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from the even-smart-people-can-perpetuate-stupid dept.
False beliefs and wishful thinking about the human experience are common. They are hurting people — and holding back science.
[...] These myths often blossom from a seed of a fact — early detection does save lives for some cancers — and thrive on human desires or anxieties, such as a fear of death. But they can do harm by, for instance, driving people to pursue unnecessary treatment or spend money on unproven products. They can also derail or forestall promising research by distracting scientists or monopolizing funding. And dispelling them is tricky.
Scientists should work to discredit myths, but they also have a responsibility to try to prevent new ones from arising, says Paul Howard-Jones, who studies neuroscience and education at the University of Bristol, UK. "We need to look deeper to understand how they come about in the first place and why they're so prevalent and persistent."
Some dangerous myths get plenty of air time: vaccines cause autism, HIV doesn't cause AIDS. But many others swirl about, too, harming people, sucking up money, muddying the scientific enterprise — or simply getting on scientists' nerves. Here, Nature looks at the origins and repercussions of five myths that refuse to die.
These are some of the science myths that will not die.
(Score: 2) by kurenai.tsubasa on Sunday December 20 2015, @04:27PM
Asatru is an interesting religion. I considered it myself, but I don't have actual combat experience as you do. I'm told it's popular with veterans.
I mean, Loki is fucking hilarious. Best troll evar, except when he went too far and killed Baldr. Þhor has interesting opinions. I've always wished for a sci-fi representation of Freyr's Skíðblaðnir.
Are you Asatru? Genuinely curious.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Runaway1956 on Sunday December 20 2015, @05:10PM
Oh no, I don't have any Viking genes in me, nor do I believe in the Norse gods. I like the idea of Valhalla, but don't believe in it. I could and would use the myths and/or religious beliefs if it helped me to destroy an enemy's morale. Maybe what I like best about the whole idea, are the valkyries. Big beautiful amazon-like women turn me on. ;^)
Abortion is the number one killed of children in the United States.
(Score: 2) by Thexalon on Sunday December 20 2015, @06:20PM
One of my favorite Norse poems is the Lokasenna [wikipedia.org], where Loki barges in quite uninvited into Asgard and proceeds to insult everybody present. And not once do any of the targets deny it. This goes along quite playfully until Thor comes and beats up Loki.
Fun times.
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.