PRE-PUBLICA TION EDITION - Nelson Education

What Is Not science?It is important to understand what science is about.It is also important to recognize what is not science.Information can be presented, intentionally orunintentionally, as science even though it is notreally science. Examples abound on television, inmagazines, and on the Internet.PseudosciencePseudoscience (pseudo means “false”) is the practiceof presenting claims so that they appear scientific,even though they have not been scientificallytested and are not supported by sound scientificevidence. For example, the alternative medicalpractice of magnetic healing (Figure 1) relies onthe scientific concept of magnetic fields to give itcredibility. Supporters of magnetic healing claim thatmagnetic fields promote the healing of bones and theimprovement of blood circulation. These supporters,including some apparently credible scientists,provide testimonials about the healing effects ofmagnetic therapy. However, the little scientifictesting done on magnetic healing has found noevidence of healing effects.beliefs, and possibly a desire to be accepted by otherscientists, investigators may design and conductexperiments that are guaranteed to obtain results thatsupport their position. Valid evidence may also beincorrectly analyzed or interpreted.Hoaxes and FraudsHoaxes and frauds are intentional attempts to misleadpeople with false claims or with information that ismisrepresented. Scientific hoaxes and frauds preyupon people’s lack of scientific knowledge.Hoaxes may be carried out as a joke, but theymay also be motivated by greed, desire for fame,or pressure to announce a significant scientificdiscovery. Most hoaxes are pranks, and the only harmdone is the embarrassment of falling for the trick.Would you fall for a hoax? How can you guardagainst being deceived? One way is to look closelyat the claim and compare it with what you alreadyknow. Figure 2 is a touched-up photo of a tsunamiabout to crash over a city. The wave appears to behigher than the 20-storey building. An average storeyis 3 m, so this wave would be higher than 60 m. Thisis unlikely since tsunami waves generally range inheight from 1 m to 20 m.Figure 1 The magnetic field in most magnetic therapy devices isnot strong enough to penetrate the skin.Faulty ScienceFaulty science results when scientists do not followthe established standards and practices that sciencerequires. Faulty science often results when scientificmethods are affected by bias. Bias occurs when ascientist allows emotions or personal values to affectthe analysis of data. In general, scientists strive to beobjective and unbiased when conducting scientificinvestigations. However, because they are human, theinvestigators may believe something to be true beforethey have evidence to support it. Because of theirFigure 2 Is this tsunami real?NEL The Nature of Science 651