Exploring pathology can help us appreciate proper physiological function, and how normal functioning can be lost. In the realm of epistemology, studying error or patho-epistemology, can help us elucidate knowledge. To that end, Ross Pomeroy, at Real Clear Science, this week offers his views of the best of the worst of 2020 pseudo-science.[1] Admittedly, 2020 has been a bad year for epistemic virtue, but Pomeroy lists eight noteworthy instances of scientific junk. Not surprising, several of his eight examples come from the Trump epistemic swamp.
Next year, junk science is likely to be more bipartisan, with left-wing and right-wing nutjobs finding consensus in anti-vaccination make believe. On the left, chemophobia is leading to hyperventilation, without evidence, over whether chemicals such as Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) will inhibit COVID-19 vaccine efficacy.[2] Congressman Dan Kildee (D-Mich.), who has tirelessly advocated against PFAS, pushed the Centers for Disease Control to investigate whether there was an interaction between PFAS exposure and COVID-19.[3] This bit of political pressure was then transformed into a hyperbolic statement by Philippe Grandjean, an adjunct professor of environmental health at the Harvard School of Public Health and testifier for the lawsuit industry,[4] that “[a]t this stage we don’t know if it [PFAS] will impact a corona vaccination, but it’s a risk.” How something that has unknown health effects is transmuted into a “risk” by Grandjean is a secret lost with the great alchemists of the 13th century.[5]
And on the right, look for the leopard-skinned kraken-pot lawyer, Sidney Powell, to generate lies, conspiracies, and frauds about COVID-19 vaccines and vaccination.[6]
The numbering of junk science examples below is Pomeroy’s, and it is not clear whether the last, which was labeled number one, was supposed to be the worst, or whether number eight was. I have repeated Pomeroy’s list, in his order, with my musings.
- Woke Science: Magic Amulets Prevent COVID-19
This exemplar of junk comes from researchers at the University of Pittsburgh’s departments of infectious disease and epidemiology, and was published online in October 2020, at the dubious journal, Science of the Total Environment.[7] The title of the article purports to ask a question:
“Can Traditional Chinese Medicine provide insights into controlling the COVID-19 pandemic: Serpentinization-induced lithospheric long-wavelength magnetic anomalies in Proterozoic bedrocks in a weakened geomagnetic field mediate the aberrant transformation of biogenic molecules in COVID-19 via magnetic catalysis”
Discerning editors and peer reviewers might have noticed that the authors omitted a question mark from their title, or that the content of the article was utterly bogus. A trip to the article online shows up a notice that the article has been removed:
“The publisher regrets that this article has been temporarily removed. A replacement will appear as soon as possible in which the reason for the removal of the article will be specified, or the article will be reinstated.”
Inquiring minds are yearning to know the reason for the removal, but in the interim, several observers have noted that the paper in question had the aroma of a dogpile.[8] The article is so outlandish that some skeptical onlookers, such as Drs. Steven Novella[9] and Ivan Oransky, thought that the article might be a Sokal-style hoax.[10]
Alas, the authors were in earnest. COVID-19 is related to magnetic fields, but jade amulets can prevent the disease. Who would have thought? When Dr. Ivan Oransky wrote to confirm authorship of the publication,[11] his inquiry provoked a white-fragility accusation from Moses Turkle Bility, one of the authors!
“Dear Dr. Ivan Oransky, yes, I published that article, and I kindly suggest you read the article and examine the evidence provided. I also suggest you read the history of science and how zealots have consistently attempted to block and ridicule novel ideas that challenge the predominant paradigm from individuals that are deem not intelligent enough. I not surprised that this article has elicited angry responses. Clearly the idea that a black scientist can provide a paradigm shifting idea offends a lot of individuals. I’ll be very candid with you; my skin color has no bearing on my intelligence. If you have legitimate concerns about the article and wish to discuss, I’ll address; however, I will not tolerate racism or intellectual intolerance targeted at me.”
The ultimate Woke anti-racist brushback pitch in scientific discourse! Or maybe I am just “jaded.”
- Maga-megachurch’s Air Filtration System Destroys 99.9% of COVID.
Owners of a megachurch claimed that their air filtration system killed 99.9% of the corona virus that causes COVID-19. Biblical miracles aside, the Arizona Attorney General thought this claim was a step too far and ordered the Phoenix church to stop advertising its air purification system.[12] Next you know, Arizona will ban claims of virgin birth.
- Oleandrin
The transitive property of truth should validate the efficacy of oleandrin as a “miracle cure” for COVID-19. The CEO of MyPillow, Mike Lindell, supports Donald Trump, and Donald Trump supports Mike Lindell. Mike Lindell supports oleandrin, a plant-based toxin,[13] and so Trump supports oleandrin as well as a “miracle cure.” Or is it the transitive property of stupidity? In the meanwhile, the U.S. FDA rejected an application for permission to include oleandrin in supplements. On the other hand, Trump’s Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Dr. Ben Carson has enthusiastically touted oleandrin, and he is a brain surgeon.[14]
- Sodium Hypochlorite and Lysol, i.v., stat!
Back in April 2020, former President Trump told an anxious nation that he thought that the ideas of putting light down into the lungs, or maybe just disinfectant, would knock out the corona virus. Trump seemed to take credit for these ideas, which he found “pretty interesting.”[15] Main stream media struggled with how to let the American public know that their president was a moron.
- Methanol for COVID.
Not a good idea, but apparently many Iranians thought it could not be worse than anything that President Hassan Rouhani had in store for them.
- 5G and COVID-19
OK, a bogus claim but maybe a good reason to delay upgrading your cell phone.
- Face Masks Activate Corona Virus
COVID-19 brought out some of the most remarkable quacks. Take Judy Mikovits. Please. Mikovits was the intellectual powerhouse behind the docu-conspira-mentary, “Plandemic.” Good to know. Mikovits advanced the unfounded claim that wearing face masks activate the corona virus, that beaches have healing powers, and that a vaccine against COVID-19 will kill millions.[16] Good to know.
- Hydroxychloroquine
Donald Trump has always been a snake-oil salesman, but with his endorsement of hydrochloroquine, at least he hawked an FDA-approved medication. The problem was that the indication for hydrochloroquine was malaria, not COVID-19.
Unlike his support for injecting bleach and Lysol, Trump had “expert support,” for his touting of hydrochloroquine, the Association of American Physicians & Surgeons (AAPS).[17] Despite its official sounding name, the AAPS was little more than a propaganda outlet for the debunked study by Didier Raoult. The International Society of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy (ISAC), which publishes the journal in which Raoult’s study appeared had issued a statement “of concern” about Raoult’s results. Trump, however, had no concern, perhaps because the AAPS also relied upon claims made by Vladimir Zelenko about 1,554 patients, for which he had “published no data, described no study design, and reported no analysis.”
But wait, Trump and the AAPS had more data. Since no quackfest would be complete without “evidence” from Mehmet Cengiz Öz, commonly known as Dr. Oz, the AAPS has dutifully reported that Oz had two patients to whom he gave HCQ, and both survived.[18] Notwithstanding Donald’s Trumping of hydroxychloroquine, the FDA revoked its emergency use authorization for the medication’s use as an anti-viral.[19] In the meanwhile, Trump and his administration wasted government resources by stockpiling an unproven, useless medication, while ignoring efficacious ones.[20]
[1] Ross Pomeroy, “The Biggest Junk Science of 2020,” Real Clear Science (Dec. 15, 2020).
[2] Oliver Milman, “Covid: chemicals found in everyday products could hinder vaccine: Researchers worry PFAS, commonly found in the bodies of Americans, will reduce the immunization’s effectiveness,” The Guardian (Nov. 17, 2020).
[3] Iris Myers, “CDC Investigates Potential Link Between ‘Forever Chemicals’ and Decreased Effectiveness of Covid-19 Vaccines,” Envt’l Working Group (Dec. 11, 2020).
[4] See, e.g., Maine People’s Alliance v. Holtrachem Mfr’g Co., 211 F. Supp. 2d 237 (D. Maine 2002); Sullivan v. Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics Corp., 431 F. Supp. 3d 448 (D. Vt. 2019); Food & Water Watch, Inc. v. U.S. EPA, case no. 17-cv-02162-EMC (N.D. Calif. Aug. 10, 2020).
[5] This hyperbole was rightly called out by Joseph Annotti and the Center for Truth in Science. See “Center for Truth in Science Responds to Concerns over PFAS Compounds and Vaccine Efficacy,” Center for Truth in Science (Dec. 16, 2020).
[6] Davey Alba & Sheera Frenkel, “From Voter Fraud to Vaccine Lies: Misinformation Peddlers Shift Gears,” N.Y. Times (Dec. 16, 2020).
[7] Moses Turkle Bility, Yash Agarwala, Sara Ho, Isabella Castronova, Cole Beattya, Shivkumar Biradara, Vanshika Narala, Nivitha Periyapatna, Yue Chen, Jean Nachega, “Can Traditional Chinese Medicine provide insights into controlling the COVID-19 pandemic: Serpentinization-induced lithospheric long-wavelength magnetic anomalies in Proterozoic bedrocks in a weakened geomagnetic field mediate the aberrant transformation,” Science of The Total Env’t, available at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.142830 (online 8 October 2020, 142830).
[8] Shawna Williams, “Paper Proposing COVID-19, Magnetism Link to Be Retracted: The study, published in a peer-reviewed journal, has attracted widespread derision from researchers,” The Scientist (Nov. 4, 2020).
[9] Steven Novella, “Magic Amulets Do Not Prevent COVID,” The Ness (Nov. 03 2020).
[10] See, e.g., Jamie Lindsay & Peter Boyle, “The Conceptual Penis as a Social Construct,” 3 Cogent Social Sciences online (2017) (Peter Boghossian published under the pseudonym Peter Boyle), retracted (2017).
[11] Ivan Oransky, “Amulets may prevent COVID-19, says a paper in Elsevier journal. (They don’t),” Retraction Watch (Oct. 29, 2020).
[12] News Staff, “Arizona AG o)rders Glendale company, Phoenix church to stop advertising air purification system,” Arizona Family (June 26, 2020).
[13] Steven Novella, “Oleandra – The New COVID Snake Oil: Oleandrin is being promoted as the new COVID-19 snake oil – but it is a deadly toxin,” Science-Based Medicine (Aug. 19, 2020).
[14] Jonathan Swan, “Trump eyes new unproven coronavirus ‘cure’,” Axios (Aug. 16, 2020).
[15] William J. Broad & Dan Levin, “Trump Muses About Light as Remedy, but Also Disinfectant, Which Is Dangerous,” N.Y. Times (April 24, 2020).
[16] Angelo Fichera, Saranac Hale Spencer, D’Angelo Gore, Lori Robertson and Eugene Kiely, “The Falsehoods of the ‘Plandemic’ Video,” Fact Check (May 8, 2020); Stuart J.D. Neil & Edward M. Campbell, “Fake Science: XMRV, COVID-19, and the Toxic Legacy of Dr. Judy Mikovits,” 36 AIDS Research & Human Retroviruses 545 (2020); Martin Enserink & Jon Cohen, “Fact-checking Judy Mikovits, the controversial virologist attacking Anthony Fauci in a viral conspiracy video,” Science Mag. (May 8, 2020).
[17] “Hydroxychloroquine Has about 90 Percent Chance of Helping COVID-19 Patients,” AAPS (April 28, 2020).
[18] The HCQ issue is not the AAPS’s first quack attack. Those who follow the organization will sense déjà vu. The AAPS has held forth previously on abortion and breast cancer, vaccination and autism, HIV and AIDS, and Barak Obama and hypnotic induction. See “The Plague and Quackery Right & Left” (June 19, 2020).
[19] FDA Press Release, “Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: FDA Revokes Emergency Use Authorization for Chloroquine and Hydroxychloroquine” (June 15, 2020); Molly Walker, “HCQ No Longer Approved Even a Little for COVID-19 – Study after study showed no benefit, and now the FDA has had enough,” MedPage Today (June 15, 2020). The AAPS did not take the FDA’s rejection of hydroxychloroquine lying down. The Society sued the FDA to end “arbitrary” restrictions on its use. “AAPS Sues the FDA to End Its Arbitrary Restrictions on Hydroxychloroquine,” AAPS (June 2, 2020). The AAPS complaint is available at its website: http://aapsonline.org/judicial/aaps-v-fda-hcq-6-2-2020.pdf
[20] See Sheryl Gay Stolberg, “A Mad Scramble to Stock Millions of Malaria Pills, Likely for Nothing,” N.Y. Times (June 16, 2020) (quoting Trump’s Trade Advisor Peter Navarro); Philip Bump, “The rise and fall of Trump’s obsession with hydroxychloroquine – Forty days of promotion, hype – and eventual retreat,” Wash. Post (April 24, 2020); “Remarks by President Trump in a Roundtable with Restaurant Executives and Industry Leaders” (May 18, 2020); Andrew Solender, “All The Times Trump Has Promoted Hydroxychloroquine” Forbes (May 22, 2020). Curiously, the Administration has ignored the emerging potentially good news about the efficacy of dexamethasone in treating seriously ill COVID-19 patients, as shown in a randomized clinical trial, which is not yet peer reviewed and published. Benjamin Mueller & Roni Caryn Rabin, “Common Drug Reduces Coronavirus Deaths, Scientists Report,” N.Y. Times (June 16, 2020).
