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+--- Thread: Article PNAS publishes rank pseudoscience (/thread-20328.html)
PNAS publishes rank pseudoscience - C C - Apr 30, 2026
https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/pnas-publishes-rank-pseudoscience/
EXCERPT: Many experts who should know better are actively working against us, and actually supporting pseudoscience in medicine. This is due in part to a frustrating double standard in which regular medicine is held to a high standard, while “alternative” medicine has a standard all its own (functionally no standard).
The latest example of this disastrous double standard is a PNAS article on acupuncture. The article is completely gullible, written as if it were a promotional piece entirely by advocates, without a hint of critical thinking or skepticism. It is also internally inconsistent, even incoherent, but does usefully give the game away for those paying attention, especially with a background in SBM. The author is Lynne Peeples, a journalist, not a scientist. This makes sense in that the piece reads like a feature, with a typical narrative structure, not like an academic review or even opinion... (MORE - details)
RE: PNAS publishes rank pseudoscience - Magical Realist - May 2, 2026
I had to look up "rank" to see if it was a scientific term I didn't know about. Alas, it is not. In fact it's a rather sophomoric olfactory pejorative which apparently is being used here because simply saying "psuedo" isn't enough. Ahhh... the self-exposing snobbery of so-called "critical thinking". Let's see what kind of medical professionals and real scientists are behind this organization:
Quote:SBM is entirely owned and operated by the New England Skeptical Society, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting science and critical thinking. The NESS does not have any corporate or government sponsorship. It is entirely funded by individual donations. The NESS also co-organizes and operates (with the New York City Skeptics) a yearly science conference, the Northeast Conference on Science and Skepticism (NECSS) which prominently features SBM content. Admission prices and honoraria are set so that the conference is generally a break-even event.
I thought I could "smell" a rat..
RE: PNAS publishes rank pseudoscience - Syne - May 2, 2026
Why am I not surprise that the guy who doesn't know what "rank" means, in this context, also has a problem with high standards. 9_9