money by Dana Nuccitelli (Climate Consensus - the 97%, environment, Guardian)
• 2018 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming Digest #43 by John Hartz

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Poster of the Week...

from Skeptical Science
via IFTTT

The Moral Outrage of the Anti-Vaccine Movement – VAXOPEDIA

It doesn’t take much to outrage folks these days.

It seems like there is always someone, someplace that is outraged about something.

Ironically, the latest faux outrage comes from anti-vaccine folks... The Moral Outrage of the Anti-Vaccine Movement – VAXOPEDIA

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The post is followed by a recommended reading list that would fill a small library, and it wouldn't be a bad thing if it did. Enjoy.

Woman Dies After Trusting “Black Salve” Fake Cancer Cure Over Real Medicine | David Gee

Cancer is a tough diagnosis for anyone, but recovery is even more difficult if you put your faith in dangerous and unproven “cures” instead of in modern medicine.

That’s what happened to one woman, who we will refer to simply as “Theresa.” She was diagnosed with cancer in early 2017 and, by the end of that year, she was applying a topical paste that eats away skin tissues... Woman Dies After Trusting “Black Salve” Fake Cancer Cure Over Real Medicine | David Gee

Warning: includes photos that may upset you. As they damn well should.

How to kill a few asthma patients with homeopathy

The ‘CANADIAN COLLEGE OF HOMEOPATHIC MEDICINE’ has posted an interesting announcement: Homeopathic Treatment of Asthma with Homeopath Kim Elia www.wholehealthnow.com/bios/kim-elia In asthma, bronchial narrowing results in coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, and a sense of tightness in the chest. Traditional treatments, such as bronchodilator and steroidal inhalers, reasonably control the condition, but cure is elusive. Side effects […]

Read the rest here: How to kill a few asthma patients with homeopathy

American Loon #2096: Anne Paulk

Anne Paulk is the executive director of Restored Hope Network, an ex-gay ministry largely consisting of former members of the now defunct Exodus International. Paulk, who identifies as an ex-lesbian, has some rather confused ideas about homosexuality. Apparently, she has even, uh, written a...

Read the full lunacy: #2096: Anne Paulk Encyclopedia of American Loons

Medlab – just a little prick

Messing about on Twitter in between playing games as I waited fruitlessly for DHL to show up with an urgent package, may they rot in a cold rainy Hell with no available sustenance other than soggy supermarket sandwiches and Kia-Ora fruit drinks (9-5 only, closed on Sundays)… Hang on, I got distracted there. So, fuck DHL for wasting my entire day, but at least Twitter came up with some magnificent jiggeryfuckery from some Spawn of Shkreli. This lot, in fact: Now, of all the companies worldwide calling themselves Medlab – and they are legion – this appears to be the only one flogging an “at-home finger prick blood test”. My initial reaction was “live blood analysis scammers”. I was wrong. It’s a completely different kind of scam. You may have seen, at the pharmacy, DIY test kits for anything from pregnancy (fair enough) to hypothyroidism to a few pathologies that … Continue reading →

The post Medlab – just a little prick appeared first on Plague of Mice.

Bernard L. Ginsborg (1925 – 2018). A tribute.

Jump to follow-up If you are not a pharmacologist or physiologist, you may never have heard of Bernard Ginsborg. I first met him in 1960. He was a huge influence on me and a great friend. I’m publishing this here because the Physiological Society has published only a brief obituary. Bernard with his wife, Andy (Andrina). You [...]

DC's Improbable Science: Truth, falsehood and evidence: investigations of dubious and dishonest science

Read the rest at: Bernard L. Ginsborg (1925 – 2018). A tribute.

Chiropractic = the area of (bogus) healthcare where pseudo-research keeps on coming

On this blog, I have repeatedly discussed chiropractic research that, on closer examination, turns out to be some deplorable caricature of science. Today, I have another example of what I would call pseudo-research. This RCT compared short-term treatment (12 weeks) versus long-term management (36 weeks) of back and neck related disability in older adults using […]

Read the rest here: Chiropractic = the area of (bogus) healthcare where pseudo-research keeps on coming