Alison Campbell

In the last couple of days I've seen a lot of individuals and pages share links to a trailer for “Plandemic”. And I've had friends ask me what I think of it. They've commented that it looks and ... (1093 words)

Recently I came across the claim that cystic fibrosis (CF) can be cured by diet. This was news to me, given that the mutation that causes CF is well-documented, as are the necessary treatments, and I ... (767 words)

A story about essential oils being used in classrooms https://tinyurl.com/y5vs9pvo hit the headlines on 30th March. It described how an Auckland primary school had put diffusers into 20 classrooms, ... (809 words)

One of the myths (and there are a lot of them) continually pushed by those opposed to vaccination, is that “the MMR vaccine causes autism” – often coupled with claims that “there are no studies ... (630 words)

There's a lot of rhetoric these days around educating students 'for the 21st century', and the need for '21st century skills', while (not always but often) disparaging what is currently taught & ... (1380 words)

I've written about MMS - the "Miracle Mineral Supplement" - several times beforeA (here and here, for example). I guess it's a useful thing to hold up to show how something can clearly be woo - eg ... (841 words)

Raw water - the latest foolish fad to hit people's screens, pockets, and in some instances I'd guess their toilet paper expenditure as well. I first heard of this particular litre of woo when I read ... (622 words)

I rather like our local supermarket. Lovely staff, generally excellent products, and close to home as well. But I really wish the organisation would stay out of giving nutritional advice - or at ... (582 words)

A friend recently pointed me at a post on healthnutnews (which reads a bit like an offshoot of mercola.com – this, it turns out, is hardly surprising). It's been a while since I've read anything so ... (620 words)

The internet is a seething pool of ‘stuff ', and one of the challenges faced by those using it is to distinguish useful information from foolish fantasy. And there surely is a lot of the latter! Thus ... (604 words)

I've heard it said more than once that complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) ‘does no harm'. I suppose that could be true of a healthy person using something like homeopathy, where the only ... (306 words)

Pheromones. I'll admit that when I hear the word, I immediately think of sex. That's probably because the first pheromone ever discovered, in 1959, was the chemical that female silkworm moths use to ... (439 words)

Sunday 26 April's Life/Style section in the NZ Herald (see Newsfront p6) brings us the latest ‘beauty trend' to hit our shores: the snail facial. Yes, you read that correctly. Apparently one can (if ... (452 words)

Apparently 80% of people in the USA think so, according to a Washington Post article that's been all over Facebook in the last few days. That is, 80% of those polled in the regular Food Demand ... (701 words)

The discovery of how the stomach bacterium Helicobacter pylori was found to be responsible for gastric ulcers is a classic tale of revolution in scientific understanding. But the full story is far ... (852 words)

Alison Campbell looks at the Accelerated Christian Education curriculum. By accident, I came across the curriculum document for Accelerated Christian Education (ACE), which provides teaching and ... (767 words)

Alison Campbell learns some interesting facts about water chemistry Following recent events in Hamilton I've found myself involved in several debates on the merits of fluoridated water lately. This ... (712 words)

Alison Campbell reviews Charlatan: America's Most Dangerous Huckster, the Man Who Pursued Him, and the Age of Flimflam, by Pope Brock. Three Rivers Press, New York. Goat glands, greed, and the ... (757 words)

Alison Campbell thinks there are better ways to lose weight than one recently touted option. As I've said previously, I find Facebook good for keeping up with friends and family, and profoundly ... (646 words)

Alison Campbell has been spending time on Facebook recently. I quite enjoy Facebook. It's an enjoyable way to catch up with what friends and family are up to, and I follow a number of good science ... (474 words)

… then there's little hope for the world, says Alison Campbell, who attends far too many meetings. Fortunately however, that may not be the case. I attend a lot of meetings; that's the nature of my ... (512 words)

There may indeed be a place for creationism in the science classroom, but not the way the creationists want. This article is based on a presentation to the 2011 NZ Skeptics Conference. We live in a ... (1865 words)

Alison Campbell considers the current state of tertiary education. The title for this article is taken from one of the search terms used by people visiting my 'other' blog, Talking Teaching, which I ... (1045 words)

Alison Campbell learns how to fine-tune the universe with a didgeridoo. Recently a commenter on Orac's Respectful Insolence blog ( scienceblogs.com/insolence) mentioned the therapeutic use of ... (575 words)

Alison Campbell investigates alarming reports on what is living in our dishwashers. I don't know what worried me more about an article I read in The Registrar recently ... (790 words)

Alison Campbell looks at a new 'resource' for New Zealand schools, helpfully provided by the creationist movement. A little while ago Ken Perrott, who writes the Open Parachute blog, alerted me to an ... (544 words)

Alison Campbell reviews a study of why so many struggle with scientific concepts. One of the topics that comes up for discussion with my Sciblogs colleagues is the issue of 'resistance to science' - ... (880 words)

Alison Campbell finds the creationists are still trying to get into our schools. A friend of mine, who happens to be a biology teacher, recently forwarded me an email. Quite apart from the fact that ... (647 words)

Alison Campbell finds some claims about raw foods hard to swallow. I was reading a couple of articles about 'raw foods' today. This is 'raw foods' as in 'foods that you don't heat above 40°C in ... (572 words)

While in the gym, Alison Campbell considers some health issues. I had another learning experience down at the gym this afternoon. There I was, happily pedalling away on the exercycle (I believe in ... (691 words)

Alison Campbell looks at some words that cause scientific misunderstandings. I suspect that for many of my first-year Biology students, the sheer weight of new terms they come across is perhaps the ... (647 words)

Alison Campbell ponders the evolutionary significance of lolcats. Makes me chuckle when I think about it. Not just because Lolcats (www.icanhascheezburger.com) make me LOL (they do), but also because ... (389 words)

Alison Campbell considers the evidence for the efficacy of parachutes. Recently a teacher sent me a paper titled: 'Parachute use to prevent death and major trauma related to gravitational challenge: ... (437 words)

Waikato University biological sciences lecturer Alison Campbell posts a regular blog on matters biological (sci.waikato.ac.nz/bioblog/). Her aim is to encourage critical thinking among secondary ... (400 words)

If students are to pursue careers in science, they need to be able to see themselves in that role. One way to encourage this may be through the telling of stories. This article is based on a ... (3474 words)

The teaching of evolution in New Zealand schools may seem secure, but it has faced many challenges, and these appear to be on the increase. This article is based on a presentation at the Evolution ... (1514 words)

<<img class="g-image g-image--lazy g-image--loading" src="data:image/svg+xml,%3csvg fill='none' viewBox='0 0 615 463' xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' ... (829 words)