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Talking to the Masses, Good Times.

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Last night I got to speak the Organic and Sustainable Agriculture Club at UF, and it was quite nice.  There were lots of good questions and we had a good time.  Some people got up and left after 15 minutes, but those folks have made up their minds already.  Still, it was a great forum to talk about the even-handed science behind GM crops. I'm also speaking to the Master Gardeners Spring Festival in Marion County Florida on March 8th. My talk is titled, "GMO Technology:  Foundation of Future Gardening", perhaps an edgy title, as it provoked a rather pointy response. As usual, it made its way to the upper echelons of our university. Nothing like taking time on a Saturday to venture into the county and talk science.  Glad to do it, but it looks like someone is not too happy about it!     Sadly, when I get to "terminator seeds" I tune out, because obviously this person has so firmly bought into the misinformation that they are probably pretty far go

NHL or NPR?

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The following is a list of actual names.  Can you label them as NPR correspondents or NHL goalies? Answers below! 

The Common Disease Spectrum of Crazy

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In order to wage an effective war against science and reason, it is important to convince as many people as possible that science and reason are killing them.  This task is difficult because most people realize that science and reason have greatly enhanced life quality and expectancy.  The trick is to misdirect the credulous from the daily examples where science works, and then manufacture risk, connecting an activist target to a familiar disease du jour .  Whether you are trying to sell a book on GMOs, get more invites for your anti-glyphosate rants, sell a t-shirt on your chemtrails site, be the president of your hackey-sack club, or convince local moms to stop protecting their children with immunization, there has to be a looming threat of a physical illness connected to your deadly agent of interest.  Below are cut-n-pastes from various websites or documentaries.  They note the rise in diseases associated with ____________ .  Note that they all are relatively similar lis

Fukushima Radioactivity Making Waves

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Over the last few weeks I've read alarmist posts about radiation in the water in California and how fish are all contaminated with radioactive compounds from Fukushima.  To recap, the massive earthquake off the cost of Fukushima, Japan on March 11, 2011 caused a massive tsunami and strong tremors that damaged the Fukushima nuclear plant.  It stands as an emergency situation, and radioactivity broke containment. But in usual form the anti-nuclear environmentalists seized the opportunity to claim that the whole world is now in jeopardy due to the radioactive emissions from the nuclear plant. The Center for Ocean Studies claims that the graphic shows the range of radioactive waste emanating from Japan after the accident.  Not so fast...    I've seen this colorful map a few times, claiming to be the distribution of radiation from Fukushima.  Several things pop to mind.  First, if you took the raw materials out of Fukushima and dumped them off of the Japanese shore, the

Mother Nature, "An Evil Bitch"

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 I enjoyed an online discussion today and had to share.  Someone must have tinkled in my corn flakes this morning.

Massive Data Do Not Support Huber's Claims

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Dr. Don Huber is traveling North America warning audiences of a mysterious organism that causes diseases in plants, humans and livestock.  He talks to famers and concerned food-oriented audiences.  He does NOT present to scientific conferences, as scientists and their professional organizations do not recognize his claims, and confront him with questions that cannot be answered without invoking hand-waving explanations and elaborate conspiracies. I have a problem with anyone manipulating the gullible for personal or political gain, especially when they use fear to motivate action.  After seeing Huber scare the pants off an audience in Gainesville, FL, I have taken up the mantle of holding him accountable for his bad science and manipulating people for his twisted motivations. Today it occurred to me how we know, conclusively,  that there is no mystery organism.  No doubt. Evidence of absence in this case is tantamount to absence of evidence.  It is just that massive. 

These Ideas are the Thoughts of Folta and May Not Represent...

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Illumination is here to help you separate the science from the junk. The blog Illumination was originally prepared to present my personal thoughts of science and its interface with society.  Carl Sagan said it best; we live in a world filled with science and technology, where nobody knows anything about science and technology.  We live in a world filled with charlatans and scam artists, malevolent activists and dangerous pseudoscientists.  There is a place for scientists to help buffer the public, especially those most vulnerable, from these harmful forces. I’m a scientist and I love to read, learn and then share science.  It is what I do. Full time. I don’t have a family, I don’t have hobbies and have yet to hit a mid-life crisis.  The world is filled with fascination and I’m so fortunate to contribute to it. I like to use the current topics of public scientific discussion to teach about logical fallacy, critical thinking, evaluation of science, and skepticism in gen