nonsense /oss/taxonomy/term/3083/all en Best of Times, Worst of Times /oss/article/critical-thinking/best-times-worst-times <p>Most of us are living the good life. There is no doubt that we are living longer and in greater comfort than ever before, but at a price. We fly through the air with ease, but that air is becoming polluted. We have conveniently packaged consumer goods, but we are beginning to drown in garbage. Ample water runs out of our taps, but it is tainted with traces of perfluoroalkyl substances. We protect our food supply with pesticides, we devise new materials, we clothe ourselves in novel fibers, we synthesize new medications, but we generate toxic wastes in the process.</p> Wed, 11 Jun 2025 16:20:29 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 11164 at /oss Is there any point in drinking oxygenated water? /oss/article/health-and-nutrition-you-asked/there-any-point-drinking-oxygenated-water <p>Oxygen is critical for life and that also makes is susceptible to chicanery. If oxygen is so essential that the brain is permanently injured after just four minutes of deprivation, then surely more must be better! That’s the argument used by sellers of “oxygenated water” who often target athletes with claims that their product can improve athletic performance. Well, all water is actually oxygenated water because oxygen from the air dissolves in water, although not to a great extent since its solubility is only about 25 mL per liter.</p> Thu, 23 Dec 2021 23:55:21 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8963 at /oss Cracked Science 05: Bad Arguments /oss/article/quackery/cracked-science-05-bad-arguments <p> Video of Bad Arguments (CS05) </p> Thu, 10 May 2018 18:00:56 +0000 Jonathan Jarry, MSc 7070 at /oss Is That Plausible? /oss/article/quackery/plausible <p>The gold standard in science is the randomized, controlled, double-blind trial. If you want to know whether Garcinia cambogia causes weight loss, or whether glucosamine helps with arthritic pain, there is only one way to find out. You have an experimental group that is given the substance and a control group that is given a placebo, with every other variable being held constant. These are difficult, expensive studies to carry out because you need a large enough group of subjects for statistical weight, you have to ensure compliance and you have to monitor what is going on.</p> Tue, 03 Apr 2018 17:10:02 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 6987 at /oss