# \#Society

**URL:** https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/tag/society/17.md

[Latest](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/latest.md) · [Categories](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/categories.md) · [Tags](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/tags.md)

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## [A question on the US covid vaccine safety system](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/a-question-on-the-us-covid-vaccine-safety-system/18071)

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**Author:** [@Giltil](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/u/Giltil)\
**Replies:** 6\
**Last updated:** [September 24, 2026, 4:30am UTC](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/a-question-on-the-us-covid-vaccine-safety-system/18071 "2026-09-24T04:30:15Z")

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https://www.bmj.com/content/394/bmj-2026-100806 If US officials knew covid vaccine safety system was flawed, how could they have claimed the vaccine was safe and effective? \[Mod edit to add a more complete title - D\]

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## [When Will We Have to Decide Who Counts as a Person?](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/when-will-we-have-to-decide-who-counts-as-a-person/17997)

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**Author:** [@Roman](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/u/Roman)\
**Replies:** 17\
**Last updated:** [September 17, 2026, 12:36am UTC](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/when-will-we-have-to-decide-who-counts-as-a-person/17997 "2026-09-17T00:36:34Z")

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In an earlier thread — Could Adam and Eve Have Been the First Embodied Persons Within an Existing Homo sapiens Population? — the discussion gradually moved well beyond the original question. We ended up talking about an…

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## [The Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom: Thomas Jefferson’s best "scripture"](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/the-virginia-statute-of-religious-freedom-thomas-jefferson-s-best-scripture/18053)

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**Author:** [@Irikevig](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/u/Irikevig)\
**Replies:** 3\
**Last updated:** [September 13, 2026, 11:33pm UTC](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/the-virginia-statute-of-religious-freedom-thomas-jefferson-s-best-scripture/18053 "2026-09-13T23:33:24Z")

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Warm greetings, Forum Alas, some days, when my patience is pushed HARD by encountering waves of pseudo-science ignorance, in the name of a blinkered version of “loyalty”, I feel like a werewolf, and wish to turn myse…

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## [Followup on "Jay Bhattacharya at the NIH… one year on"](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/followup-on-jay-bhattacharya-at-the-nih-one-year-on/17978)

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**Author:** [@Argon](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/u/Argon)\
**Replies:** 5\
**Last updated:** [August 16, 2026, 5:34pm UTC](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/followup-on-jay-bhattacharya-at-the-nih-one-year-on/17978 "2026-08-16T17:34:24Z")

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Continuing on an earlier observation .. Dr. Bhattacharya bravely stood silently behind Trump as the President demonized the MMR vaccine, multiple other vaccines and the vaccine schedule that were developed to balance & …

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## [Funny T-Shirt I saw today](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/funny-t-shirt-i-saw-today/17885)

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**Author:** [@AllenWitmerMiller](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/u/AllenWitmerMiller)\
**Replies:** 4\
**Last updated:** [July 1, 2026, 12:12am UTC](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/funny-t-shirt-i-saw-today/17885 "2026-07-01T00:12:29Z")

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I’m 2(SQRT(1+tan^2(C))) and I know it. I definitely had to study it for a while.

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## [Nature: The political polarization of health outcomes in the USA](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/nature-the-political-polarization-of-health-outcomes-in-the-usa/17888)

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**Author:** [@Faizal\_Ali](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/u/Faizal_Ali)\
**Replies:** 0\
**Last updated:** [June 23, 2026, 4:55pm UTC](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/nature-the-political-polarization-of-health-outcomes-in-the-usa/17888 "2026-06-23T16:55:20Z")

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No surprise: Abstract Public health disparities provide an important lens for understanding social and political change in the USA. Using individual-level medical data and death records, this study shows that conservat…

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## [More Curling?](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/more-curling/17696)

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**Author:** [@Faizal\_Ali](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/u/Faizal_Ali)\
**Replies:** 7\
**Last updated:** [April 13, 2026, 4:18pm UTC](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/more-curling/17696 "2026-04-13T16:18:26Z")

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Back by popular demand. The best shot of the Olympics. Although The Brier is not yet over til tonight, it will take one heckuva shot to beat this one: Previous episodes:

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## [One year of American Lysenkoism](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/one-year-of-american-lysenkoism/17702)

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**Author:** [@Nesslig20](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/u/Nesslig20)\
**Replies:** 4\
**Last updated:** [March 21, 2026, 11:57am UTC](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/one-year-of-american-lysenkoism/17702 "2026-03-21T11:57:39Z")

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Over a year ago in February 2025, I posted a topic noting on the insanity of having an HIV-denier and Anti-vaxxer leading the US ‘health and human services’. I got some push-back from @Giltil who cited the MAHA Commissio…

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## [Jay Bhattacharya at the NIH... one year on](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/jay-bhattacharya-at-the-nih-one-year-on/17707)

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**Author:** [@Argon](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/u/Argon)\
**Replies:** 0\
**Last updated:** [March 16, 2026, 3:59pm UTC](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/jay-bhattacharya-at-the-nih-one-year-on/17707 "2026-03-16T15:59:35Z")

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Not looking so good. It appears that the ability to throw shade and make podcast grievances are not predictors of organizational competence or the ability to enact knowledgeable change. Even if they are Christian.

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## [How experience shapes extraordinary beliefs](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/how-experience-shapes-extraordinary-beliefs/17575)

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**Author:** [@sfmatheson](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/u/sfmatheson)\
**Replies:** 0\
**Last updated:** [December 23, 2025, 10:20pm UTC](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/how-experience-shapes-extraordinary-beliefs/17575 "2025-12-23T22:20:48Z")

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I found this recent review interesting both as an overview of the study of “extraordinary beliefs” (which the authors define and describe) and as an exploration of a new added facet (experience) to the effort to understa…

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## [FFRF and member celebrate Winter Solstice with display at N.J. Big Bang site](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/ffrf-and-member-celebrate-winter-solstice-with-display-at-n-j-big-bang-site/17570)

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**Author:** [@Patrick](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/u/Patrick)\
**Replies:** 0\
**Last updated:** [December 22, 2025, 6:40pm UTC](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/ffrf-and-member-celebrate-winter-solstice-with-display-at-n-j-big-bang-site/17570 "2025-12-22T18:40:15Z")

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https://ffrf.org/news/releases/ffrf-and-member-celebrate-winter-solstice-with-display-at-n-j-big-bang-site/

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## [Discovery Institute helps the government attack leftists helping the homeless](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/discovery-institute-helps-the-government-attack-leftists-helping-the-homeless/17516)

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**Author:** [@misterme987](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/u/misterme987)\
**Replies:** 12\
**Last updated:** [November 13, 2025, 6:15pm UTC](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/discovery-institute-helps-the-government-attack-leftists-helping-the-homeless/17516 "2025-11-13T18:15:43Z")

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I found this image earlier today and something caught my eye: “In cooperation with Discovery Institute” — yes, that’s our Discovery Institute that helped put together a dossier of leftist groups helping the homeless.…

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## [Language for group reaction](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/language-for-group-reaction/17501)

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**Author:** [@Jay](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/u/Jay)\
**Replies:** 8\
**Last updated:** [November 9, 2025, 2:52am UTC](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/language-for-group-reaction/17501 "2025-11-09T02:52:50Z")

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I watched on YouTube, Ken LaCorte argue that the Native Americans were warlike, in his “The elephant in the room” series “What they don’t teach you about Native Americans”. The sociologist Lawrence H Keeley, made the sam…

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## [Miller threatens New Yorkers after election](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/miller-threatens-new-yorkers-after-election/17504)

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**Author:** [@Faizal\_Ali](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/u/Faizal_Ali)\
**Replies:** 7\
**Last updated:** [November 6, 2025, 7:11pm UTC](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/miller-threatens-new-yorkers-after-election/17504 "2025-11-06T19:11:57Z")

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Whenever I think the Trump Administration has exhausted its capacity to shock me, they up the ante yet again. Here is Stephen Miller’s response to Zohran Mamdani’s victory in last night’s NYC mayoral election:

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## [HUMOR: If Subatomic Particles Could Talk](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/humor-if-subatomic-particles-could-talk/17468)

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**Author:** [@AllenWitmerMiller](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/u/AllenWitmerMiller)\
**Replies:** 0\
**Last updated:** [October 15, 2025, 1:22am UTC](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/humor-if-subatomic-particles-could-talk/17468 "2025-10-15T01:22:19Z")

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## [When does (human) life begin?](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/when-does-human-life-begin/17445)

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**Author:** [@Nesslig20](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/u/Nesslig20)\
**Replies:** 35\
**Last updated:** [October 6, 2025, 8:53pm UTC](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/when-does-human-life-begin/17445 "2025-10-06T20:53:26Z")

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That’s an argument often used from the pro-life side. They claim that life begins at conception; when a sperm cells fuses with an egg cell to form a zygote. The zygote is said to be a human person. However, setting aside…

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## [Former creationist in the Washington Post: Discuss](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/former-creationist-in-the-washington-post-discuss/17443)

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**Author:** [@John\_Harshman](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/u/John_Harshman)\
**Replies:** 7\
**Last updated:** [October 5, 2025, 7:11pm UTC](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/former-creationist-in-the-washington-post-discuss/17443 "2025-10-05T19:11:38Z")

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/09/22/muslim-missionary-evolutionary-biologist-human/

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## [AI impresses me when it correctly explains jokes](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/ai-impresses-me-when-it-correctly-explains-jokes/17415)

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**Author:** [@AllenWitmerMiller](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/u/AllenWitmerMiller)\
**Replies:** 1\
**Last updated:** [September 5, 2025, 5:30pm UTC](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/ai-impresses-me-when-it-correctly-explains-jokes/17415 "2025-09-05T17:30:01Z")

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This morning I was watching a video addressing the various ways (natural and human-initiated) in which isolated mountain lakes can be colonized by fish. The topic reminded me of a comedy routine I wrote for my keynote s…

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## [Evolution News & Views is gone](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/evolution-news-views-is-gone/17392)

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**Author:** [@Dan\_Eastwood](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/u/Dan_Eastwood)\
**Replies:** 24\
**Last updated:** [September 4, 2025, 6:42pm UTC](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/evolution-news-views-is-gone/17392 "2025-09-04T18:42:55Z")

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… but it hasn’t gone very far. Brought to my attention on FB - Hat Tip to Dave Blank. Now here’s Casey Luskin to tell us more about it.

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## [Good luck explaining standard deviations and kurtosis to the general public](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/good-luck-explaining-standard-deviations-and-kurtosis-to-the-general-public/17407)

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**Author:** [@AllenWitmerMiller](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/u/AllenWitmerMiller)\
**Replies:** 4\
**Last updated:** [September 3, 2025, 8:16pm UTC](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/good-luck-explaining-standard-deviations-and-kurtosis-to-the-general-public/17407 "2025-09-03T20:16:22Z")

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\[E.J.\] Antoni made the remarks about intelligence in a discussion with summer interns at Heritage in 2024. He said that women’s IQs generally clustered around average scores, while men’s IQs varied more between “geniuse…

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## ["The initial message hammered home to us by the health authorities" on Covid mRNA vaccines](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/the-initial-message-hammered-home-to-us-by-the-health-authorities-on-covid-mrna-vaccines/17396)

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**Author:** [@Tim](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/u/Tim)\
**Replies:** 33\
**Last updated:** [August 30, 2025, 8:13pm UTC](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/the-initial-message-hammered-home-to-us-by-the-health-authorities-on-covid-mrna-vaccines/17396 "2025-08-30T20:13:48Z")

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We have been instructed: @Giltil made the following claim, repeatedly: @Faizal\_Ali, @Rumraket and myself have each requested a quote/citation for this claim. Given the importance of this issue for the credibility o…

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## [Do deniers of the Dunning-Kruger Effect thereby exhibit the DK Effect?](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/do-deniers-of-the-dunning-kruger-effect-thereby-exhibit-the-dk-effect/17384)

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**Author:** [@AllenWitmerMiller](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/u/AllenWitmerMiller)\
**Replies:** 6\
**Last updated:** [August 6, 2025, 1:21pm UTC](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/do-deniers-of-the-dunning-kruger-effect-thereby-exhibit-the-dk-effect/17384 "2025-08-06T13:21:28Z")

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Yeah, that was just a clickbait headline. But I do keep seeing people post in all sort of Internet comment sections, complaining that somebody else mentioned the DK Effect but “it is just statistical noise.” Discourse …

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## [Lying increases trust in science, study finds](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/lying-increases-trust-in-science-study-finds/17376)

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**Author:** [@Tim](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/u/Tim)\
**Replies:** 4\
**Last updated:** [August 4, 2025, 2:16am UTC](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/lying-increases-trust-in-science-study-finds/17376 "2025-08-04T02:16:04Z")

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The study revealed that, while transparency about good news increases trust, transparency about bad news, such as conflicts of interest or failed experiments, decreases it. Therefore, one possible solution to the par…

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## [I'm in an argument with my A.I. engine about the tsunami warning](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/im-in-an-argument-with-my-a-i-engine-about-the-tsunami-warning/17361)

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**Author:** [@AllenWitmerMiller](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/u/AllenWitmerMiller)\
**Replies:** 10\
**Last updated:** [August 3, 2025, 2:12am UTC](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/im-in-an-argument-with-my-a-i-engine-about-the-tsunami-warning/17361 "2025-08-03T02:12:00Z")

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Gemini Advanced told me to consult www.tsunami.gov but when I tell it what I found, it argues that it is simply a test. We’ve gone several rounds now. Here is its latest retort: I understand you are seeing that informa…

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## [How Grok Learned to be a Nazi](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/how-grok-learned-to-be-a-nazi/17306)

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**Author:** [@Faizal\_Ali](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/u/Faizal_Ali)\
**Replies:** 10\
**Last updated:** [July 12, 2025, 1:54pm UTC](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/how-grok-learned-to-be-a-nazi/17306 "2025-07-12T13:54:55Z")

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Given how frequently Grok is cited as a source by some members here, this current story seems relevant: On July 4, Elon Musk announced that his company had “improved @Grok significantly.” Users should “notice a differe…

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## [NIH Director: Image Bearers Are Not Biohazards](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/nih-director-image-bearers-are-not-biohazards/17273)

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**Author:** [@swamidass](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/u/swamidass)\
**Replies:** 6\
**Last updated:** [June 28, 2025, 3:24pm UTC](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/nih-director-image-bearers-are-not-biohazards/17273 "2025-06-28T15:24:36Z")

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And do not overlook the full interview here:

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## [Setting Our Scopes on Things Above](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/setting-our-scopes-on-things-above/17274)

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**Author:** [@swamidass](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/u/swamidass)\
**Replies:** 0\
**Last updated:** [June 26, 2025, 4:59pm UTC](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/setting-our-scopes-on-things-above/17274 "2025-06-26T16:59:51Z")

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We are nearly upon the 100 year anniversary of Scopes…

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## [A leading researcher at NIH on processed food resigns citing censorship. ](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/a-leading-researcher-at-nih-on-processed-food-resigns-citing-censorship/17233)

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**Author:** [@Nesslig20](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/u/Nesslig20)\
**Replies:** 0\
**Last updated:** [May 9, 2025, 3:28pm UTC](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/a-leading-researcher-at-nih-on-processed-food-resigns-citing-censorship/17233 "2025-05-09T15:28:10Z")

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Don’t want to summarize the story. Read his own remarks here: It’s incredibly disturbing, but certainly not surprising under the current government. What’s also not surprising to see is the reaction by (seemingly) Trum…

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## [How Democrats and Republicans cite science: study reveals stark differences](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/how-democrats-and-republicans-cite-science-study-reveals-stark-differences/17223)

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**Author:** [@Tim](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/u/Tim)\
**Replies:** 2\
**Last updated:** [April 26, 2025, 10:38am UTC](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/how-democrats-and-republicans-cite-science-study-reveals-stark-differences/17223 "2025-04-26T10:38:05Z")

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How Democrats and Republicans cite science: study reveals stark differences The United States is known for the deep polarization between its two major political parties — the right-wing Republicans and left-wing Democ…

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## [Science’s big problem is a loss of influence, not a loss of trust](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/science-s-big-problem-is-a-loss-of-influence-not-a-loss-of-trust/17213)

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**Author:** [@sfmatheson](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/u/sfmatheson)\
**Replies:** 2\
**Last updated:** [April 15, 2025, 4:18pm UTC](https://discourse.peacefulscience.org/t/science-s-big-problem-is-a-loss-of-influence-not-a-loss-of-trust/17213 "2025-04-15T16:18:44Z")

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This article was somewhat encouraging to me (or at least… not further discouraging). It’s open access (edit: oops, no, see bottom of the post for a link) and is a commentary by experts from two organizations: the Edelman…

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