North Texas Skeptic - Vol 17 No 01 - 2003

Magazine Overview

Title: The North Texas Skeptic
Issue: Volume 17 Number 1
Date: January 2003
Publisher: The North Texas Skeptics

This issue of The North Texas Skeptic focuses on debunking pseudoscience and promoting critical thinking, with a prominent article on the Paluxy River 'man tracks' controversy, a personal reflection on India, and a collection of humorous 'skeptical predictions' for the year 2003. The publication also features a 'What's New' section with various scientific and pseudoscientific updates.

Paluxy

This article by John Blanton explores the Paluxy River region in Hood County, Texas, which gained notoriety due to the 'man tracks' controversy. The author recounts how paleontologist Roland T. Bird studied dinosaur footprints in the area in the late 1930s and early 1940s, with his work on sauropod prints being displayed at the American Museum of Natural History. The article details how creationists later seized upon the Paluxy River tracks, promoting the idea of carved human tracks and the myth of 'Paluxy River man tracks,' suggesting humans and dinosaurs coexisted. This has led to a cottage industry with books, conferences, and a Creation Evidence Museum. The article contrasts this with the scientific interpretation of the tracks and highlights local attractions like Glen Rose, Dinosaur Valley State Park, and Fossil Rim Wildlife Center, while also mentioning the Comanche Peak nuclear power plant as a stark contrast.

A Passage to India

Prasad Golla shares his experiences from a recent trip to India, his birthplace. He describes the significant changes in Hyderabad, now a 'Hi-Tech City,' with extensive real-estate development, increased traffic, and pollution. Golla notes the overwhelming presence of superstitions and unscientific beliefs, citing numerous shops for alternative medicine, psychic readings, and religious sites. He observes that medical professionals and scientists in India often do not challenge these beliefs, attributing this to the country's pluralistic and secular nature, where tolerance is emphasized to the point of discouraging critique. The author also touches upon the societal dilemma of pursuing development while holding onto traditional beliefs, questioning how India can become a developed nation with a hang-up over 'materialism' and the prevalence of religious riots.

Skeptical Predictions for 2003

Written by John Blanton, this section humorously presents 'Skeptical Predictions For 2003,' designed to be as accurate as psychics but with a skeptical twist. Predictions include Osama bin Laden being discovered as a baggage screener at Dulles International Airport, Saddam Hussein becoming a Hollywood Squares regular, and George W. Bush winning the Nobel Prize for literature for a treatise on English grammar. Other predictions involve Tom Cruise renouncing Scientology, mathematician John Paulos causing the collapse of state lotteries, and magician James Randi admitting to real psychic powers. The article also humorously predicts 'intelligent design' becoming accepted scientific theory and John Edward assisting in training rescue workers. It concludes with a prediction that no Scorpio will undergo a life-changing experience and a satirical jab at homeopathy with a fictional drug 'B. S-omycin.'

What's New

This column, by Robert Park, compiles several short articles and clippings of interest:

• Alternative science: insights from the Harvard Medical School: This piece critiques Newsweek's coverage of alternative medicine, calling the term an oxymoron. It argues that if alternatives had scientific basis, they would simply be medicine. The article discusses treatments like music therapy and mentions the prominent labeling of 'Insights from Harvard Medical School' on boxes discussing alternative treatments, questioning the source of these insights.
• Global warming: now here's the plan – we study the problem: The article discusses the scientific consensus on global warming, citing UN studies and a National Academy of Sciences report. It criticizes the Bush administration's approach, which focuses more on adapting to a warmer world than reducing emissions, and quotes science advisor Jack Marburger cautioning against harming the economy. Skeptical scientists warned that without a clear goal, the administration could indefinitely delay action.
• Music therapy: getting in tune with the universe: This brief note mentions music therapy as an example of alternative medicine discussed in a Newsweek report, describing it as inducing resonance and harmonies in the body for healing.
• Hydrino rockets: BlackLight is still looking for applications: NASA's Breakthrough Propulsion Project is mentioned, with the NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts exploring a thruster based on BlackLight Power's hydrino state concept. A Phase I study reported successful test firing but noted constraints prevented measuring exhaust velocity.
• Genesis Project: a really good scam can be used over and over: This section revisits the 'Genesis Project' scam, where inventor Sam Leach claimed to have built a car that ran on ordinary water using electrolysis. The article notes that scientists scoffed at the energy requirements, but Leach claimed a secret catalyst reduced the energy needed. He allegedly retired wealthy, and a similar scam is reportedly running again under the name Genesis World Energy.
• Eau de money: a rose is a rose, except when it grows: NASA is partnering with International Flavors & Fragrances to study the effects of microgravity on growing roses for new fragrances, exploring how environmental parameters influence essential oils.
• Herbal abuse: Echinacea fails in a double-blind test: The article reports that a double-blind test at the University of Wisconsin found Echinacea to be ineffective in warding off colds, with placebo recipients faring just as well.
• Human cloning: Raelians announce the birth of baby 'Eve': The article mentions Clonaid, founded by Raelians, claiming to have created the first human clone. Physicist Michael Guillen, known for his credulous coverage of fringe topics, has been selected to verify the claim.
• Herbal reality check: TV's top medical undiscoveries of 2002: This segment reviews the year-end health reports from network news, highlighting that good science can challenge widespread beliefs. It notes revisions to the food pyramid, increased risk for hormone replacement therapy, and the ineffectiveness of widely used herbal supplements like Echinacea, St. John's Wort, and Ginkgo biloba, as shown in studies sponsored by the NIH.

Skeptical Ink

This section features a comic by Prasad Golla and John Blanton. The comic satirizes modern society, portraying scientific orthodoxy as stifling innovation and the patent office as serving corporations over individuals. It contrasts this with a vision of a future with unlimited free energy and boundless prosperity, which is then humorously revealed to be contingent on 'giving me your money.'

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue are skepticism towards pseudoscience, alternative medicine, and unfounded beliefs, alongside a strong advocacy for scientific reasoning and critical thinking. The editorial stance is clearly in favor of evidence-based knowledge and critical evaluation of claims, as demonstrated by the debunking of the Paluxy 'man tracks,' the satirical 'skeptical predictions,' and the critical reviews of 'alternative science' and herbal remedies. The publication aims to inform readers about the importance of scientific literacy and to challenge popular misconceptions and pseudoscientific narratives.