EpidemiologyNovember 6, 2024
Misinformation Really Does Spread like a Virus, Epidemiology Shows
“Going viral” appears to be more than just a catchphrase when it comes to the rampant spread of misinformation
Stories by David Robert Grimes
David Robert Grimes is a scientist and author of Good Thinking: Why Flawed Logic Puts Us All at Risk and How Critical Thinking Can Save the World (The Experiment, 2021). His work focuses on health disinformation and conspiracy theory, and he is an international advocate for the public understanding of science. Grimes is a recipient of the Nature/Sense about Science Maddox Prize and a fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry.
OpinionJuly 1, 2024
Quack Cancer Diets Endanger People. Stick to Science-Backed Medicine
False cures and dangerous misinformation, from the misguided to the exploitative, surround cancer patients, with the capacity to do serious harm
OpinionMarch 19, 2024
Florida’s Surgeon General Shows the Danger of Politicizing Medicine
Florida state surgeon general Joseph Ladapo’s rejection of evidence-based policy stems from political rather than scientific motivations and puts innocent people at risk
OpinionJanuary 22, 2024
The New Year Resolution We Need Is to Avoid Miracle Cures
Bad diets, stress, impaired sleep and aging can’t be reversed by juicing, healing crystals or influencer-endorsed pills. Don’t buy them
OpinionDecember 8, 2023
Bad Science and Bad Statistics in the Courtroom Convict Innocent People
Science, statistics and expert testimony are crucial in securing justice. But their dubious applications in the courtroom can send innocent people to jail
OpinionSeptember 1, 2023
Republican Presidential Candidates Vow to Fiddle as Earth Burns
Denial of climate change is driven by ideology, leaving its consequences to harm us all—especially the world's poorest
OpinionJune 29, 2023
Debating Antivaccine Cranks Debases Science and Harms the Public
Staged arguments with antivaccine cranks or other science deniers gets scientists nowhere. Trust me, I tried
OpinionMarch 28, 2022
Russian Misinformation Seeks to Confound, Not Convince
Rather than take a side, these campaigns create decision paralysis that leads to inaction
OpinionApril 26, 2021
COVID Has Created a Perfect Storm for Fringe Science
It’s always been with us, but in a time of pandemic, its practitioners have an amplified capacity to unleash serious harm
OpinionOctober 28, 2019
Don’t Fall Prey to Scaremongering about 5G
Activists cite low-quality studies in arguing radio-frequency radiation is dangerous, but the weight of evidence shows no risk