top 50 comments

sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] 288 points 6 months ago (22 children)

Science is only political because scientists have to continuously convince politicians reality exists.

It's frustrating that something like climate change is even a political discussion at all. Don't Look Up captured that frustration really well.

  • source
  • hideshow 22 child comments
  • [–] 51 points 6 months ago (14 children)

    Convincing people your interpretation of reality exists is literally all that politics is.

    Unfortunately, despite being correct, science is also an interpretation of reality.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 14 child comments
  • [–] 14 points 6 months ago

    Convincing people your interpretation of reality exists is literally all that politics is.

    What? No. No, no, you naive fool... many politicians, if not most, don't believe most of what they're selling, and don't give a flying fuck about it.

    They'll sell whatever line the party they're working for wants them to sell, and they'd just as happily sell the opposition party's line if it paid better and they could switch without being called a turncoat.

    Also, it's not about convincing people about specific beliefs; most people are mostly already convinced of their worldviews and if they change them it won't be because of some politician. It's about convincing them, despite all evidence to the contrary, that the politician shares those beliefs, and will impose them on people who don't if they vote for them.

    despite being correct, science is also an interpretation of reality.

    Again, no. Science (except for mathematics, but that's it's own thing) doesn't and shouldn't ever claim to be correct.

    It's the most accurate approximation we have so far of how nature works, but it's constantly trying to achieve better approximations, and will happily throw away the old ones when it finds a better one.

    It also should always make very clear that it's an approximation or a description, not an interpretation. Science should always be objective, never subjective, and interpretations are by definition subjective.

  • source
  • parent
  • load more comments (13 replies)
  • load more comments (4 replies)
    [–] 167 points 6 months ago* (1 child)

    doesn't harm organic tissue

    Which is totally why Bayer has settled their lawsuit for several billions of dollars over claims that it causes lymphoma.

    Edit: also, plants are organic tissue.

  • source
  • hideshow 1 child comment
  • [–] 132 points 6 months ago* (2 children)

    Your stomach microbiome is plants

    Which is why I spend a solid 3 hours a day facing the sun with my mouth held wide open. Gotta let my tummy plants photosynthesize somehow.

  • source
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] 57 points 6 months ago (1 child)

    You say that as a joke but I'm pretty sure this clown is also one of the quacks who regularly talked about the "health benefits" of butthole tanning.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 1 child comment
  • [+] 112 points 6 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (26 children)
  • [–] 45 points 6 months ago (16 children)

    Your stomach micro biome is plants.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 16 child comments
  • load more comments (1 reply)
  • [–] 18 points 6 months ago (4 children)

    Funny that in Spanish it's called "flora intestinal", not "fauna intestinal". Always though that it's a but of a misnomer.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 4 child comments
  • [–] 19 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (2 children)

    Intestinal flora is a common phrase in English, too. Or "gut flora". It's one of those old 19th century scientific phrases which has stuck around.

    Like this, err, gentleman (who apparently wants to drag us back to that past) we used to believe gut bacteria to be plant-based. Science caught up, but the term has had sticking power. It seems to be a favorite of marketers of probiotic supplements.

    "Microbiota" or just the straightforward "gut bacteria" would be more accurate and modern. But of course, everyone except for this guy already knows that.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • load more comments (2 replies)
  • load more comments (1 reply)
  • load more comments (4 replies)
    [–] 85 points 6 months ago (1 child)
    load more comments (1 reply)
    [–] 82 points 6 months ago (8 children)

    Sometimes I have this weird theory that RFK Jr is really like a Dr. Zoidberg type alien in a skin suit. He just kind of guesses at how human anatomy works because he isn't human himself and isn't professional enough to get a real education on the subject.

  • source
  • hideshow 8 child comments
  • load more comments (5 replies)
    [–] 59 points 6 months ago (1 child)

    He contradicts himself even in his own wacky theories

  • source
  • hideshow 1 child comment
  • [–] 42 points 6 months ago (5 children)

    I can't tell if this is supposed to be for or against glyphosate?

  • source
  • hideshow 5 child comments
  • load more comments (1 reply)
    [–] 40 points 6 months ago (1 child)

    I remember that when Roundup first came out, glyphosate was being held up as a brilliant example of herbicide design since it inhibits a vital metabolic pathway in plants that animals don't have. They even claimed that the surfactants in Roundup were more harmful than the glyphosate itself. I guess that claim didn't hold up too well.

  • source
  • hideshow 1 child comment
  • load more comments (1 reply)
    [–] 39 points 6 months ago (4 children)

    One with frontotemporal dementia that has rapidly shrinking brain, the other one with half a brain eaten by the worm... in what fucking timeline do we live... feels like Rick and Morty episode... fuck. me.

  • source
  • hideshow 4 child comments
  • load more comments (4 replies)
    [–] 38 points 6 months ago (3 children)

    " it is unequivocal that exposure to glyphosate produces important alterations in the structure and function of the nervous system of humans, rodents, fish, and invertebrates."

    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35562999/

  • source
  • hideshow 3 child comments
  • load more comments (2 replies)
    [–] 37 points 6 months ago (1 child)

    Everything is political, and there has never been a time that proves that better than now.

  • source
  • hideshow 1 child comment
  • load more comments (1 reply)
    [–] 32 points 6 months ago (3 children)

    Of course science is political. Knowledge is power and all power systems are political.

    But ignoring philosophy, Science is a charity. By in large they must beg for their money. You don't suppose that the people providing the money have any influence?

    And I'm not talking about junk science, biased studies, or even fraud. A perfectly run study may still be political simply because it was chosen for funding over something else.

  • source
  • hideshow 3 child comments
  • load more comments (1 reply)
    [–] 26 points 6 months ago

    As if denying millions of Americans access to proper healthcare wasn't enough, they appointed an anti-science, anti-vaxx idiot as if to make sure even more harm would be inflicted on them.

  • source
  • [–] 26 points 6 months ago (6 children)

    Awfully big words, for someone who doesn't believe in germ theory.

  • source
  • hideshow 6 child comments
  • load more comments (6 replies)
    [–] 25 points 6 months ago

    Sounds legit. Where do I sign up for my glyphosate injections?

  • source
  • [–] 22 points 6 months ago* (6 children)

    What I think he's trying to say is that Glyphosate affects the shikimate pathway, which is a biological pathway in plants. This doesn't exist in human cells, but it does exist in our gut microbiota.

    We also know now that Glyphosate is a glycine analogue and can displace glycine anywhere in protein synthesis, with unknown effects. It's also likely an endocrine disrupter.

  • source
  • hideshow 6 child comments
  • load more comments (6 replies)
    [–] 17 points 6 months ago (3 children)

    Ofc the digestive flora is plants. Man the level of stupidity. Just as dumb as the orange dumbass talking about asylum seekers being release from mental asylums... What a time to be alive.

  • source
  • hideshow 3 child comments
  • load more comments (3 replies)
    [–] 16 points 6 months ago

    Someone should.

  • source
  • [–] 16 points 6 months ago
    [–] 15 points 6 months ago (2 children)

    RFK has never been about science.

    He was a paid antivax advocate, for money, now he's a paid glyphosate advocate, again for money.

  • source
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • load more comments (2 replies)
    [–] 14 points 6 months ago

    Ah yes, he's on the show with the very tall and smart scientist Dr Rogan /s

  • source
  • [–] 13 points 6 months ago (1 child)

    Only wearing crop tops to help the little greenhouse in my belly

  • source
  • hideshow 1 child comment
  • load more comments (1 reply)
    load more comments
    view more: next ›