COVID and the Amish: Ohio congregants face soaring infectections and vaccination rate is only 1%. Here’s why

COVID and the Amish: Ohio congregants face soaring infectections and vaccination rate is only 1%. Here’s why

Anna Huntsman | 
Holmes County, where half of the population is Amish, has the lowest vaccination rate in Ohio, with just 10% of ...
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Science Facts and Fallacies podcast: Dr. Paul Offit takes on anti-vaccine activism as COVID shots stem new infections

Cameron English, Kevin Folta | 
Early in the pandemic, Children's Health Defense—the anti-vaccine group headed by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.—alleged that SARS-COV-2 was being used ...
36% of Gen Z-ers say ‘no’ to getting a vaccine: How can we convince skeptical young people to get a coronavirus shot?

36% of Gen Z-ers say ‘no’ to getting a vaccine: How can we convince skeptical young people to get a coronavirus shot?

Jesper Ke, Matt Alexander | 
A new Quinnipiac University poll found that 36% of Americans under 35 don't plan on getting the vaccine. ... Some ...
Viewpoint: Vaccine resistance is a growing concern. So far, the US is bungling its response

Viewpoint: Vaccine resistance is a growing concern. So far, the US is bungling its response

Cameron English | 
Research shows that vaccine skepticism appeals to people who already distrust authority. Solutions proposed during the COVID-19 pandemic may be ...
Podcast: 'GMOs' are more natural than you think; CRISPR mosquitoes fight malaria; Dating apps and syphilis

Podcast: ‘GMOs’ are more natural than you think; CRISPR mosquitoes fight malaria; Dating apps and syphilis

Cameron English, Kevin Folta | 
A growing body of research shows that dozens of naturally transgenic plants have existed for millions of years, undermining a ...
Viewpoint: Organic farming offers some sustainability benefits, but ‘fear-driven marketing campaigns’ exaggerate advantages and demonize acceptable alternatives

Viewpoint: Organic farming offers some sustainability benefits, but ‘fear-driven marketing campaigns’ exaggerate advantages and demonize acceptable alternatives

David Zaruk | 
When the “Risk-Monger’s Dirty Dozen” list of pesticides used in organic farming was published, I had broken a taboo. Before ...
Viewpoint: ‘Feel-good purchases’: This farmer believes the ‘regenerative agriculture movement’ is the latest fad promoting misconceptions about conventional farming

Viewpoint: ‘Feel-good purchases’: This farmer believes the ‘regenerative agriculture movement’ is the latest fad promoting misconceptions about conventional farming

Amanda Zaluckyj | 
The public’s fascination with regenerative agriculture is relatively new. But many people seem to think it’s a way to “fix” ...
Viewpoint: Advocacy disguised as journalism? Meet Carey Gillam, the prolific purveyor of crop biotechnology and agri-chemical disinformation

Viewpoint: Advocacy disguised as journalism? Meet Carey Gillam, the prolific purveyor of crop biotechnology and agri-chemical disinformation

Geoffrey Kabat | 
When it comes to science, how much do media narratives influence public opinion and policy? The answer is, a lot ...
Viewpoint: Herpes linked to COVID vaccine? Rupert Murdoch’s New York Post descends into conspiracy mongering

Viewpoint: Herpes linked to COVID vaccine? Rupert Murdoch’s New York Post descends into conspiracy mongering

Joe Berkowitz | 
Lately, the New York Post seems to be on a mission to scare as many people as possible out of ...
Is the CDC’s ultra-cautious approach to relaxing masking and distancing guidelines feeding vaccine hesitancy?

Is the CDC’s ultra-cautious approach to relaxing masking and distancing guidelines feeding vaccine hesitancy?

Christina Maxouris | 
[The CDC said April 27 that] fully vaccinated people can unmask at small outdoor gatherings or when dining outside with ...
Viewpoint: Fox News provides platform for pandemic conspiracy promoter Naomi Wolf after previously mocking her ‘leftist’ views

Viewpoint: Fox News provides platform for pandemic conspiracy promoter Naomi Wolf after previously mocking her ‘leftist’ views

Matt Gertz | 
The feminist writer Naomi Wolf garnered fame during the 1990s for her book The Beauty Myth and her work as ...
Viewpoint: ‘Regenerate or die?’ Fashion industry co-opts sustainability buzzwords like ‘regenerative’ and ‘circular’ — but what do they really mean?

Viewpoint: ‘Regenerate or die?’ Fashion industry co-opts sustainability buzzwords like ‘regenerative’ and ‘circular’ — but what do they really mean?

Dana Thomas | 
The North Face and Patagonia now tout clothing made of regenerative cotton. And Secteur 6, a new Indian-American brand that ...
Viewpoint: Why are misconceptions about transgender youth so widespread? Maybe too many people listen to misinformed pundits like FOX’s Tucker Carlson

Viewpoint: Why are misconceptions about transgender youth so widespread? Maybe too many people listen to misinformed pundits like FOX’s Tucker Carlson

Ross Pomeroy | 
[Fox News pundit Tucker Carlson has] repeatedly mangled and misrepresented the science on gender dysphoria and transgender youth. ... "There ...
Viewpoint — Conservative evangelicals and disinformation: Conspiracy theories spreading almost as fast as COVID in rightwing strongholds

Viewpoint — Conservative evangelicals and disinformation: Conspiracy theories spreading almost as fast as COVID in rightwing strongholds

Brianna Keller | 
White evangelical Christians make up about 41 million people, according to the Pew Research Center — and they are one ...
Viewpoint: Countries that resist genetically engineered crops because of ‘distrust of technology’ and misplaced health and environmental fears will be left behind

Viewpoint: Countries that resist genetically engineered crops because of ‘distrust of technology’ and misplaced health and environmental fears will be left behind

As the share of genetically engineered crops produced internationally continues to grow, countries resistant to approve the technology face market ...
Viewpoint: Facebook and fake news — How the social media giant has emerged as the perfect platform for vaccine misinformation

Viewpoint: Facebook and fake news — How the social media giant has emerged as the perfect platform for vaccine misinformation

Sarah Frier, Sarah Kopit | 
You’d think during the worst pandemic in a century virtually everyone would be desperate to get their hands on a ...
Sierra Club endorsement of disease-resistant chestnut tree divides the anti-GMO movement

Sierra Club endorsement of disease-resistant chestnut tree divides the anti-GMO movement

Emma Kovak | 
Across the eastern seaboard, the majestic American Chestnut tree once dominated forests. A main source of timber for cabins, shipbuilding, and ...
No, President Biden is not gunning to ruin your Memorial Day Weekend and ban hamburgers (as rightwing politicians and media allege)

No, President Biden is not gunning to ruin your Memorial Day Weekend and ban hamburgers (as rightwing politicians and media allege)

Brian Kahn | 
[A]ll Republicans want to talk about right now is meat, and how Joe Biden is planning to limit you to ...
'Organic agriculture is not a synonym for safe food’: United Nation’s FAO challenges misleading marketing and public misconceptions

‘Organic agriculture is not a synonym for safe food’: United Nation’s FAO challenges misleading marketing and public misconceptions

Organic food is often seen by consumers as healthy, tasty and environmentally friendly, but the organic food certification is not ...
Viewpoint: 'The Dirty 8' — Which are the most notorious advocacy groups spreading disinformation about food, farming, biotechnology and agricultural sustainability

Viewpoint: ‘The Dirty 8’ — Which are the most notorious advocacy groups spreading disinformation about food, farming, biotechnology and agricultural sustainability

Genetic Literacy Project | 
When it comes to food safety, there's no shortage of well-funded advocacy groups stirring up public concern. Under the guise ...
Are masks causing more harm than good in battling COVID? Fringe journal publishes speculative report falsely linked to Stanford, fueling conservative media outburst

Are masks causing more harm than good in battling COVID? Fringe journal publishes speculative report falsely linked to Stanford, fueling conservative media outburst

Ali Swenson | 
Websites and social media users ranging from political candidates to health influencers are falsely claiming a study published on a ...
Video: Prophet of vaccine disinformation? Here’s how one anti-vaccine evangelical pastor spreads his message of fear

Video: Prophet of vaccine disinformation? Here’s how one anti-vaccine evangelical pastor spreads his message of fear

Elle Reeve | 
As more and more Americans are getting vaccinated, resistance remains strong within one group in particular — white evangelicals. Many ...
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Viewpoint: 6 debunked anti-GMO talking points activists should abandon for good

Agnès Ricroch | 
The public still accepts some blatant untruths about biotechnology, food safety, and sustainability ...
Viewpoint: ‘Consumer activist’ concerns over Florida proposal to use gene drives to extirpate Zika-carrying mosquitoes is thinly veiled anti-biotech attack

Viewpoint: ‘Consumer activist’ concerns over Florida proposal to use gene drives to extirpate Zika-carrying mosquitoes is thinly veiled anti-biotech attack

Kevin Folta | 
Now that their nemesis Monsanto is no longer a thing, [the Organic Consumers Association and the Center for Food Safety] ...
Viewpoint: How Big Tech powers and profits from anti-vaccine misinformation

Viewpoint: How Big Tech powers and profits from anti-vaccine misinformation

Imran Ahmed | 
Vaccines are one of the most consequential, safe, efficient and effective medical discoveries in history. Few other inventions have saved ...
Book review: Jennifer Thompson’s ‘GM Crops and the Global Divide’ addresses Europe's neo-colonialist attempt to intimidate Africa into rejecting crop biotechnology

Book review: Jennifer Thompson’s ‘GM Crops and the Global Divide’ addresses Europe’s neo-colonialist attempt to intimidate Africa into rejecting crop biotechnology

Henry Miller, Kathleen Hefferon | 
Jennifer Thomson’s excellent new book, “GM Crops and the Global Divide” (CSIRO Publishing, 2020), is a highly informed, lucid, and ...
Link between COVID vaccine and death? Here’s a case study on how anti-vaxxers exploit ambiguous reporting

Link between COVID vaccine and death? Here’s a case study on how anti-vaxxers exploit ambiguous reporting

Oliver Darcy | 
News organizations are at risk of "creating false connections and misinformation" when they write headlines that suggest a link between ...
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