Science Literacy

My aluma mater just released a new, free course through Coursera called Scientific Literacy:

“Fake news or good science? In a world where we have access to unlimited information, it is hard to sift through the echo chamber of opinions fueled by emotions and personal biases, rather than scientific evidence. Science Literacy will teach you about the process of science, how to think critically, how to differentiate science from pseudoscience, how indigenous wisdom can inform science, how to understand and design a scientific study, and how to critically evaluate scientific communication in the media. Every module will build your new skill-base with real life examples, and at the end of each module you will have to apply these skills to scientific questions, talking points and controversies in the world. Warning: this course requires an open mind and the ability to self-reflect.”

https://www.coursera.org/learn/science-literacy

I hope this can be helpful to you in your journey! Dr Caulfield is a super cool guy. 💜

This is where science literally becomes very important and why we need critical thinking skills taught at all levels of education.

Courses like this are a good place to start: https://www.coursera.org/learn/science-literacy

Maybe it was a little unclear - the article I read said the fourth wave will be "among the unvaccinated" - just look to the US that almost all the hospitalized are partially or unvaccinated. There is a real movement that says to let covid run rampant, and unrestricted through the populous to build a 'natural' herd immunity - an incredibly flawed and dangerous way to go about things that will overwhelm healthcare and lead to many, many deaths. The is a lot of evidence that suggests that natural immunity isn't as long-lasting or strong as hoped (or nearly as robust as vaccines esp, with variants) (Read about Brazil that was certain it had so many covid infections and recoveries in the first wave that should have imparted herd immunity naturally but was devastated when the next wave hit). Some of the key people spreading misinformation are in it for their own gain - just because they propose "natural" healing/protection doesn't make them trustworthy or honest. You're right that finger pointing doesn't really get us anywhere. I trusted my doctor who actually had the education, background and expertise to read the evidence to give me the best advise. If you have time, there was a lot to learn about filtering through all the information to make decisions through a free on-line course offered by the U of A called "Science Literacy". It starts a little slow to get everyone on the same level of understanding then the final 2 sections or so about Science and the internet are really great. I do recommend it. :) https://www.coursera.org/learn/science-literacy Be well.

Science Literacy

About the Course

We are often told not to believe everything we read online or see on TV—but how do we tell the difference between sensationalized statistics and a real scientific study? Learn how to spot sound science with our new online course in Science Literacy. Join Claire Scavuzzo and Rachel Buehl in this new, five-week Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) from the University of Alberta, Faculty of Science, hosted on Coursera. 

In Science Literacy, you’ll hear from:

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• Timothy Caulfield, Canada Research Chair in Health Law and Policy and star of Netflix’s “A User's Guide to Cheating Death” on pseudoscience
• Torah Kachur, scientist and CBC journalist on science communication (and miscommunication!)
• Christian Nelson, citizen scientist and creator of Edmonton Weather Nerdery, on experimental design
• Métis Elder Elmer Ghostkeeper and Cree Elder Rose Wabasca, on the holistic nature of Inidigenous wisdom and how it can work with the scientific process
• David Rast, scientist and psychology expert, on uncertainty and decision making

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Learning Outcomes

After completing this course, you will be able to:

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• Recognize that science is a systematic approach to evidence, differentiate science from common sense and intuition, recognise bias, and discuss how Indigenous wisdom can inform and complement the scientific method. 
• Differentiate between science, pseudoscience, fake science, fraudulent science, and explain what makes pseudoscience both attractive and dangerous.
• Think critically when presented with new information, explain the difference between correlation and causation, identify unfalsifiable hypotheses, and apply a critical thinking framework as an approach to skepticism. 
• Differentiate the scientific method from critical thinking frameworks, generate null and alternative hypotheses, define and measure variables, and apply the appropriate research design to a given situation. 
• Differentiate peer-reviewed primary literature from mainstream media, and describe the utility of statistics for scientists and peer review
• Evaluate reporting of scientific findings in the media and identify media tactics that bias public understanding by misrepresenting interpretations of scientific findings