Synopses & Reviews
“Comprehensive, readable, and replete with current, useful examples, this book provides a much-needed explanation of how to be a critical consumer of the scientific claims we encounter in our everyday lives.”
–April Cordero Maskiewicz, Department of Biology, Point Loma Nazarene University
“Seethaler’s book helps the reader look inside the workings of science and gain a deeper understanding of the pathway that is followed by a scientific finding–from its beginnings in a research lab to its appearance on the nightly news.”
–Jim Slotta, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto
“How I wish science was taught this way! Seethaler builds skills for critical thinking and evaluation. The book is rich with examples that not only illustrate her points beautifully, they also make it very interesting and fun to read.”
–Julia R. Brown, Director, Targacept, Inc.
Don’t Get Hoodwinked! Make Sense of Health and Science News...and Make Smarter Decisions!
Every day, there’s a new scientific or health controversy. And every day, it seems as if there’s a new study that contradicts what you heard yesterday. What’s really going on? Who’s telling the truth? Who’s faking it? What do scientists actually know—and what don’t they know? This book will help you cut through the confusion and make sense of it all—even if you’ve never taken a science class! Leading science educator and journalist Dr. Sherry Seethaler reveals how science and health research really work...how to put scientific claims in context and understand the real tradeoffs involved...tell quality research from junk science...discover when someone’s deliberately trying to fool you...and find more information you can trust! Nobody knows what new controversy will erupt tomorrow. But one thing’s for certain: With this book, you’ll know how to figure out the real deal—and make smarter decisions for yourself and your family!
Watch the news, and you’ll be overwhelmed by snippets of badly presented science: information that’s incomplete, confusing, contradictory, out-of-context, wrong, or flat-out dishonest. Defend yourself! Dr. Sherry Seethaler gives you a powerful arsenal of tools for making sense of science. You’ll learn how to think more sensibly about everything from mad cow disease to global warming–and how to make better science-related decisions in both your personal life and as a citizen.
You’ll begin by understanding how science really works and progresses, and why scientists sometimes disagree. Seethaler helps you assess the possible biases of those who make scientific claims in the media, and place scientific issues in appropriate context, so you can intelligently assess tradeoffs. You’ll learn how to determine whether a new study is really meaningful; uncover the difference between cause and coincidence; figure out which statistics mean something, and which don’t.
Seethaler reveals the tricks self-interested players use to mislead and confuse you, and points you to sources of information you can actually rely upon. Her many examples range from genetic engineering of crops to drug treatments for depression...but the techniques she teaches you will be invaluable in understanding any scientific controversy, in any area of science or health.
^ Potions, plots, and personalities: How science progresses, and why scientists sometimes disagree
^ Is it “cause” or merely coincidence? How to tell compelling evidence from a “good story”
^ There are always tradeoffs: How to put science and health claims in context, and understand their real implications
^ All the tricks experts use to fool you, exposed! How to recognize lies, “truthiness,” or pseudo-expertise
About the Author
Sherry Seethaler, a science writer and educator at the University of California, San Diego, works with scientists to explain their discoveries to the public. She also writes a column for the San Diego Union-Tribune answering readers’ questions about science. Seethaler holds an M.S. and Master of Philosophy in biology from Yale, and a Ph.D. in science and math education from UC Berkeley.
Table of Contents
Preface
Introduction
Chapter 1: Potions, plot, personalities: understand how science progresses and why scientists sometimes disagree
“The scientific method”–not as easy as pi
What’s all this talk about controversy?
From watering hole to prime time–birth and development of an idea
Chapter 2: Who’s who?: identify those who hold stake in an issue and what their positions are
People, positions, purposes
Chapter 3: Decisions, decisions: elucidate all the pros and cons of a decision
From black and white to vibrant technicolor
Say “yes” to one and leave the other behind
Chapter 4: Compare and contrast: place alternatives in an appropriate context to evaluate tradeoffs
Context connections
Putting it all together
Chapter 5: What happens if…?: distinguish between cause and coincidence
Cause and effect–finding the culprit
Chapter 6: Specific or general: recognize how broadly the conclusions from a study may be applied
Individuals: consider whether a result collected in one test population applies to another
Locale: consider how applicable studies of one community or geographical region are to other locales
Conditions: consider the possible effects of a change in conditions on experimental findings or their applicability
Time: consider whether findings would be influenced by time, either the period of history or the duration of the study
Chapter 7: Fun figures: see through the number jumble
Elucidate hidden confounding factors
Determine whether the numbers are statistically significant
Determine whether the numbers are statistically meaningful
Make sure the statistics apply to the situation
Watch out for selection bias
Ask whether a statistical change reflects reality or the way the data were collected
Putting it all together
Chapter 8: Society’s say: discern the relationships between science and policy
Morals and money–influences on the progress of science
From scientific results to policy decisions–more morals and money
Chapter 9: All the tricks in the book: get past the ploys designed to simply bypass logic
Quirks of logic
Hearts and guts
Chapter 10: Fitting the pieces together: know how to seek information to gain a balanced perspective
Peeling back the layers
Claims and caveats–case studies
Information sleuthing
Conclusion: twenty essential applications of the tools
Understand how science progresses and why scientists sometimes disagree
Identify those who hold stake in an issue and what their positions are
Elucidate all the pros and cons of a decision
Place alternatives in an appropriate context to evaluate tradeoffs
Distinguish between cause and coincidence
Recognize how broadly conclusions from a study may be applied
See through the number jumble
Discern the relationships between science and policy
Get past the ploys designed to simply bypass logic
Know how to seek information to gain a balanced perspective
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Index