Recognising scientific nonsense “Quarks Science Cops” appear as guests on “Risiko” podcast
What it's about:
Science still “sells” well on the internet. Influencers regularly hold scientific studies up to the camera, especially on platforms such as Instagram, YouTube and TikTok. But if you take a closer look, in many cases these studies do not prove what is being said at all, according to science journalists Maximilian Doeckel and Jonathan Focke in the latest episode of the BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment science podcast “Risiko” (‘Risk’). As the “Quarks Science Cops” in the WDR podcast of the same name, the two regularly expose scientific nonsense. This often involves supposedly hazardous substances in food and cosmetics – or even food supplements. The German-language “Risiko” podcast is part of the BfR’s public relations work and, in line with its legal mandate, aims to educate the public about health risks, looking beyond the scope of its own research. In the new episode, the “Science Cops” explain how they personally use humour and their scientific training to track down “charlatans” and expose their dubious methods.
“Sometimes studies are cited that deal with a completely different topic,” Jonathan Focke adds. Heshort forhelium considers this to be the most serious form of deception. Somewhat less brazen, but usually equally questionable, is when results from laboratory tests using cell cultures are cited as “clear evidence”. “Such studies do not involve any substance that has been tested on humans, but rather on cells in a Petri dish,” Maximilian Doeckel explains. The problem with this is that the results from cell or animal experiments cannot be directly transferred to humans.
If you want to expose such dubious use of studies yourself, Doeckel advises reading at least the abstract (the short summary of the study) as a first step. “Then you’ll have a rough idea of whether the study is at least about what the person claimed, and whether the result is reasonably consistent with that,” Doeckel says.
Taking a closer look at the scientific methods helps to assess the scientific quality and significance of studies. However, this takes time and requires some prior knowledge. In any case, “Science Cop” Maximilian Doeckel recommends a healthy dose of scepticism: “If something sounds too good to be true, it often is.”
Link to the full podcast episode:
Link to the full podcast episode:
Quotes and original sound bites from the podcast episode may be used freely provided the source is cited.
About “Risiko – Der BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment-Podcast” (‘Risk – The BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment Podcast’):
Daily newspapers, news portals and social media posts constantly warn of new health hazards: plasticisers in suncreams, microplastics in the body or pollutants in food. What is actually behind these alleged dangers? How great is the risk for me personally? In our German-language podcast “Risiko”, we get to the bottom of such topics in a calm, scientifically sound and easy to understand way. “Risiko” episodes are released about once a month. In relaxed conversations with experts, we discuss real and perceived health risks posed by food, chemicals or consumer products.
About the BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment
The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment) is a scientifically independent institution within the portfolio of the German Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Regional Identity (BMLEH). It protects people's health preventively in the fields of public health and veterinary public health. The BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment provides advice to the Federal Government as well as the Federal States (‘Laender’) on questions related to food, feed, chemical and product safety. The BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment conducts its own research on topics closely related to its assessment tasks.