AITSE Science Challenge

Can You Detect The Bunk?

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How good is your science bunk-detecting radar? Take the quiz and find out--all questions are taken/adapted from real-life incidents...

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Question 1

According to philosopher of biology Dr. Michael Ruse, “Evolution is Fact, Fact, Fact!” This statement

A	Is a statement of scientific truth because a known expert on evolution said it. Hint: Wrong. Experts can be right, and may often be right, but they can also be wrong. Try again!
B	Is not a statement of scientific truth because a known evolutionist said it. Hint: Wrong. Evolutionists, and indeed anyone, can be right or wrong. Try again!
C	Is not a scientific statement.
D	Is a scientific statement. Hint: Wrong. Scientists are trained not to make absolute statements: science advances through asking questions. Try again!
E	Has been repeatedly upheld by scientific studies and should no longer be questioned by thinking people. Hint: Wrong. While there is good scientific evidence for some aspects of evolutionary theory, there remain significant questions. There is room for increases in the scientific understanding of the origin and diversity of life. Try again!

Question 1 Explanation:

Right. Scientists are trained not to make absolute statements: science advances through asking questions. Good job detecting the bunk!

Question 2

Someone who purports to be a physician sells wrist magnets to an elderly woman after “showing” her, using a microscope, that her blood cells are not breathing. After wearing the magnets for several weeks, the woman reports that she feels better. She adds that the doctor showed her that her cells were now increasing and decreasing in size, so obviously the treatment worked. Is this a scam?

A	Yes, it is a scam. The diagnosis contains a science mistake that should be readily recognizable to those with an elementary school education.
B	Yes, it is a scam. Real physicians do not advise patients to wear magnets. Hint: Wrong. Some real physicians give amazingly unscientific advice. In fact, many medical schools are now offering courses in alternative medicine, despite the fact that there is no scientific evidence for the efficacy of many of the therapies. Try again.
C	No, it is not a scam. The treatment worked; the woman felt better after wearing the magnets. Hint: Wrong. Scientific theories and medical treatments are not proven through anecdotal evidence. In addition, one event preceding the other does not mean that the prior event caused the latter. Try again.
D	No, it is not a scam. The doctor proved the both the diagnosis and that the treatment worked by showing the woman the microscope images. Hint: Wrong. It is not unknown for physicians and experts to blind others with science, thereby scamming them into believing something that is not true. In this case, the illusion of blood cells breathing can readily be produced by minimally moving the focus knob on the microscope. Try again.
E	It is impossible to determine whether this is a scam. Hint: Wrong. It is possible to determine this is a scam by remembering the science learned from elementary school through college. Cells do not have lungs; they do not breathe. Try again.

Question 2 Explanation:

Right. Elementary school students learn the structure of a cell. Cells do not have lungs and as such cannot breathe. Good job detecting the bunk!

Question 3

The National Academy of Science has now proven that all girls secretly wish to be princesses. Could this statement be true?

A	Yes, it is well-known that girls fantasize about pretty dresses and knights in shining armor, so it is entirely possible that they also secretly wish to be princesses. Hint: Wrong. It is not possible to determine what girls (or boys) fantasize about, unless they inform you of their thoughts. It being possible does not make it true. Try again!
B	Yes, the statement refers to a known scientific resource therefore the statement is true. Hint: Wrong. This would be argumentum ad verecundiam or the argument from authority. Authorities are not always right—nor are they always truthful. In this case, the person citing the NAS was not being truthful; the NAS made no such pronouncement. Try again!
C	No, experts now understand that neither girls nor boys fantasize about being royalty. Hint: Wrong. It is not possible to determine what girls (or boys) fantasize about, unless they inform you of their thoughts. It being possible does not make it true. Try again!
D	Unknown, it is impossible to prove this assertion using scientific methodology.
E	Unknown. Since the wish to be a princess is a secret one, it is impossible to know whether or not the National Academy of Science made this pronouncement. Hint: Wrong. Whether or not the wish is secret has no bearing on whether or not the NAS made this statement. For the record, they did not. Try again!

Question 3 Explanation:

Right. It is not possible to ascertain what girls secretly dream about, simply because it is a secret and they do not tell you. It is also impossible to determine what all members of such a large population think—how would one obtain the data? Good job detecting the bunk!

Question 4

According to Donny Osmond, Protandim, a nutritional supplement, is the reason for his youthful appearance. Dr. Joe McCord has suggested that this supplement may be a powerful agent to fight aging at the cellular level and is an author on several scientific papers investigating its mechanism of action. Osmond is a paid spokesperson for Protandim and Dr. McCord is the listed Chief Scientific Officer for LifeVantange, the makers of Protandim. The best response to these claims is to

A	Be skeptical and do not rush out to buy Protandim. After all, if it was beneficial to health, it would be more widely advertised. Hint: Wrong. How widely a supplement is advertised has everything to do with how much money the company is making or how well it is funded and little to do with how effective it is. Being skeptical is warranted, but not for this reason. Try again!
B	Be skeptical and do not rush out to buy Protandim. After all, both of these witnesses to its efficacy have a vested interest in selling the product.
C	Rush out and buy some Protandim—after all, none of us want to grow old! Hint: Wrong. The makers of Protandim are appealing to our fear of growing old. But, there is no scientific evidence that Protandim can stop this process. Most of the peer-reviewed research they cite was accomplished in cells or mice. Of the two clinical trials, one suffered from severe internal and external validity issues and the other showed that Protandim has no effect. Try again!
D	Buy and take Protandim. If it was not helpful, the FDA would not allow it to be sold. Hint: Wrong. The FDA does not regulate supplements, not their purity, not their potence, not their efficacy. Try again!
E	Buy and take Protandim. Both a celebrity and a scientist are vouching for its benefits, so it must be good. Hint: Wrong. The efficacy of supplements (or any medical treatment) is not proven through anecdotal evidence. In addition, both celebrities and scientists can be wrong. Be careful of the argumentum ad verecundiam—the argument from authority. Try again!

Question 4 Explanation:

Right. Always be skeptical if the promoters stand to gain from their testimony or if it involves your money. Good job detecting the bunk!

Question 5

According to the POM Wonderful website, consumption of pomegranates can alter cholesterol levels, fight atherosclerosis and arthritis, heal prostate and other cancers, fight colds and flu, and reverse Alzheimer’s disease. Why should we be skeptical of this claim?

A	It is grandiose—pomegranates are claimed to have potential for impact on too great a diversity of illnesses. Hint: Wrong. True, this is a grandiose claim and therefore suspect. If it sounds like snake oil, tastes like snake oil and feels like snake oil, it may be snake oil. But is this the only correct answer? Try again!
B	A company that stands to benefit financially from pomegranate consumption made the statement. Hint: Wrong. True, it is good to be skeptical if the promoters stand to gain from their testimony or if it involves your money. But is this the only correct answer? Try again!
C	There have not been any scientific studies on the health benefits of drinking pomegranate juice. Hint: Wrong. It is true that there have not been any scientific studies on the health benefits of drinking pomegranate juice. Except in the case of one small study on cardiac patients and another on prostate patients (uncontrolled and therefore invalid), every one of the studies the website advertises was accomplished in cells, mice or rats, or was measuring the effect of people drinking pomegranate juice on the levels of a chemical, not on health. But, is this the only correct answer? Try again!
D	All of the above.
E	None of the above. Hint: Wrong. Try again!

Question 5 Explanation:

Correct. The claims are grandiose, the promoters stand to profit financially from their testimony, and the scientific studies are unconvincing. Good job detecting bunk!

Question 6

Apparently, 97% of climate scientists agree that climate change is real and being caused by human activity. This is, therefore, the scientific consensus on the issue. However, a letter written by 49 NASA scientists and astronauts questions this consensus. This letter and its claims should be dismissed by all thinking people—after all, the authors are not climate scientists. Is there a flaw in this reasoning?

A	There is no flaw in this reasoning. If the majority of climate scientists agree, then everyone should accept the consensus as fact. Hint: Wrong. This is the fallacy of the argumentum ad populum. A large number of people agreeing to a particular viewpoint does not make that viewpoint right. Scientific truth is not decided by a vote. Try again!
B	There is no flaw in this reasoning. Anyone who questions climate science is uneducated and equivalent to a Flat-Earther. Hint: Wrong. Arguments should be assessed on the basis of their merits, not dismissed on the basis of who made them. Ad hominem attacks do not add anything to the debate, nor does refusal to engage with the arguments of the many scientists who are on record as being skeptical of anthropogenic climate change. Try again!
C	There may be a flaw in this reasoning. Dr. Nick Drapela, a chemist, lost his job at Oregon State University, ostensibly because of his skeptical views on climate science. Perhaps 97% of currently-employed climate scientists agree because they would lose their job or their funding if they did not. Hint: Wrong. It is true that when those who question politically-correct or financially-expedient science find it difficult to publish their results, can suffer loss of funding, and may find themselves unemployed, it could be misleading to claim that all scientists working in a particular area agree. But, is this the only correct answer? Try again!
D	There is a flaw in this reasoning. Science advances by questioning current understanding and that is what the authors of the letter are doing. This is also what former American Physics Society members Dr. Harold Lewis and Dr. Ivan Giaever advocate. Hint: Wrong. It is true that science advances by questioning current understanding and that this what the authors of this letter are advocating, as are the 1000 scientists mentioned in the 2010 Climate Depot report. But, is this the only correct answer? Try again!
E	Two of the above are correct.

Question 6 Explanation:

Right. Although the scientific consensus should be taken very seriously, it should not be assumed to be written in stone. Science progresses and many theories that were accepted in the past have now been overturned or revised. And those scientists that led the change often suffered the same consequences as do those who think outside the box do today. Good job detecting the bunk!

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Can You Detect The Bunk?

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