North Texas Skeptic - Vol 16 No 10 - 2002

Magazine Overview

Title: The North Texas Skeptic
Issue: Volume 16 Number 10
Date: October 2002
Publisher: The North Texas Skeptics

This issue of The North Texas Skeptic delves into critical examinations of scientific claims and the debunking of pseudoscience. It features a prominent article on Jonathan Wells' book 'Icons of Evolution,' a report on James Randi's presentation in Dallas, and a section on scientific misconduct.

Icons of Evolution by John Blanton

This article reviews Jonathan Wells' book, 'Icons of Evolution: Science or Myth,' which challenges the validity of evolution by refuting ten commonly cited examples. John Blanton clarifies that this is not a book review but a discussion of the book's content and Wells' arguments. Wells, who has two Ph.D.s (one in biology and one in religious studies), is presented as an advocate of intelligent design (ID), though his approach aligns more with young Earth creationism (YEC) by rejecting natural selection as the sole driving force and questioning the fact of evolution itself.

• Wells' book focuses on refuting ten 'icons of evolution':
• The Miller-Urey experiment
• Darwin's tree of life
• Homology in vertebrate limbs
• Haeckel's embryos
• Archeopteryx—the missing link
• Peppered moths
• Darwin's finches
• Fossil horses and directed evolution
• From ape to human: the ultimate icon

Wells asserts that these icons present assumptions as facts, conceal controversies, or are contrary to scientific evidence. The article references several skeptical reviews of Wells' book, including those from the National Center for Science Education (NCSE) and the Talk-Origins website, which address specific claims made by Wells regarding the Cambrian explosion, Darwin's finches, and homology.

The article also provides biographical details about Jonathan Wells, noting his academic background and his involvement in promoting ID in public school science curricula. It highlights that Wells initially obtained a degree in theology before pursuing a Ph.D. in biology to counter evolutionary theory.

James Randi in Dallas by Daniel R. Barnett

This section details James Randi's presentation in Dallas on September 29, 2002, at the Bob Hope Theatre. Randi, a renowned magician and skeptic, addressed the audience on how people are fooled and how they fool themselves. He highlighted instances of gullibility, including the US Patent Office issuing patents for non-functional devices like perpetual motion machines and 'free energy' devices. Randi also discussed the government's expenditure on dowsing rods, which were found to be worthless.

Randi demonstrated magic tricks, including spoon bending and causing a wristwatch to malfunction, emphasizing that such feats are tricks, not paranormal abilities. He shared anecdotes about how even educated individuals can be deceived, referencing a trick involving a matchbox that professors at Lawrence Livermore Labs were convinced was paranormal.

The article also touches upon alternative medicine, criticizing Therapeutic Touch (TT) and homeopathy. Randi cited Emily Rosa's experiment that debunked TT and explained the extreme dilution of homeopathic remedies, using Calms Forte as an example where one would need to consume vast quantities to get a single molecule of the active ingredient.

Furthermore, Randi discussed his investigations into faith healers and psychics, detailing how evangelist Peter Popoff received information from his wife via a hidden receiver, and how psychic John Edward made numerous incorrect guesses. Randi reiterated the $1,000,000 prize offered by the James Randi Educational Foundation for verifiable paranormal phenomena.

He concluded his lecture by referencing Carl Sagan's idea of humans being made of 'starstuff' and expressed optimism for humanity's future if people avoid 'fakers.'

What's new

This section, curated by Robert Park, presents several short news clippings of interest:

• Anti-gravity: A Boeing spokesman denied funding anti-gravity research, which a commentator sarcastically attributed to government disinformation.
• Entropy: The second law of thermodynamics is stated to still hold, with a reference to a Physical Review Letters article about violations in small systems.
• Misconduct at Bell Labs: An inquiry into data fabrication at Bell Labs expanded to include four papers on superconductivity, with physicist Jan Hendrik Schon identified as the lead author. The Council of the American Physical Society issued statements on scientific misconduct.
• Misconduct at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory: Physicist Victor Ninov was fired for fabricating data in the discovery of elements 118 and 116. This case, along with the Schon investigation, raised questions about the responsibility of coauthors.
• Shoen investigation committee finds fabrication: A committee confirmed 'clear, unambiguous scientific misconduct' by Jan Hendrik Schon, though his coauthors were cleared of misconduct, their coauthorship implied endorsement of the work's validity.
• The question: why would a bright, respected scientist do this?: The article poses the question of motivation behind scientific misconduct, suggesting denial when experiments contradict expectations.

Skeptical Ink

This section features a comic strip titled 'A Page From The Skeptical Book of World Records' by Prasad Golla and John Blanton. It presents humorous, fabricated records:

• Fred Knox tested his anti-gravity shield from atop the Empire State building on July 3rd, 1938.
• Harvey Skeedadle sold 498 copies of his free energy generator.
• Madame Floss predicted the outcomes of 900 horse races, none of which came true.
• Max Snuff made 114 UFO sightings in the sixth grade at Tucker Middle school, at the age of 47.
• William B. Thimble is the only person not born under an astrological sign, and nothing has ever happened to him.
• Phone Psychic Charlotte Screed kept a client on line for 23 hours straight but failed to notice the client had died.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue are skepticism towards pseudoscientific claims, the importance of critical thinking, and the exposure of scientific misconduct. The editorial stance is clearly in favor of rigorous scientific inquiry and against the promotion of unfounded beliefs, whether related to creationism, paranormal phenomena, or alternative medicine. The publication actively debunks claims that lack scientific evidence and highlights the integrity of the scientific process, even when it involves uncovering and addressing misconduct.