5 Scientific Studies That You Should Stop Believing
Major research institutions have found about 1 in 10 scientific hypotheses are true, making the majority of scientific studies false.
When was the last time the news headline “Scientific research proves…” made you question what was really true?
You aren’t alone as many scientists and those outside of the community continue to disprove research that has been published throughout the centuries. Bad science is like the bad apple that taints all research, but questioning what you seem can lead to more insight and education.
Here are five of the most outlandish bad science ideas that you can learn from (and know what to take with a grain of salt).
Table of Contents
Shroud of Turin Scientific Studies
Italian scientist Alberto Carpinteri was once the director Italian National Institute of Metrological Research. His research made its way into Italian journals.
Then his outrageous scientific studies were labeled as bad science, especially his assumptions about the Shroud of Turin. The Shroud is believed to be the cloth that covered Jesus Christ in his burial. Carpinteri published a paper that negated this fact.
He supposedly found evidence for an earthquake in 33 A.D. that was strong enough to bring up the earth’s radiation. This would have made it possible to leave an imprint of a corpse and throw off the original radiocarbon dating.
Of course, this disproven science would have proven his prior methodologies. Religion – 1. Carpinteri – 0.
MMR Vaccine and Autism
Bad scientific studies spread like Hollywood news, and that makes it a scary reality. The Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) vaccine is a perfect example.
British scientist Andrew Wakefield shared an impactful and false study linking the MMR vaccine to autism. Parents went wild when this news hit the limelight, fearing for their children and not getting them vaccinated.
MMR continues to be a deadly risk for children whose parents are too scared from Wakefield’s study to get them vaccinated.
The community discredited the study, and Wakefield ended up in prison without his scientific license. But we wonder what other lousy science experiments he created behind bars.
Cold Fusion at Room Temperature
The story of Martin Fleischmann and Stanley Pons continues to be the most prevalent among scientific studies that proved false.
These two electrochemists shared that they created a nuclear reaction at room temperature. That could make harnessing the sun’s power for nuclear energy at home a reality. Cheap, renewable energy? Count Fleischmann and Pons in!
Following in the footsteps of John Arnold, we take that back as the science community did.
Sex Burns Major Calories
The scientific studies proving sex burns significant calories, comparable to an intense workout, is one many would like to believe.
Except for the fact it’s false.
Many years have seen articles released on the power of sex to fight obesity. Then the New England Journal of Medicine shared reliable information that a single sexual act is equivalent to burning 30 calories. That is far from workout-level intense.
There goes the excuse to lounge in bed a bit longer over a Peloton session.
Gay Canvasing
UCLA graduate Michael LaCour is another poster child for bad science ideas. His work supposedly proved that gay door-to-door canvassers could change a voter’s long-standing bias with face-to-face interaction.
Psychological studies are hard enough to disprove, but this one found itself false when it was discovered to fit into his grad thesis. There was no raw data to prove his scientific studies.
The whole work shakes its head at another bad science idea.
Do Your Research
The power behind scientific studies is how quickly they spread through the news and infiltrate people’s lives. Everyone is quick to believe a headline, and that is why bad science can be damaging. Take these five stories as your example to do your research.
Continue your studies by reading the many articles on our website and figuring out what you can prove as true.
