Politicians and celebrities shamed for science gaffes

[n2doc]

12:00 05 January 2010 by Andy Coghlan

Did you know that when you eat meat, it stays in your gut for 40 years, putrefies and leads to a disease that kills you? "That is a fact," according to the model and charity campaigner Heather Mills, one of several celebrities whose statements in the media last year have been scrutinised and where necessary challenged by the British-based charity Sense About Science in its latest "celebrity watch" review.

Since 2007, the charity has published the annual review after receiving alerts of scientifically questionable or incorrect statements by public figures. "We try hard to explain why it was wrong, and why what might appear to be true isn't," says Ellen Raphael, the charity's director.

Other celebs have been pulled up this year for apparently not realising that natural substances such as hormones are chemicals, and that ovulation is suppressed naturally by pregnancy and prolonged breastfeeding. Actress Suzanne Somers, for example, was quoted as saying that the contraceptive pill must be unsafe "because is it safe to take a chemical every day, and how would it be safe to take something that prevents ovulation?"

Actor Roger Moore, meanwhile, was taken to task for claiming that foie gras causes Alzheimer's disease, and Sarah Palin for dismissing evolution.

more:

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn18336-politicians-and-celebrities-shamed-for-science-gaffes.html

[semillama]

1. What a great idea. Now only if the celebs would actually listen...

edited to add the link where you can download the document - well worth the read!

http://www.senseaboutscience.org.uk/index.php/site/about/444/

[booley]

2. Ok but...

Fi someone is using celebrities to get their scientific knowledge, doesn't that point to a even bigger problem?

[TZ]

3. Yes..and if you peruse GD on a regular basis

You will see it in action. I can't tell you how many people here will use Jenny McCarthy, Oprah Winfrey, RFK, jr., Rolling Stone Magazine, Youtube and other non-scientific resources to substitute for cold hard scientific fact. Its very very depressing.

[Salviati]

4. Alas, woo-wooism knows no political boundries...

[NNadir]

5. Remarkably, one doesn't need to go to GD. The E&E forum has some real whoppers.

We have a guy over there who posts celebrity T&A all the time and often writes very, very, very, very dumb posts of the "So and so says..." variety.

Speaking of celebrities, it's always amusing to see Bonnie Raitt, a fine musician by the way, stand in front of a pile of power hungry amplifier, or the less impressive musician Sting, do the same thing, claiming some expertise in nuclear engineering.

Ignorance not only kills, it also has no pride.

[Dogmudgeon]

6. Celebrities in the Sciences

http://www.amazon.com/No-Nukes-Various-Artists/dp/B000002H48">First International Conference of Celebrity Physicists (1980)

http://www.expelledthemovie.com/">The Stein Institute for Paleontology and Genetics

http://www.scientology.cc/en_US/index.html">Hollywood Centre for Religion, Philosophy, and Mental Health

--d!

[ConcernedCanuk]

7. During a debate up here regarding cleaning up railway lands in North Bay

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Our mayor at the time, Jack Burrows attempted to impress his electorate with his knowledge of the problem with the statement that "all the carbohydrates could be safely removed" by digging and replacing the top 30 feet or so

anyone see the problem here?

Oh - and it was quoted as such in our local papers

:blush:

[TZ]

8. .

So your railway lands need to go on the Atkins diet? :rofl:

[ConcernedCanuk]

9. I guess sooooooooo . . .

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:silly: