All Questions
1,820
questions
88
votes
6
answers
10k
views
Do mobile phones have anything to do with brain cancer?
Is there evidence for a correlation between the use of mobile phones and the occurence of brain cancer? If yes, is there also evidence for causality?
user288
153
votes
7
answers
20k
views
Do human activities contribute to climate change?
There is lots of evidence that I have seen showing correlation between human activities and climate change but what evidence is there to support causation?
- 3,239
166
votes
4
answers
25k
views
Does being cold increase your chances of catching the common cold?
"Everyone knows" - a scary statement - that you get "a cold" from being cold. Now it seems to be a fact that you don't, because you get a cold from a (rhino)virus, not from the temperature.
But is ...
- 4,697
119
votes
4
answers
24k
views
54
votes
4
answers
12k
views
How bitter is Robert Lustig's "Bitter Truth" about sugar?
A couple of months ago I watched the talk "Sugar: The Bitter Truth" by endocrinologist Dr. Robert Lustig on YouTube. The overall tone of the talk raised a couple of red flags; it sounded a little too ...
- 835
112
votes
6
answers
15k
views
Is alcohol beneficial in small amounts?
It's widely believed that consuming small amounts of alcohol has many health benefits.
As a matter of fact, a lot of alcohol might be good for you, as Wired Magazine reports:
It’s one of those ...
- 8,142
41
votes
1
answer
9k
views
Can I get high using binaural beats?
Some sites claim that you can get high using binaural beats:
All I-Doser doses are tested by a panel of users who consider themselves experienced in binaural beat modification. A dose is not passed ...
- 78.3k
328
votes
7
answers
42k
views
Did Jesus live?
Regardless of whether you believe or not...
What is the non-Biblical evidence regarding his existence around the time he is commonly thought to have lived? That is, are there other historically ...
- 24.4k
146
votes
3
answers
23k
views
On 9/11, was Building 7 destroyed in a controlled explosion?
There have been a lot of claims made about the circumstances surrounding the events of 9/11 and Building 7 in particular.
The central claim regarding Building 7, that I have heard personally, is that ...
- 11.3k
65
votes
3
answers
5k
views
Is acupuncture an effective treatment?
What evidence is there for or against acupuncture being an effective treatment?
- 10.2k
38
votes
7
answers
5k
views
What is the value of armed bystanders in preventing gun deaths?
On Nov. 5, 2009, 12 soldiers and one civilian were killed, and more than two dozen others were wounded, when a gunman walked into the Soldier Readiness Processing Center at Fort Hood and opened fire. ...
- 389
23
votes
4
answers
4k
views
Are there any other studies (besides the discredited Wakefield studies) that have found a link between vaccination and autism?
Wakefield's study from 1998 is now refuted as fraudulent, however there must have been subsequent research by others looking for a link between vaccines and autism. Did any of this research find a ...
user398
106
votes
5
answers
7k
views
Are personal electronics a risk to commercial aviation?
Are personal electronics (of present or recent past; e.g. cell phones, mp3 players, iPads) a risk to commercial air travel? Is the typical request to "turn off all personal electronic devices" based ...
- 3,238
90
votes
3
answers
9k
views
Does a car with a hybrid engine and Lithium batteries pollute more than a car with conventional technology?
You hear a lot of claims that, once you include manufacturing and battery replacement, hybrids pollute more than an efficient, more conventional engine. Are there any end-to-end studies measuring any ...
- 12.9k
28
votes
1
answer
6k
views
Do ghosts exist?
Ghost themed shows and ghost tours in some cities probably make ghost-related entertainment products a multi-million dollar industry.
A ghost is supposedly the spirit of a deceased person who rises ...
- 11.3k
19
votes
1
answer
4k
views
Does the presence of a cellphone affect sperm count or heart rate?
A doctor from my girlfriend's family was talking to her over the weekend. She explained to me that he was talking about how there is proof that cellphones decrease sperm count when being stored in a ...
- 417
16
votes
3
answers
2k
views
Is routine screening for breast cancer for asymptomatic women worthwhile?
Relatively recently, the United States Preventive Services Task Force made a small change in what its recommendations for routine mammograms, suggesting that they should not be performed on asymptotic ...
- 55.4k
230
votes
2
answers
37k
views
Has man walked on the Moon?
Is there any concrete, solid proof of this space odyssey?
Is there a way that I personally have a look a it? Let's say, with a nice telescope ?
- 4,443
136
votes
2
answers
17k
views
If you shave or wax, will the hair grow back stronger or thicker?
Many people believe that if you shave or - especially - wax your legs, arms, chest, pubic hair or armpits then the hair will grow back stronger, or thicker, or more black, or more rapidly, or any ...
- 2,783
49
votes
9
answers
9k
views
Is race a discredited scientific concept in biology?
I've heard lots of people say things like "race doesn't exist" and "race has no biological meaning." On the other hand, I've heard lots of disagreements too, from scientific popularizers like Steven ...
- 3,763
41
votes
2
answers
4k
views
Is being a vegan more environmentally friendly than otherwise?
On their website, PETA claimed the following:
A recent United Nations report concluded that a global shift toward a vegan diet is necessary to combat the worst effects of climate change. And the U....
- 954
18
votes
3
answers
5k
views
Is human evolution slowing down?
It has been said that the human race has basically hit a point where any further evolution is essentially unnecessary: protection from most harmful diseases is provided by medicine, we have very few ...
- 11.9k
80
votes
6
answers
7k
views
Do violent video games cause violent behavior?
I have been following this question casually over the past couple of years, and it seemed to me that there was no strong consensus either way on the subject. However, I recently read an editorial from ...
- 2,393
76
votes
3
answers
16k
views
The origin of "99 cents"
I've seen two competing theories on the origin of pricing products at $<desired dollar amount minus 1>.99 (i.e. charging $19.99 instead of $20, of $5.99 instead of $6):
Psychological pricing ...
- 871
70
votes
3
answers
9k
views
Is the gender pay gap evidence of discrimination?
(I've asked this before but people had troubling separating the question from just the gender pay gap. This is a way I was suggested to ask it, so I am giving it a try)
No one can deny the gender pay ...
- 8,695
69
votes
4
answers
7k
views
Is gun control effective?
I have seen numerous arguments about gun control, in the sense of laws restricting gun ownership or possession, and whether widespread gun possession affects crime rates, and each side is happy to ...
- 7,906
69
votes
1
answer
20k
views
Is food cooked in a microwave oven harmful for the health?
A colleague of mine just made a comment about cooking food in a microwave oven. According to him it is considered to be harmful to one's health. Is it true?
- 1,119
60
votes
4
answers
11k
views
Does watching television damage the eyes?
Is there any evidence that watching television for too long or while sitting too close weakens the eyes (leading to myopia, for example) ?
- 1,241
58
votes
3
answers
8k
views
Does burning your food increase your risk of getting cancer?
About a year ago I heard that burning your food can lead to an increased risk of getting cancer. The explanation was that the burned portion of the food was carcinogenic. The Carbon that would be ...
- 683
49
votes
5
answers
6k
views
Does the artificial sweetener aspartame cause cancer?
I've often heard that the artificial sweetener aspartame causes cancer.
Is it true?
- 1,441
46
votes
1
answer
5k
views
Are participants in stage hypnosis part of the show? [duplicate]
Are the volunteers actually part of the performance (i.e. paid or in other ways compensated) to perform like chickens etc., or is it actually possible to hypnotize people in the short space of time ...
- 1,599
38
votes
2
answers
6k
views
Is the Bates Method for improving eyesight efficacious?
The Bates Method is often cited by people looking to avoid wearing glasses, or as an alternative to LAZIK surgery for improving/correcting eyesight.
Is the method at all effective? Can eyesight truly ...
- 2,461
34
votes
2
answers
5k
views
Is diet soda less healthy than regular soda?
The top 10 worst foods listed at planetgreen.com elects diet soda as the number one worst food/beverage, even worse than regular soda. However, I find it a little hard to believe, since the number of ...
- 531
26
votes
1
answer
4k
views
Do the mother's genes almost exclusively determine the sons' intelligence?
According to this paper: Intelligence and the X chromosome by Gillian Turner, published by The Lancet (a highly regarded medical journal) in 1996, the X chromosome is dominantly responsible for coding ...
- 2,499
25
votes
7
answers
8k
views
Are there technologies that provide unlimited free energy?
Many different sources claim to be able to produce "unlimited free energy". For example:
UNLIMITED FREE ENERGY IDENTIFIED
Company claims to have developed new technology that provides unlimited free ...
- 1,846
24
votes
2
answers
4k
views
Have one in ten women suffered rape in the UK?
A recent survey in the UK claims that about 10% of women have been raped but that most do not report the incident even to friends. In the words of one news report:
One in 10 women has been raped, ...
- 55.4k
24
votes
2
answers
5k
views
Are white people more likely to commit mass murder in the United States?
There have been several claims in the media that white men are more likely to commit mass murders. I've seen rather strong evidence that the vast majority of these crimes are committed by men, so I ...
- 10.2k
21
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Does screening for prostate cancer save lives?
The Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) Test is used by doctors in many regions of the world to test for prostate cancer and other prostate disorders.
Some people recommend its use for screening - i.e. ...
- 55.4k
20
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Have global surface temperatures not shown significant warming since the late 1990s?
Those skeptical about the science of global warming have frequently alleged that the surface temperature record has "paused" since about 1998 and showed no significant warming trend (see this recent ...
- 55.4k
6
votes
3
answers
1k
views
Has SARS-CoV-2 been purified in a lab? If not, does this imply that the PCR test for it is not specific?
Dr. Sam Bailey gives a number of references in her YouTube video on PCR tests stating the virus has never been purified as in actually separated from the infected cells.
I'm curious if this is ...
- 179
471
votes
2
answers
307k
views
Was the experiment with five monkeys, a ladder, a banana and a water spray conducted?
I've found the following picture online. It is about the moral/paradigm behind consistent behavior.
Click to enlarge.
The image text says
A group of scientists placed 5 monkeys in a cage and ...
- 5,046
94
votes
5
answers
11k
views
Are women underpaid relative to men?
Many articles, such as this one, report a significant wage gap between men and women of 15% or more as evidence of discrimination. On the other hand, some sources, such as this one, claim that the gap ...
- 10.2k
89
votes
6
answers
12k
views
Is homosexuality innate?
There is a widespread belief that one chooses to be a homosexual, and that people can successfully overcome such feelings.
On the other hand, some scientific studies have shown that finger length may ...
- 8,142
87
votes
2
answers
21k
views
Does polyphasic sleep work? Does it have long-term or short-term side effects?
Cutting sleep down to 6, or 4, or 2 hours per day sounds fantastic. It also sounds like something that should have evolved naturally if it were possible.
From the Polyphasic Society:
Humans are ...
- 973
85
votes
5
answers
17k
views
How were the pyramids built?
It is claimed in many different pseudoscience publications and sites that it was impossible for the ancient Egyptian civilization to build the pyramids, because:
too much labour was needed
it was ...
- 78.3k
68
votes
5
answers
6k
views
Is the placebo effect a purely psychological effect?
The placebo effect plays a crucial role in clinical trials and in our understanding of medicine, but I have always had some difficulty in understanding how exactly it works.
Is it a purely ...
- 42.9k
65
votes
2
answers
9k
views
Does water have a memory as claimed in homeopathy?
In homeopathic remedies the original substance is often diluted to a point where statistically there should be not a single molecule left of the original substance. The most common explanation by ...
- 42.9k
52
votes
3
answers
7k
views
Is Barack Obama a natural born US citizen?
In this Politico Article dated 8/5/10 the results of a poll taken on President Obama are discussed:
The poll of 1,018 adults shows 27
percent of Americans believe the
president was “probably” ...
- 11.3k
52
votes
2
answers
11k
views
Is Saudi Arabia funding 200 mosques but not accepting any refugees?
Has Saudi Arabia announced it'll build 200 mosques for those fleeing fighting in Syria and Iraq, but won't accept any refugees?
Example claim: "Saudi Arabia Offers to Build 200 Mosques for Syrians in ...
- 38.7k
52
votes
2
answers
3k
views
Is it harmful to your eyes to read in dim light?
Is there any scientific backing to the claim that reading in dim light damages your eyes?
Related to:
Does watching television damage the eyes?
- 18.6k