In this article, IFL Science, an educational site on science, try to break 5 misconceptions on “chemicals” which “in the news, in advertising and in common usage” are thought to be “bad”. As a result of the emotive language often used in conjunction with “chemicals”, a series of myths have emerged. Myths that Sense about Science and the Royal…
Upon this title, Steve Savage, a blogger about agriculture and technology, gives the example of the quality vineyard in California. This is an example. But the dramatic changes he describes is similar in other crops and other regions. His main and most detailed arguments in his article are about the history of acute toxicity of pesticides, compared to natural…
This story has been published by Cosmos, a educational review on scientific matters. It’s not just about GM foods. It’s about every social dispute which includes a risk assessment part. Our brain is not so reasonable : “the brain is only the organ with which we think we think. To be blunt: we are not as smart as…
A story by Michael Schulson on the Daily Beast, a US Web daily. “Americans get riled up about creationists and climate change deniers, but lap up the quasi-religious snake oil at Whole Foods. It’s all pseudoscience—so why are some kinds of pseudoscience more equal than others?” Michael Schulson is a freelance writer based in Durham, North Carolina. He holds…
A guide to citizen science has recently been published in the UK, as it is acknowledged that it is increasingly being used to collect data on invasive alien species. This publication is based on conclusions from a comprehensive report reviewing more than 200 citizen science projects from the UK and around the world. In this…
“There’s No Such Thing as a Chemical-Free Lunch” is a cartoon which illustrate the results of Bruce Ames : We eat each day 10 000 fois more natural pesticides, naturally made by plants, than synthetic pesticides. For more details on the Bruce Ames works, read “Les idées reçues : la tasse de café” (in French), and “Of mice and men” (in…
“Canada’s organic food certification system ‘little more than an extortion racket,’ report says” is the title of a story in the canadian National Post newspaper. Official spot tests show that “24% of the 178 organic apples they tested contained pesticides residues”. Labeling organic products is mandatory in Canada. But the certification system is essentially based on the “honour system”….
“After closely following campaigns in favor of cucumber consumption, conducted by different media, government, etc., we conclude that a crisis of this magnitude can lead to a sense of “patriotic pride,” which in this case transformed a simple vegetable into a national symbol. Our analysis, added to interviews with experts on the subject, indicates that these campaigns not only…