The Stickler's Guide to Science in the Age of Misinformation
The Real Science Behind Hacky Headlines, Crappy Clickbait, and Suspect Sources
Published on 23. November 2021
Book
Paperback/Softback
280 pages
978-1-64326-042-6 (ISBN)
Description
The perfect remedy for our culture of fake news, bad science, and propaganda. We have more scientific information at our fingertips today than ever before. And more disinformation too. Online, on television, and in print, science is often communicated through shorthand analogies and phrases that obscure or omit important facts. "Superfoods," "right- and left-brained" people, and "global warming" may be snappy and ear-catching but are they backed by scientific facts? Lifelong educator R. Philip Bouchard is a stickler for this kind of thing, and he is well-prepared to set the record straight. The Stickler's Guide to Science in the Age of Misinformation unpacks the many misuses of terms we see used every day, revealing how these popular "scientific" concepts fall short of real science. Find out why trees do not "store" carbon dioxide; a day is not actually 24 hours; DNA cannot provide a "blueprint" for a human being; and an absence of gravity is not the reason that astronauts float in space.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Publishing group
Workman Publishing
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (UK-trade)
Illustrations
35 illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 228 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 20 mm
Weight
440 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-64326-042-6 (9781643260426)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
R. Philip Bouchard
The Stickler's Guide to Science in the Age of Misinformation
The Real Science Behind Hacky Headlines, Crappy Clickbait, and Suspect Sources
E-Book
11/2021
Timber Press
€9.49
Available for download
Person
R. Philip Bouchard is a lifelong "natural science nerd" with a track record of creating successful educational media. As a software engineer and educator, he designed the famous 1985 computer game The Oregon Trail, which went on to sell 65 million copies. Smithsonian magazine called the game "a cultural landmark" and TIME named it as one of the best ten videogames of all time. Bouchard holds bachelor's and master's degrees in botany from the University of Georgia and the University of Texas at Austin. He frequently publishes fun, insightful educational essays on the natural sciences on medium.com.