Stickler's Guide to Science in the Age of Misinformation: The Real Science Behind Hacky Headlines, Crappy Clickbait and Suspect Sources

A wise and witty look at the real scientific principles behind some of the most commonly held - and widely spread - scientific misconceptions. Phrases like "superfoods," "right and left brained people," and "natural environment" may be snappy and ear-catching, but lifelong educator Philip Bouchard is worried that they are often wrong (or at least not quite right). These shorthand analogies, memes, and phrases distort the actual science and often leave us more confused than enlightened. They leave out key details, leading readers to develop a misunderstanding of the world around them. In The Stickler's Guide to Science in the Age of Misinformation, Bouchard takes a closer look at pervasive scientific illiteracy and offers readers the real science behind their commonly held beliefs. Bouchard unpacks all the ways we misuse scientific terms and shows readers what these vital concepts really mean. Readers will learn why trees do not "store" carbon dioxide; why getting your genome sequenced tells you much less than you think it does; and why a day is not actually 24 hours. The better we understand these issues, the more we can do as citizens in an era of half-truths, misinformation, and outright lies. The Stickler's Guide to Science in the Age of Misinformation makes well-researched science go down easy, satisfying curiosity and sparking further inquiry along the way. AUTHOR: R. Philip Bouchard is a lifelong "natural science nerd" with a track record of creating successful educational media. As a software engineer and educator, he designed the famous 1985 computer game The Oregon Trail, which went on to sell 65 million copies. Bouchard holds a bachelor's degree in Botany from the University of Georgia, and a master's degree in Botany from the University of Texas at Austin. In recent years he has specialised in the creation of fun, insightful educational essays, principally in the natural sciences. Many of these essays can be seen in The Philipendium on medium.com. 35 illustrations