Whale sperm, orgasmic feet top 2011 bad science list

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Whale sperm, orgasmic feet top 2011 bad science list       

   




                                    
       
        

By Kate Kelland

                LONDON |         Tue Dec 27, 2011 7:11pm EST        
   

(Reuters) - From whale sperm to colon cleansers to the shape of a woman's foot when she has an orgasm, celebrities did not disappoint during 2011 with their penchant for peddling suspect science in the world's media.

In its annual list of what it considers the year's worst abuses against science, the Sense About Science (SAS) campaign named reality TV star Nicole Polizzi, Republican presidential candidate Michelle Bachmann and American singer-songwriter Suzi Quatro as top offenders, with their dubious views on why the sea is salty, the risks of cervical cancer vaccines and the colon.

"I used to get a lot of sore throats and then one of my sisters told me that all illnesses start in the colon. I started taking a daily colon cleanser powder mixed with fresh juice every morning and it made an enormous difference," Quatro told the Daily Mail newspaper.

But SAS was keen to dispel such myths. It asked qualified scientists from various disciplines to comment on some of the worst celebrity science offences.

"The colon is very important in some diseases, but it certainly is not the cause of all illnesses," said Melita Gordon, a consultant gastroenterologist said in the review.

"Sore throats do not come from your colon; they are caused by viruses that come in through your nose and mouth. Taking 'colon cleansers' has no beneficial effect on your throat - or on your colon."

While the review is partly about entertainment, the campaign group stresses it also has a serious aim - to make sure pseudo-science is not allowed to become accepted as true.

After Bachmann used an appearance on a television show to tell a story of a woman from Tampa, Florida, who said her daughter had become "mentally retarded" after getting an HPV vaccine designed to protect against cervical cancer, doctors said they feared the damage done may take many years to reverse.

"It's tempting to dismiss celebrity comments on science and health, but their views travel far and wide and, once uttered, a celebrity cancer prevention idea or environmental claim is hard to reverse," said SAS's managing director Tracey Brown.

"At a time when celebrities dominate the public realm, the pressure for sound science and evidence must keep pace."

The review also highlighted a bizarre quote from TV personality Polizzi, who declared recently: "I don't really like the beach. I hate sharks, and the water's all whale sperm. That's why the ocean's salty."

Simon Boxall, a marine expert and oceanographer dismissed Polizzi's suggestion. "It would take a lot of whale sperm to make the sea that salty," he said.

Some of the most intriguing pseudo-scientific suggestions came via repeated second hand information picked up at parties - never the most reliable source.

Christian Louboutin, a French footwear designer, was taken with something a fellow party guest told him about shoes.

"She said that what is sexual in a high heel is the arch of the foot, because it is exactly the position of a woman's foot when she orgasms. So putting your foot in a heel, you are putting yourself in a possibly orgasmic situation," he explained.

Kevan Wylie, a consultant in sexual medicine, responded drily that it's important to differentiate cause from effect.

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年度最“伪科学”大奖：鲸鱼精液让海水变咸？

从鲸鱼精液、结肠清洗剂、到女性高潮时脚的形状，2011年，名人们在全球媒体上宣传“伪科学”的偏好可真没让大家失望。

在科学智识组织评选的年度“伪科学”榜单中，真人秀明星妮可•波利兹、共和党总统候选人米歇尔·巴赫曼、美国创作歌手苏西•奎特萝名列榜首，他们发表的可疑言论包括鲸鱼精液导致海水变咸、宫颈癌疫苗有害，以及结肠是万病之源。

奎特萝告诉《每日邮报》：“我以前总是喉咙痛，后来一位姐妹告诉我说，所有的疾病都始自结肠。于是我开始每天早晨喝一份结肠清洁粉，用鲜果汁冲调，后来感觉好多了。”

胃肠病专家顾问梅利塔•戈登在这期总结回顾中说：“结肠对某些疾病来说很重要，但绝不是万病之源。”

虽然这期总结回顾是半娱乐的，但该组织强调也有严肃目的，就是确保公众不要相信伪科学。

巴赫曼曾在一期电视节目中讲述了佛罗里达州坦帕市一位女性的故事，这位女性说自己的女儿在接种预防宫颈癌的HPV病毒疫苗后“智力迟钝”。节目播出后，医生表示担心节目的反面影响会持续多年。

这期总结回顾还着重指出了电视名人波利兹的怪诞言论。波利兹最近宣称：“我真不喜欢海滩。我恨鲨鱼，海水里全是鲨鱼精液，所以才那么咸。”

海运专家兼海洋学家西蒙•伯克斯尔反驳了这一言论。他说：“需要太多鲸鱼精液才能使海水变咸。”

一些最有趣的伪科学提议得自派对中经数次转述的二手消息，这从不是最可靠的消息源。

一位派对宾客告诉了法国鞋类设计师克里斯提•鲁布托一个有关鞋子的消息，令他着迷。

他解释说：“她说高跟鞋的性感之处在于脚部的弓形，因为女性性高潮时脚部就是这种姿势。所以穿上高跟鞋，你就处在了可能达到性高潮的姿势。”

性药物顾问凯万•维利讽刺地回应称，分清因果很重要。他说：“女性的脚部在性高潮时可能处于这种姿势，但这并不意味着在其它环境下把脚放成这种姿势就会达到性高潮。”

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COCKY! I FIND IT