I was surprised last week to see a number of media reports on the apparent safety of the MMR vaccine and that, no, it doesn’t cause autism after all… Loads of evidence have been gathered over the last decade that conclusively show that MMR has nothing to do with autism whatsoever, yet even nowadays some still argue about this!

How science reporting works…

Long time no see. The “Stuff from the Science Blogosphere” series returns for the new season, after a longer than average break. And this time we have the usual alternative medicine crap, ranging from homeopathy (our favorite) to Chinese herbs and natural remedies. University courses that really should be more in touch with reality. And some antivaccinationist propaganda to close off this instalment a bit more seriously. Here we go…

“New pill can add 20 years to life” says the title. “A wonder pill could extend the lifespan of people by up to 23 years” says the subtitle. “The ‘elixir of life’ anti-ageing drug…” starts the article. A nice smiling lady consuming a white pill is shown in the photo. She seems very happy with [...]

After watching a short clip from Sir David Attenborough’s interview with Jonathan Ross, it seems that he might actually believe that the footprint is evidence of the existence of Yetis. I still maintain 100% that the Daily Mail has chosen sensationalism to make a headline, but now I have to write a couple of more sentences on this issue.

That’s what the Daily Mail reported today, in yet another demonstration of sensationalistic reporting and misrepresentation. The Daily Mail begins the article entitled: “Yeti evidence is ‘convincing’ says wildlife expert Sir David Attenborough” with: “Sir David Attenborough believes there is ‘very convincing’ evidence that yetis exist.”

“Skeptics in the Pub” is exactly what the name suggests -a group of skeptics that meet once a month in a pub in London. Plus, they get to listen to a renowned skeptic talking about a relevant subject. And this time, today, it was Nick Davies taking on the ever popular Bad Media issue. There, I just explained the title of this post.

Er, no, not really. It has not been shown conclusively yet. Research findings are currently conflicting. Nevertheless, that was the reassuring headline in many “newspapers”, acting fast to be the bearers of such a happy and relieving message: drink more coffee -it’s good for you! It’s approved by science!