All posts by E.A. Thackaberry
Welcome to Bad Science on the Internet! Here, we highlight some of the crazy and sometime dangerous stuff people post online, and then give you the facts.
The bad science: The Alkaline Diet
What do they claim? Increased longevity, lower risk of heart disease and cancer, among other things.
Are they trying to sell you something? $10-20 for a diet book.
Is any of this true? No. None of it.
The Internet Asks: What is zero minus any number?
Source: Yahoo Answers
Science’s Answer: It’s the negative of that number. For example: 0 – 7 = -7, 0 – 223 = -223, 0 – (-462) = 462, or a boy has zero apples and the bank repossesses his apple orchard containing 50 trees, each with 100 not-quite-ripe apples on them, then he has -5000 apples, and some very angry investors.
The Internet Asks: “What is the penalty for blowing up the moon?”
Source: Yahoo Answers
Science’s Answer: Please don’t blow up the moon. Keep in mind that the moon is held in place by the earth’s gravity, so some of the pieces of the moon (those that are accelerated towards the earth’s surface after you blow it up) will shower down on all of us. If the human race survives, I think it’s fair to say you will be in a lot of trouble.
The Internet Asks: Can radiation really give humans mutant powers like in the comics?
Source: Quora.com
Science’s Answer: Please don’t expose yourself to radiation in an attempt to gain mutant powers. Just don’t do it – I can’t stress this enough. People are exposed to radiation all the time, mostly natural sources like ultraviolet radiation from the sun or radon from the earth, but also man-made sources like x-rays, and nuclear waste. These people never get super powers. Do you know what they get? They get cancer. And that’s not a superpower, despite what you might have learned from “The Fault In Our Stars.”
Welcome to Ask a Scientist, where we answer questions from our readers on a wide range of scientific topics. Got a scientific question? Drop us an line.
My friend from high school messaged me about Asea. He’s a personal trainer and into all of this herbal/supplement/health stuff. My friend said it can help with a bunch of things including executive functioning, and other diagnosis. I’m kinda sketchy about stuff like this. Let me know what you think. – JT, Calabasas, CA
Thanks for the question! This would also have made a great “bad science on the internet”. Here are the facts from your good friends at UseYourBrain!.
A company called Asea sells the creatively-named supplement “Asea.” They claim it contains “redox signaling molecules” which can promote cellular heath and can be used to improve immune function, improve athletic performance and improve general energy and health. Some have suggested it as a treatment for the symptoms associated with autism.
I watched a few of there YouTube videos and… wow. It’s hard to know where to start. The company claims that a”medical atomic physicist” figured out how to generate and stabilize these “redox signaling molecules”, which they claim are the key to “cellular health.” First of all, there’s really no such thing as a “medical atomic physicist.” I’ve never heard anyone describe themselves this way before and you cannot get a degree in “medical atomic physics.”
