Controversial Science Research Articles

When Science Meets Digital Branding

The science media ecosystem continues to dramatically change with the proliferation of digital media channels and platforms. While there are many different types of digital media filling this void, the use of online videos, particularly on YouTube, has become one of the main sources for information, specifically for science and environmental issues. While most researchers examine the content of online science news and information, we show that digital trace data, including hyperlinks, “likes”, and comments that are unique to participatory online media, can reveal interesting patterns about how and why people communicate and engage with content as well as other community members. Using climate change as a case study, we demonstrate how researchers can harness hyperlinks to understand who produces controversial science news and information online, and the motivations underlying how content creators use of hyperlinks for science communication and public engagement. While many existing studies in science communication have focused on understanding the political dimension of online science news and information, our paper reveals that digital branding is a crucial part of science communication on video-based platforms such as YouTube and TikTok. We find that amateur content creators and new media outlets use hyperlinks to promote their channel and other social media presences to raise revenue. While self-promotion through citing links to one’s other social media platforms is associated with more views, linking to revenue raising websites is not associated with more views. We discuss the implications of these contexts for the online science news and information ecosystem.

What role can ‘public switching’ play in researching public perceptions of controversial issues?

ABSTRACT This short article reflects on ‘public switching’ as a methodology for research on public perspectives on potential responses to the climate crisis. There have been recent calls for early public engagement with potentially controversial science and technology. Such ‘upstream’ engagement is often conducted by those close to the science, presenting challenges associated with informing without advocating and deferral to scientists on non-scientific matters. The method we propose – public switching – involves engaging a public (here, young people) with emerging technologies through social science priming, independent research and the creation of questions which are presented to scientists and policymakers working in the field. We argue that this approach provides a mechanism for the public to connect with science and policy and to be heard, with question creation depolarising and deepening discussion. We reflect on methods of public switching, question creation and analysis, and discuss the limits and limitations of this approach.

Exploring Black Undergraduate Students' Communication and Biology Education Experiences about COVID-19 and COVID-19 Vaccines During the Pandemic.

Effective communication about science is a core skill undergraduates should learn, but little research has explored how students communicate about culturally controversial science topics. In this study, we explored how Black undergraduate science students took on the role of science communicators in their communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. We interviewed 23 Black students about their experiences learning about COVID-19 vaccines and communicating about COVID-19 vaccines to their communities. We found that students' racial/ethnic and science backgrounds made them feel a responsibility to be effective communicators about COVID-19 vaccines as potential trusted messengers within their communities. However, students were using limited strategies when communicating and were unsure how to communicate about COVID-19 topics effectively to those who were vaccine-hesitant or doubted the severity of the pandemic. Finally, students described ways that their biology instructors could have helped them be more confident when communicating about COVID-19 vaccines with their communities. Findings suggest that biology instructors could teach science communication principles in addition to content knowledge about culturally controversial science topics in their undergraduate classes to build on students' developing science communication skills.

Uncovering gender stereotypes in controversial science discourse: evidence from computational text and visual analyses across digital platforms

Abstract This study examines how gender stereotypes are reflected in discourses around controversial science issues across two platforms, YouTube and TikTok. Utilizing the Social Identity Model of Deindividuation Effects, we developed hypotheses and research questions about how content creators might use gender-related stereotypes to engage audiences. Our analyses of climate change and vaccination videos, considering various modalities such as captions and thumbnails, revealed that themes related to children and health often appeared in videos mentioning women, while science misinformation was more common in videos mentioning men. We observed cross-platform differences in portraying gender stereotypes. YouTube’s video descriptions often highlighted women-associated moral language, whereas TikTok emphasized men-associated moral language. YouTube’s thumbnails frequently featured climate activists or women with nature, while TikTok’s thumbnails showed women in Vlog-style selfies and with feminine gestures. These findings advance understanding about gender and science through a cross-platform, multi-modal approach and offer potential intervention strategies.

Temporal Framing in Balanced News Coverage of Artificial Intelligence and Public Attitudes

ABSTRACT This study investigates how balanced news coverage, presenting both the positive and negative aspects of artificial intelligence (AI), may lead to attitudinal changes among the public when it is paired with different temporal frames. Different construal levels associated with temporal distance and evaluations of pros and cons provide a theoretical grounding to understand these dynamics. The results of an online experiment showed that exposure to the near-future temporal framing of AI (vs. distant-future temporal framing) induced greater perceived severity of AI risks. This, in turn, decreased public support for AI development and use. The indirect effect was conditional upon message order such that the effect was only significant when the message was presented in the risk/benefit order. The findings suggest that non-refutational two-sided frames reflecting journalistic norms of balance may lead to public opinion change because the accompanying temporal frames unwittingly impact which side people put more weight on. Thus, the selection of sources and the use of time reference need to be carefully vetted by journalists when reporting controversial science and technology.

Seeking evidence and explanation signals religious and scientific commitments

Who is more committed to science: the person who learns about a scientific consensus and doesn't ask questions, or the person who learns about a scientific consensus and decides to pursue further inquiry? Who exhibits greater commitment to religious teachings: the person who accepts doctrine without question, or the person who seeks further evidence and explanations? Across three experiments (N = 801) we investigate the inferences drawn about an individual on the basis of their epistemic behavior – in particular, their decision to pursue or forgo further inquiry (evidence or explanation) about scientific or religious claims. We find that the decision to pursue further inquiry (about science or religion) is taken to signal greater commitment to science and to truth, as well as trustworthiness and good moral character (Studies 1–3). This is true even in the case of claims regarding controversial science topics, such as anthropogenic climate change (Study 3). In contrast, the decision to forgo further inquiry is taken to signal greater commitment to religion, but only when the claim under consideration contains religious content (Study 1–3). These findings shed light on perceived scientific and religious norms in our predominantly American and Christian sample, as well as the rich social inferences drawn on the basis of epistemic behavior.

Fictional scenarios, real concerns: science fiction and perceptions of human genome editing

This research addresses the association between attention to science fiction and public opinion of human genome editing (HGE). Using a nationally representative survey, our results show that attention to science fiction is associated with both risk and benefit perception of the technology. In addition, results show that, at higher levels of attention to science fiction, the levels of concern from conservatives (ordinarily predisposed to negative views toward science) and from liberals (ordinarily predisposed to positive views toward science) come closer to being the same. This research contributes to our understanding of debates about controversial science.

Editor's Preface to Essay Section on Methods and Analysis in Fringe Science

The following content constitutes an informal but fortuitous collection that speaks to methods and analysis in fringe science. Articles about model-building or theory formation on anomalous phenomena often garner the strongest interest for understandable reasons, but the underlying approaches and techniques that drive charge- or challenge- type discoveries arguably represent some of most fascinating and important information. To be sure, descriptions of flexible or innovative methods can inspire and support work across many different academic disciplines [for a discussion, see: Houran, J. (2022). An introduction and mission of building bridges to reach the unknown. Journal of Scientific Exploration, 36, 3-7. https://doi.org/10.31275/20222439]. Thus, the JSE welcomes submissions that present newly developed (or specifically tailored) methods and instrumentation for studies in anomalistics. We further encourage readers to explore the many peer-reviewed journals devoted to analytics, instrumentation, and research design. Interested readers can search and learn about such journals at aggregator sites like Publons.com or Resurchify.com, but Table 1 below presents a convenient selection of 25 examples that arguably are worthy of attention with good-to-high impact factors. 
 

Teaching controversial socio-scientific issues in online exhibits of science museums: Covid-19 on the scene

The Covid-19 pandemic has sparked an unprecedented public debate over socio-scientific controversies, particularly regarding vaccination and social distancing measures. Despite the potential of such subjects for developing critical thinking and a sense of citizenship, the theme of controversies is still incipient in science museums. This documentary study investigates the way three science institutions have proposed online exhibits on Covid-19 on Google Arts & Culture platform and checks their potential for favoring teaching on controversial science topics. Google Arts & Culture platform was searched for Covid-19-related keywords and the filtering of the results was based on focus and organizing institutions. Three exhibits were detected, whose analysis was submitted to an inter-rater agreement (Cohen’s kappa). The results revealed the predominance of social and economic aspects that can strongly favor more scientifically progressive views of both science literacy and a socially undistorted science. On the other hand, the superficiality of political discussions on science topics, a lack of naturalization of the controversial discussions, and an excessive use of textual content were identified, thus revealing some initiatives have not explored the interactivity, multimediality, and the way dilemmas that mark the trajectory of science museums extend to online exhibits. From this perspective, we point out paths for teaching and learning socio-scientific controversies in museums.

How issue entrepreneurs shape public discourse of controversial science: examining GMO discussion on a popular Chinese Q&A platform

Social media have become popular channels for sharing and discussing science issues. Drawing from the classic communication theory, Public Arena Model, this paper examines how issue entrepreneurs influenced the Chinese public's cognition of GMO, especially the role of celebrities and scientists in controversial science communication. To answer this question, we used the structural topic modeling method to examine public discussion about GMO on a popular Q&A site in China (Zhihu) from 2014 to 2019 (N=40,101). In study 1, we investigated what the major themes of public discourse are about GMO and the evolution of these themes in general. In study 2, we investigated public discourse in a more specific context, an iconic event in China's GMO history, a debate between a TV celebrity and a scientist, to examine how two major issue entrepreneurs influenced what and how the public deliberated GMO\@. We found that the issue entrepreneurs' debate increased public discussion on the ‘science communication’ aspect of GMO yet decreased public discussion on the ‘science’ of GMO. Supporters of different entrepreneurs are divided in their attitudes and rhetoric toward GMO. These findings shed new light on how social media is a digital embodiment of the public arena where public deliberation about controversial science occur and evolve.

Rethinking the knowledge-attitudes model and introducing belief in human evolution: examining antecedents of public acceptability of human gene editing

In the science communication literature, we can easily notice the persistence of the knowledge-attitudes model (or the deficit model) that attributes the lack of public support to a lack of scientific knowledge. However, there has also been a continuing debate over the roles of scientific knowledge in explaining public attitudes towards specific controversial science and technologies. Using the data from an American nationwide survey, this study examined the variety of antecedents of the public acceptance of human gene editing (HGE), including scientific knowledge, attitudes towards science, risk-benefit perceptions of HGE, and belief in human evolution. Our findings illuminate how scientific knowledge indirectly influenced the public acceptance of HGE through a variety of mediating variables (such as attitudes towards science, risk perceptions of HGE, and benefit perceptions of HGE), though it did not directly influence this acceptance. The findings also reveal some moderating effects of belief in human evolution on the relationships among the above variables, serving as a ‘perceptual filter’ in the case of HGE. These findings revisit and extend the persistent but simplified knowledge-attitudes model and provide new insights into the complicated process of public attitude formation about such controversial technologies as HGE.

Biomimetic superhydrophobic metal/nonmetal surface manufactured by etching methods: A mini review.

As an emerging fringe science, bionics integrates the understanding of nature, imitation of nature, and surpassing nature in one aspect, and it organically combines the synergistic complementarity of function and structure–function integrated materials which is of great scientific interest. By imitating the microstructure of a natural biological surface, the bionic superhydrophobic surface prepared by human beings has the properties of self-cleaning, anti-icing, water collection, anti-corrosion and oil–water separation, and the preparation research methods are increasing. The preparation methods of superhydrophobic surface include vapor deposition, etching modification, sol–gel, template, electrostatic spinning, and electrostatic spraying, which can be applied to fields such as medical care, military industry, ship industry, and textile. The etching modification method can directly modify the substrate, so there is no need to worry about the adhesion between the coating and the substrate. The most obvious advantage of this method is that the obtained superhydrophobic surface is integrated with the substrate and has good stability and corrosion resistance. In this article, the different preparation methods of bionic superhydrophobic materials were summarized, especially the etching modification methods, we discussed the detailed classification, advantages, and disadvantages of these methods, and the future development direction of the field was prospected.

Relaxing Mask Mandates in New Jersey

Relaxing Mask Mandates in New Jersey

Building causal knowledge in behavior genetics.

Behavior genetics is a controversial science. For decades, scholars have sought to understand the role of heredity in human behavior and life-course outcomes. Recently, technological advances and the rapid expansion of genomic databases have facilitated the discovery of genes associated with human phenotypes such as educational attainment and substance use disorders. To maximize the potential of this flourishing science, and to minimize potential harms, careful analysis of what it would mean for genes to be causes of human behavior is needed. In this paper, we advance a framework for identifying instances of genetic causes, interpreting those causal relationships, and applying them to advance causal knowledge more generally in the social sciences. Central to thinking about genes as causes is counterfactual reasoning, the cornerstone of causal thinking in statistics, medicine, and philosophy. We argue that within-family genetic effects represent the product of a counterfactual comparison in the same way as average treatment effects (ATEs) from randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Both ATEs from RCTs and within-family genetic effects are shallow causes: They operate within intricate causal systems (non-unitary), produce heterogeneous effects across individuals (non-uniform), and are not mechanistically informative (non-explanatory). Despite these limitations, shallow causal knowledge can be used to improve understanding of the etiology of human behavior and to explore sources of heterogeneity and fade-out in treatment effects.

Wakandan Utopia, Blackman’s Techno-Scientific Imaginaries, and the Complexities of Pseudoscience in Black Panther

The stereotypical representation of the Black world in Western cultural repositories has often been of great concern to scholars in African studies. This prejudicial delineation fosters dystopian sensibility on the unconscious mind of the Blackman who involuntarily internalises the myths of his sub-humanity. Stephen Hopkins’ The Ghost and the Darkness (1996), Antoine Fuqua’s Tears of the Sun (2003), Terry George’s Hotel Rwanda (2004), Fernando Meirelles’ The Constant Gardener (2005), Kevin Macdonald’s The Last King of Scotland (2006), Cary Fukunaga’s Beasts of No Nation (2015), and Mira Nair’s Queen of Katwe (2016), for instance, project the Black world as a locus horridus. Though this stereotype has been invalidated in many scholarly writings, the Hollywood superhero movie, Black Panther (2018), further intensifies the repudiation, affirming the Blackman’s contributions to humanity, albeit with a touch of narcissism. Using sci-fi genre, the movie provides a fictional truth, abstracted reality averring the cargo cult thinking of the Blackman. This is because the movie envisions Black hegemony and a world that pays homage to the wealth and imagined techno-scientific prowess of the Blackman. In this article, I examine the underlying subtexts in the movie, interrogating its Afrofuturist or Africanfuturist agenda. I argue that the agenda is steeped in illusionism, fringe science, esoteric spirituality, and cargo cult mentation. I contend that the failure of the Black world to catch up with the rest of the world may have necessitated its love for esoteric and infantile desires, rather than exploring the material, empirical realities around it to effectuate tangible development.

Do We Have a Trust Problem? Exploring Undergraduate Student Views on the Tentativeness and Trustworthiness of Science.

Science includes the fundamental attributes of durability and uncertainty; hence, we teach about the “tentative yet durable” nature of science. Public discourse can be different, where one hears both confidence about “settled science” and doubts about “just theories.” The latter observation gives rise to the possibility that emphasis on learning the tentative nature of science offers some people the actionable option of declining to accept canonical science. Our paper reports the findings from initial and replication exploratory studies involving about 500 preservice, elementary/middle school teacher education students at a large Midwestern public university. Using a survey method that included opportunities for student comments, the study tested hypotheses about confidence in the veracity, durability, tentativeness, and trustworthiness of science. We found that most students embrace noncontroversial science as correct, and that almost all embraced the tentative nature of science regardless of what they thought about controversial topics. However, when asked about the trustworthiness of science, many students were not willing to say that they trust scientific knowledge. Even students strongly supportive of science, including controversial science, responded similarly. And why did they say that science is not trustworthy? The explanation echoed by many students was that scientific knowledge is tentative. Our paper concludes with implications for instruction and research. Our findings suggest that it would be prudent for science educators to increase instructional focus on the relationship between data and evidence that leads to the durability of scientific knowledge. Future research needs to thoroughly investigate the public interpretation of what we teach about the nature and characteristics of science, and for the implications it might have on how scientific knowledge is or is not incorporated in the development and implementation of public policy.

Science Factionalism: How Group Identity Language Affects Public Engagement With Misinformation and Debunking Narratives on a Popular Q&A Platform in China

Misinformation and intergroup bias are two pathologies challenging informed citizenship. This article examines how identity language is used in misinformation and debunking messages about controversial science on the Chinese digital public spheres and their impact on how the public engage with science. We collected an 8-year time series dataset of public discussion ( N = 6,039) on one of the most controversial science issues in China (GMO) from a popular Q&A platform, Zhihu. We found that both misinformation and debunking messages use a substantial amount of group identity languages when discussing the controversial science issue, which we define as science factionalism—discussion about science is divided by factions that are formed upon science attitudes. We found that posts that use science factionalism receive more digital votes and comments, even among the science-savvy community in China. Science factionalism also increases the use of negativity in public discourse. We discussed the implications of how science factionalism interacts with the digital attention economy to affect public engagement with science misinformation.

Race, Ethnicity, and the Scarr-Rowe Hypothesis: A Cautionary Example of Fringe Science Entering the Mainstream

In 2020, Pesta et al. published an article entitled “Racial and Ethnic Group Differences in the Heritability of Intelligence: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis” in the journal Intelligence. The authors framed their analysis as an examination of the Scarr-Rowe hypothesis, which holds that the heritability of intelligence varies as a function of socioeconomic status. Pesta et al. concluded that the heritability of intelligence does not differ across racial and ethnic groups in the United States. They claimed their results challenge the Scarr-Rowe hypothesis and support the hereditarian position that mean differences in IQ among racial and ethnic groups are attributable to genetic differences rather than environmental disparities. In this commentary, we outline severe theoretical, methodological, and rhetorical flaws in every step of Pesta et al.’s meta-analysis. The most reliable finding from Pesta et al. is consistent with the Scarr-Rowe hypothesis and directly contradicts a hereditarian understanding of group differences in intelligence. Finally, we suggest that Pesta et al. serves as an example of how racially motivated and poorly executed work can find its way into a mainstream scientific journal, underscoring the importance of robust peer review and rigorous editorial judgment in the open-science era.

The dinosaur from 600 BCE! Interpreting the dragon of Babylon, from archaeological excavation into fringe science

In 1918, German archaeologist Robert Koldewey, excavator of Babylon, Iraq, observed that the depiction of the fantastical “dragon of Babylon” on the sixth century BCE Ishtar Gate must reference a real animal whose closest relatives would be dinosaurs like the iguanodon. Though ignored within archaeology, Koldewey’s comments were taken up in German-American popular science writer Willy Ley’s “romantic zoology” (1941), then by Bernard Heuvelmans (1955), founding figure in the fringe field of cryptozoology. Their interpretations would ultimately inspire expeditions by the International Society of Cryptozoologists in Central Africa to find the Mokele-Mbembe, a “living dinosaur,” and migrate into Young Earth Creationist and ancient aliens theories. An analysis of Koldewey’s marginal academic observation serves as a means of considering the process of knowledge formation and canonization and the unpredictable life of scholarly ideas.

Learning to improvise, not criticize: Using improvisation techniques to enhance students’ ability to engage in civil discourse about science

The polarizing nature of many science-based topics often causes people to engage in a hostile manner with those who have differing perspectives. As the next generation of scientists and industry professionals, students studying in science-based disciplines must understand the value of civil discourse. Additionally, they need the skills necessary to engage civilly with individuals whose beliefs differ from theirs as one way to improve relations between the science community and lay audiences. Civil discourse challenges students to apply best practices of science communication in impromptu discussion, think critically about alternate perspectives, and empathize with the experience of others. The classroom activity builds upon improvisation techniques which enable students to define civil discourse, articulate the importance of civil discourse in science communication, and use civil discourse techniques when engaging in difficult conversations about science. Courses Science communication courses across course levels to improve students’ ability to engage in civil discourse when discussing controversial science topics. Objectives This activity aims to teach students to (1) define civil discourse, (2) articulate the importance of civil discourse in science communication, and (3) use civil discourse techniques when engaging in difficult conversations about science.