badscienceblogs

One wonders about the standards of peer review at the British Journal of General Practice. The June issue has a paper, "Acupuncture for ‘frequent attenders’ with medically unexplained symptoms: a randomised controlled trial (CACTUS study)". It has lots of numbers, but the result is very easy to see. Just look at their Figure. There is [...]

Looking at what some homoeopaths say on their websites about measles, MMR and vaccination. Apparently “Trying to remove a disease from the world all together might “upset the balance of Nature in fundamental ways that we can barely imagine”

We live under a highly ideological government. It wishes to privatise everything in sight, not least universities and the National Health Service. Of course they don’t put it that way: they call it “reform”. It’s easier to deal with open ideology than with ideology disguised as social reform, but luckily a 10-year old could see [...]

A review of low level laser therapy and a discussion of some fantasy physics claim made by a site selling devices of this type. Lots of hype, little evidence.

So a few weeks back we had a super-nerdy science party, and I thought you might like to know how to mount your own. So here’s how to make delicious desserts that look like bacterial cultures. This works builds on previous research carried out by Rehorst et al.

You’ll need:

• Petri dishes
• Jello
• Rice pudding
• Angel Delight
• Lab notebook
• Protective clothing
• Rum (optional)
• Jelly sweets
• Food colouring
• Icing for decorating cookies
• And any of the following: cocoa, brown sugar, maple syrup, cake decorations, chocolate drops…

Click below the fold for more….

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I was at an INSET recently about behaviour and behaviour policies. It was … interesting. The trainer banged on enthusiastically about rewarding good behaviour and working. Nothing exactly new there – my own teachers four decades ago would give housepoints for good work and deduct them for bad. I pointed out that the practice was [...]