Evidence-based Policy
From Sense About Science: 'When Keir Starmer became PM in July, he was keen to signal a change in attitude to public accountability.
But as his government approaches its first 100 days, there is still no formal indication that ministers intend to follow the rules on
publishing the evidence behind policy decisions. Our director Tracey Brown
wrote to the Prime Minister
this week emphasising evidence transparency's crucial role to re-gain the public's trust. Politicians cannot expect us to trust them when
they obscure their data and reasoning. Evidence transparency is key to democracy, and we need to keep up the pressure on government to
deliver. But we can only do that with your support. … It's disappointing to see government miss opportunities to build public trust in
the integrity of policy decisions. Evidence transparency is simple to secure in practice - the rules already exist, and civil servants
are keen to implement best practice. What's missing is the political will to enforce them. … Our crowd-sourced
evidence transparency review
of the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Bill found that it failed basic tests on evidencing claims and citing sources for data. We need to continue rating
major policy announcements on how well government follows the rules until all departments consistently show their workings.'
Alternative Medicine
'A new original research study by a team of HealthSense volunteers has found that virtually all practitioners of certain pseudoscientific therapies regulated by the
Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council are making claims on their websites that would breach advertising guidelines, including some that could mislead cancer
patients. Our citizen scientists used a specially-developed AI tool to scrutinise 725 UK websites promoting 12 different pseudoscientific practices, such as
reflexology, kinesiology and naturopathy, which are not based on robust science. They found the AI was as good as experienced human assessors at spotting
misinformation online, but much faster. 97% of the websites made misleading health claims, including some related to treating cancer.' The paper is published
in the online journal Royal Society Open Science and is freely available.
UFOs
'What Really Happened at
the Pentagon's Once-Hidden UFO Office? An office in the Pentagon investigated UFOs-and the paranormal-over a decade ago, segueing into a long saga leading
to Congressional hearings and breathless news stories today. But the real story looks more like former defense officials pushing their personal mythology,
rather than any cover-up of aliens.'
Menopause Supplements
From Australia: 'With a parliamentary inquiry into menopause expected to report shortly, experts are warning of a rise in ineffective and potentially harmful
menopause supplements. Susan Davis, head of the Women's Health Research Program at Monash University, said women are being targeted by "commercial interests".
She estimated that of the 1.6 million menopausal women in Australia, a third will have significant symptoms - and are therefore in the sights of a
multi-billion dollar global supplement industry peddling "natural alternatives" to hormone therapy.'
Mobile Phones and Cancer
'The objective of this review was to assess
the quality and strength of the evidence provided by human observational studies for a causal association between exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields
(RF-EMF) and risk of the most investigated neoplastic diseases.' Conclusions: 'Exposure to RF from mobile phone use likely does not increase the risk of brain cancer;
RF from broadcasting antennas or base stations likely does not increase the risk of childhood cancer; occupational exposure to RF may not increase the risk of
brain cancer.'
Vaccination
Americans'
faith in vaccines is fading, and it's corresponding with a rapid rise in some diseases. Oregon recently experienced its biggest measles outbreak in
five years: 30 cases, all among people who are not vaccinated. As of mid-August, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed
219 measles cases in the United States, up from 59 last year-a 271% increase. According to a new poll from Gallup, the percentage of Americans who
say vaccinating their children is essential has dropped from 58% in 2019 to 40%.
Climate Change
The vast majority of climate policies fail to significantly reduce emissions.
The Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change in Berlin assessed the impact of 1500 climate policies between 1998 and 2022, covering 41
countries across six continents. Only 63 successful policy interventions with large effects were identified. However, the authors say that policymakers can learn
from these 63 effective cases.
Tony Shiels
Tony "Doc" Shiels, who has died aged 86, was an artist,
magician and "monster raiser", who in 1977 claimed to have coaxed the Loch Ness Monster from the depths for an appearance to celebrate the Queen's Silver Jubilee. …
In February 1977 he was one of seven paranormalists based around the world who attempted to persuade the Loch Ness Monster to break cover in an act of
synchronised international telepathy. It proved to be an unsuccessful and indeed dangerous venture, as five of the group fell ill, or, as Shiels put it,
"succumbed to psychic backlash". (In truth, he was a self-confessed charlatan-Ed.)
The BMA and the Cass Report
From the UK's
HealthScience: 'In August 2024, Britain's doctors' union, the BMA, caused headlines (and shocked many of its own members) by announcing it did not accept
the Cass Review on gender dysphoria treatments and would be conducting its own appraisal.
For HealthSense, this is a canary in the coalmine: the small warble that warns us something big is wrong with the BMA. The trans debate has become s
o heated that opinions have morphed into pseudoscientific "facts" and it has taken four years of painstaking work by the Cass Review to unravel genuine
fact from fiction. HealthSense also reviewed the evidence, in a process that was overtaken by the Cass investigation, but which came to strikingly similar
conclusions. Now in this Position Paper we strongly endorse the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges and the many clinicians and scientists in calling the BMA
to abandon its posturing and accept that the Cass Review is by far the most thorough and authoritative guide to the complexities of gender dysphoria treatments.
Astrology
Can astrologers use astrological charts to understand people's character and lives?
A recent scientific paper gives the results and conclusions of an experiment designed to answer this question. It's a long paper but the summary is quite comprehensive.
Earlies Life Forms
'Complex life on Earth began around 1.5 billion years earlier than thought, according to
a new study.
Scientists were broadly of the view that animals first emerged on Earth 635 million years ago,
but the latest study, led by a research team at Cardiff University, has found signs of a much earlier ecosystem. … But the life forms did
not take a global foothold at this time, according to researchers.'
Havana Syndrome
'
Havana Syndrome is the name for a group of mysterious illnesses that have cropped up among U.S. spies over the past decade. The
working theory has been that adversarial countries like Russia or China are intentionally targeting Americans with invisible rayguns
to give them brain damage.' Some conspiracy theorists believe that Joe Biden was affected by Havana Syndrome during the TV debate with
Donald Trump on 27.6.24. But see:
Havana Syndrome: Finally Putting the Myth to Rest.
More Conspiracy Thepries
'Trump shooting: all
seven conspiracy theories examined': The Daily Telegraph examines the flurry of conspiracy theories that have predictably (and rapidly) emerged since the
attempt on Donald Trump's life.
Chiropractic with Babies
'The Chiropractic Board of Australia has reinstated a ban on
spinal manipulation of babies following an outcry from doctors and a request from health ministers. The national chiropractor self-regulator
banned the procedure more than four years ago after public outrage over footage of a Melbourne chiropractor hanging a two-week-old
baby upside down by his ankles. But that interim ban on performing the procedure on children under two lapsed in November and it was
revealed last week that the board had given members the green light to resume spinal adjustments on infants. That decision, which led
doctors to call for the procedure to be outlawed, was walked back last night following a meeting of health ministers in South Australia.'
Slapping Therapy
'An alternative healer failed to get medical help as a 71-year-old diabetic woman lay dying while attending a workshop he led which "evangelised" a
slapping therapy as an alternative to life-saving insulin medication,
a court has heard. Danielle Carr-Gomm, died at Cleeve House in Seend, Wiltshire, where she was taking part in the workshop in October 2016 which
promoted Paida Lajin therapy, which sees patients being slapped or slapping themselves repeatedly. Hongchi Xiao, 61, of Cloudbreak, California, is on
trial at Winchester Crown Court accused of the manslaughter by gross negligence of Mrs Carr-Gomm, from Lewes, East Sussex. ... (P)rior to Mrs Carr-Gomm’s death,
he had been prosecuted in Australia for the manslaughter of a six-year-old boy who died in 2015.'
Dyslexia
'An academic is urging experts and educators to stop diagnosing dyslexia.
Durham University professor Julian Elliott said diagnoses held "no value" in terms of educational interventions for poor readers.
"Dyslexia can be a helpful term to describe severe and persistent difficulty with reading, but that's it," he said.'
Professor Esther Crawley
'Professor Esther Crawley, Bristol University's methodologically and ethically challenged pediatrician and long-time grant magnet,
gave up her right to practice medicine last September, according to her current entry at the UK's General Medical Council, which oversees
the registration of physicians. … Her departure from clinical practice is great news for families with kids suffering from ME/CFS-and now Long
Covid. Professor Crawley has been the most influential pediatrician in the field of what she long called "chronic fatigue syndrome," or more
recently "CFS/ME." She was a gusher of misinformation, publishing seriously flawed and sometimes fraudulent research at a prolific rate. She called
PACE a "great, great" trial.'
From Sense About Science again: 'As we wait for details of the big parties' manifestos this weekend, the question we need to ask about any policy
promise is - how do we know it will work? There was a lot of debate on Tuesday about costs, but we heard little from Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer
evidencing how policy promises would achieve their goals. If we can't see the evidence behind policies, we can't be expected to trust them,
ask experts to evaluate and improve them or get MPs to vote for them. We need a fresh start from the next government, with evidence transparency
rules followed from day one. Please join us in
writing to Keir Starmer and Rishi Sunak for a clear commitment that they will publish all the evidence behind policies.'
Evidence-based Policy
A
report by Sense About Science 'shows how departments are breaking government transparency rules on publishing policy evidence. In a
transparency review of recent government policy measures, 3 out of 6 failed to meet the test of whether a motivated citizen could see what
evidence the government has used or assessed in its decision making. Our new survey with Ipsos found that 74% of British adults think it is
important that the government shows all the evidence used to make important policy decisions. The public want to be able to see the evidence
base behind policies and the rules for publishing it exist, but departments regularly ignore their own rules.'
GM Crops
'Scientists have warned that a court decision to
block the growing of the genetically modified (GM) crop Golden Rice in the Philippines could have catastrophic consequences. Tens of thousands
of children could die in the wake of the ruling, they argue. The Philippines had become the first country - in 2021 - to approve the
commercial cultivation of Golden Rice, which was developed to combat vitamin A deficiency, a major cause of disability and
death among children in many parts of the world. But campaigns by Greenpeace and local farmers last month persuaded the country's
court of appeal to overturn that approval and to revoke this.'
Long Covid
'A former Team GB rower claims a treatment she underwent for long Covid leaves participants feeling "blamed" for being ill. Oonagh Cousins
was offered a free place on a course run by the Lightning Process,
which teaches people they can rewire their brains to stop or improve long Covid symptoms quickly. Ms Cousins, who contracted Covid
in March 2020, said it "exploits" people. However, the programme's founder denied it blames patients for their illness, saying that
was completely at odds with the concepts of the programme.'
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