23andMe Selling Customer's Genetic Data

It's just possible that 23andMe has not been collecting the DNA of 800,000 customers for altruistic genealogical purposes.

China Surpasses America in Computing

A Chinese supercomputer has been named the world's fastest computer for the seventh year in a row – but unlike previous winners, this year's champion uses only Chinese-designed processors, representing a decline of US dominance in the field.

The Penultimate Frontier

Scientists have better data to suggest the absence of intelligent life on the planet Mars than they do in our own oceans.  Even without this tantalising possibility, any possible threats or opportunities down there are a lot closer to us, and so perhaps more pressing to discover than the shape of rocks on dead worlds.  There is now an initiative to rectify this at last by properly mapping the seafloor.

Research Reliably Unreplicable

"Reproducibility is like brushing your teeth"--and 90% of scientists surveyed think there is a slight to significant crisis of oral hygiene in the published scientific literature.  No word on how concerned social scientists and arts professors are about brushing their teeth.

On The Unreliability of Witnesses and Scientists

Once the reality of meteorite falls became established, the historian Eusebius Salverte pointed out that scientists' failure to recognise the truth of the matter for so long was borne out of "a predetermination to see nothing, or to deny what we had seen."

Public Given Small Yellow Submarine in Consolation

Some assholes at the U.K.'s National Environment Research Council--who asked for people's suggestions for a publicly-funded ship's name--apparently think the Sir David Attenborough is a better name for a research vessel than Boaty McBoatface, and they'll subvert the will of the people to wage their poncy class war against fun!

Neil deGrasse Tyson Fucking Loves Science

‘Science’ here has very little to do with the scientific method itself; it means ontological physicalism, not believing in our Lord Jesus Christ, hating the spectrally stupid, and, more than anything, pretty pictures of nebulae and tree frogs.

JREF Narrows Challenge

The overabundance of dowsers and psychics hoping to be tested but unwilling to submit to the arbitrary, fluid, and unfairly weighted experimental protocols established by an ornery stage magician -- The Amazing Randi -- has forced the James Randi Educational Foundation to limit applicants for the One Million Dollar Paranormal Challenge to established psychics (sic) with a TV crew.

Cover-Up Covered Up

Robert De Niro has withdrawn the documentary "Vaxxed: From Cover-Up to Catastrophe" from the Tribeca Film Festival.  De Niro had previously championed the film's right to contribute to a public discussion.  After consulting with members of "the scientific community," De Niro had an "awakening," and now shares their "concern with certain things in this film."

The filmmakers, who were not asked to respond to claims against their documentary, issued their own statement, with some business about free speech, art, and truth.

The Top 10 Retractions of 2015

Can’t make this stuff up: This spring, we found a retraction in the Indian Journal of Dermatology of a guideline for detecting and dealing with plagiarism, by Thorakkal Shamim. The reason the paper was pulled? Plagiarism.

Elite scientists can hold back science

Here's the pattern: After the unexpected death of a rock-star scientist, their frequent collaborators — the junior researchers who authored papers with them — suddenly see a drop in publication. At the same time, there is a marked increase in published work by other newcomers to the field.

NIH-funded trials dip, industry trials on the rise

The pharmaceutical industry tests its own products, while the NIH funds tests of treatment approaches, including lifestyle interventions or drug comparisons, which industry tends not to fund because they do not lead to an increase in their bottom line.

Elon Musk launches $1bn fund to save world from AI

“Because of AI's surprising history, it's hard to predict when human-level AI might come within reach,” they said in a statement. “When it does, it'll be important to have a leading research institution which can prioritise a good outcome for all over its own self-interest.”

We do have a 'grammar' in our head

This is a controversial conclusion from the perspective of current research, the researchers note, because the notion of abstract, hierarchical, grammar-based structure building is rather unpopular.

Scientist Who Discovered GMOs Cause Tumors in Rats Wins Landmark Defamation Lawsuit in Paris

The jury is still out on GMO safety to say the very least, just as countless independent scientists have warned, and Séralini’s study stands as yet another cause for concern with the ongoing GMO experiment. It also shows the lengths that the Biotech industry will go to in order to discredit any independent science that clashes with their own version of science.

Is Science Kind of a Scam?

The way scientists do think makes us aware of how we can think. Samuel Johnson said that a performer riding on three horses may not accomplish anything, but he increases our respect for the faculties of man. The scientists who show that nature rides three horses at once—or even two horses, on opposite sides of the universe—also widen our respect for what we are capable of imagining, and it is this action, at its own spooky distance, that really entangles our minds.

How to Feel Normal in an Anomalistic Universe

We spend an inordinate amount of time talking about the pathological delusions of true believers, the cognitive dissonance of skeptics, and the fear of commitment of those who straddle the line.  The focus has shifted from a simple ontological statement that while our valuation of science has an impressive track record of achievement, the universe nonetheless keeps serving up oddities that throw a wrench in our metaphysical project of comprehending the significance of human existence and grasping at the nature of reality.

Are Good Doctors Bad for Your Health?

It is surprising how uncomfortable some physicians get when you ask these questions. No one likes to be second-guessed or have to justify their decisions. But studies show that when patients are systematically given information about benefits and risks they tend to consent to fewer interventions and feel more informed about their decisions.

Skepticism on the couch

A Skeptic encountering evidence of the paranormal is like the stereotypical woman in a movie farce who discovers a spider in her hair. Does she pause to calmly assess the situation? No, she starts batting wildly at her head, screaming, "Get it off me!" In this state of mind, even the most intelligent and knowledgeable person will be hard pressed to think logically. Panic makes anyone stupid.

Information is Everywhere and Everywhere We are Ignorant

All the resources of this societal form — from primary schooling to telecommunications — are marshaled in this great learning project: to undermine our self-reliance and know-how. Everything is to be provided for us; everything is to be thought for us; everything is decided for us; everything is packaged to amuse us to death. We are being returned to the pre-enlightenment state of Kant’s “self-incurred immaturity.”