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12/29/2008 Archived Entry: "My Love/Hate Relationship With The Scientific Community"

I spent today out at Corbett Wildlife Area. . I had an amazing time. I spent the day with some friends who are very dedicated to trying to preserve the environment and the few remaining natural areas left to Florida. So what does this have to do with my love/hate relationship with the scientific community? I depend on the intellect and direct honesty that exists in the scientific community to keep me informed. One of the members on our trip is a scientist. So good that this person testifies in court as to the validity of certain topics regarding the water within the wetlands. And there are more brains in this persons hang nail than my entire body. So long as it is in reference to the field of research that this person is studied in.

I was in awe of the materials used. The data brought in and the information shared with us. I certainly gained a great deal of knowledge on items I had not been familiar with before. So why would I have anything to scoff at when dealing with the scientific community? For the same reason when I did the Southeast Organic Beekeepers Conference why I gave it the motto "No Scientist, Just Really Good Beekeepers." Because once you go outside of the field of expertise you enter the vast land of misinformation. The topic of childhood vaccines was brought up. The scientist piped up on how they were causing Autism and the issue of the mercury in the vaccines. My heart sank. Here is a person with a doctorate and they are spouting off some of the greatest misinformation out there. I might as well have been stuck having to listen to a lecture by creationist Dr.Michael Behe.

To top it all off the scientist claims to have gotten the information from a medical doctor at a lecture who has an Autistic child. But that wasn't convincing enough for the scientist. What gave the argument strength was the scientist told me that the information was confirmed by a vet. I felt like I had stepped into the twilight zone.

I can't say I am overly surprised just disappointed. Here is a person with more intellect than most people could hope to have and they are preaching pablum. In my years of dealing with people I should know better by now. I have met people who are extraordinary in their fields and outside of it, well they are morons. People who are very successful but probably couldn't change their own tire.

This is typical of most people. I am very good at what I do, but don't ask me to be your neurosurgeon. I can read a lot of information on neurosurgeons and the procedures they perform. I may even grasp the concept, but don't put a scalpel in my hand. I wouldn't even want to attempt Trepanation. So even with this understanding why would I suffer such disappointment?

The same reason we all do in similar circumstances. Our expectations are to high. We want the specific scientific discipline to be able to answer questions with authority outside of their bailiwick. We want plumbers to be electricians. Electricians to be structural engineers and exterminators to be paleontologists. And we are disappointed when they fall short. However my issue goes even further. It is when they speak outside of their field and convince others that they are in the know. Then misinformation continues it's spread with a modicum of force behind it. Someone will say I heard it from Dr. So and So. Those two letters grant a lot of authority to those who earn them. However the responsibility sometimes gets left behind. And just because Dr So and So said it doesn't make it true. Dr. Behe got his butt handed to him in a Dover courtroom because of that.

So let me chew on the scientific community a little harder because responsibility it what is lacking but also information. The scientific community needs to be more skeptical. Not because skepticism is bad but because it can help eliminate bovine fecal matter from coming up where it doesn't belong. Also to learn to say I don't know. It may not be the answer we want to hear but it can be the correct answer. I am not here to say ignorance is strength. I am asking that you be honest. I don't know how to perform a lobotomy. But I would prefer if we stopped getting figurative ones from the scientific community. Also talk laymen like they are laymen. That is not speaking down to us. That is using terms that we understand to educate us and intrigue us. If you can do that then we want to learn more. The scientific community needs a few more Carl Sagan's and Mr. Wizards and don't look down on those who do that. The scientific community can be real uppity when it comes to talking outside of cliques. Also while I understand the need to be able to continue funding and maintain research and faculties. Your research needs to be more accessible to the public. Making research papers difficult for the general public to get at is not acceptable. If you want scientific papers with all of the jargon to be restricted to the scientific community that is fine. However release a plain English version for the rest of us. We don't need all the crap you put into research papers just the crux of what you did and why and the results.

Now just to make myself clear. I don't believe in creationism nor do I believe that mercury in vaccines is causing Autism. I accept in the peer reviewed research that has been done regarding these topics.

Let me just give you one example that exists out there.
http://www.healing-arts.org/children/vaccines/vaccines-mercury.htm
This is the number three site on Google if you put in Mercury Vaccines into the search engine. It is a nice looking site. It has a well written document covering a lot of information on it. it has some doctors involved in it's writings and it is also completely wrong. But if you are looking for the equal in truthful information you will have a tough time finding it. The number 1 & 2 links go right to CDC. The page is clutter with more links that a subway car attacked by taggers with fresh spray paint. There is a ton of information there but the CDC position on mercury and vaccines is the third one down in the middle. When you actually get to the page on vaccines and Autism instead of coming right out and saying scientific studies show no link between Mercury and Autism you play politics. You let crap pour out of the page that talks about Autism and all that you are doing about that before you get to the research that shows that there is no link between the two. Listen Autism sucks but pandering may be worse. You do a disservice by pandering. Come out in paragraph one sentence one in bold and say "There is no link between Autism and Childhood Vaccines. Instead you have in the second sentence this diatribe "There is no convincing scientific evidence of harm caused by the low doses of thimerosal in vaccines, except for minor reactions like redness and swelling at the injection site." People don't know what thimerosal is. While it is nice that you attempt to educate them on it. The first sentence says "Thimerosal is a mercury-containing preservative used in some vaccines and other products since the 1930s. " So in the first sentence you say there is mercury in vaccines and has been for a long time. You basically shot yourself in the foot. With that kind of presentation no will is going to be willing to listen any further.

So present the truth and the facts in a nice easy to understand manner. I understand that as laymen we don't always ask the right questions to get a concise answer but maybe if you help us to ask better questions you won't end up with movements headed by people like Jenny McCarthy and Kent Hovind. Say I don't know when it isn't your field of study and I won't end up so disappointed.

PS. I still had a great time exploring Corbett.