Frontline: United States of Conspiracy

[beaglelady]

The next intallment of Frontline is about conspiracy theories, a very important topic in our day. It’s unbelievable how they seem to have overtaken our lives and put us all in danger. (I hope it is allowed to stay up!)

Airing 7/28/2020 (check your local listings or stream from pbs: Frontline: United States of Conspiracy

[MarkD (A Whateverist, not a Christian)]

We’ll definitely be watching here. I only hope there is some way we can as a society find away to inoculate ourselves against falling prey to such things. It is easy to turn to education to take this on but somehow families need to be brought in too.

[beaglelady]

That’s true. Families will especially need to understand and accept any covid-19 vaccines that prove to be safe and effective.

[T_aquaticus]

Just ran across this bogus paper:

Editorial J Biol Regul Homeost Agents
. 2020 Jul 16;34(4).

5G Technology and induction of coronavirus in skin cells

M Fioranelli 1, A Sepehri 1, M G Roccia 1, M Jafferany 2, O Y Olisova 3, K M Lomonosov 3, T Lotti 1 3

Abstract
In this research, we show that 5G millimeter waves could be absorbed by dermatologic cells acting like antennas, transferred to other cells and play the main role in producing Coronaviruses in biological cells. DNA is built from charged electrons and atoms and has an inductor-like structure. This structure could be divided into linear, toroid and round inductors. Inductors interact with external electromagnetic waves, move and produce some extra waves within the cells. The shapes of these waves are similar to shapes of hexagonal and pentagonal bases of their DNA source. These waves produce some holes in liquids within the nucleus. To fill these holes, some extra hexagonal and pentagonal bases are produced. These bases could join to each other and form virus-like structures such as Coronavirus. To produce these viruses within a cell, it is necessary that the wavelength of external waves be shorter than the size of the cell. Thus 5G millimeter waves could be good candidates for applying in constructing virus-like structures such as Coronaviruses (COVID-19) within cells.

If you have a basic knowledge of cell biology and virology you will know this paper is bunk with in the first 2 sentences. Radiowaves don’t assemble an RNA viral genome out of atoms that are just floating around. It’s ridiculous.

However, for people who have little to no knowledge of biology and genetics, how convincing would this article be?

[Randy]

@T_aquaticus

Editorial J Biol Regul Homeost Agents
. 2020 Jul 16;34(4).

5G Technology and induction of coronavirus in skin cells

M Fioranelli 1, A Sepehri 1, M G Roccia 1, M Jafferany 2, O Y Olisova 3, K M Lomonosov 3, T Lotti 1 3

What on earth. I Googled the magazine, and it’s peer reviewed? How does this get published?

Thanks.

[Sealkin (Quinn)]

As a person who use to believe conspiracy theories and still studies them as they are fascinating, I will be on the look out for it.

[Sealkin (Quinn)]

@T_aquaticus

In this research, we show that 5G millimeter waves could be absorbed by dermatologic cells acting like antennas, transferred to other cells and play the main role in producing Coronaviruses in biological cells.

The first sentence broke me and I laughed. How could anyone write this without at least a grin on their face?

[vulcanlogician (Dillon)]

Employing the critical thinking questions are a good response to any would-be conspiracy claim:

•What am I being asked to believe or accept?
•Is there evidence to support the claim?
•Can that evidence be interpreted another way?
•What evidence would help to evaluate the alternatives?
•What conclusions are most reasonable?

And the benefit with these is that they don’t rely on an appeal to authority, which is a non-starter with many in the conspiracy crowd. So it’s a good set of questions to recommend to people who are giving conspiracy theories more credence than they deserve.

[beaglelady]

Reminder guys: Frontline’s United States of Conspiracy is on tonight. Check your local listings at pbs.org. Now if only I could find where those Martian invaders hid my clothes.

[beaglelady]

Speaking of conspiracy theories, take a look at this:

Trump’s New Favorite COVID Doctor Believes in Alien DNA, Demon Sperm, and Hydroxychloroquine

God help us all!

[Dale (evolutionary providentialist)]

How much more bizarre can it get.

[Dale (evolutionary providentialist)]

[beaglelady]

[beaglelady]

@Dale

How much more bizarre can it get.

I’m afraid to ask!

[Christy (Christy Hemphill)]

I just saw this on a friend’s facebook page. (The deleted video clip, not the news about the latest quacks our dear leader endorses.) Yeah, just when you think it could not get more nuts who they put in front of microphones…

[Boscopup]

I posted on my wall a statement about following doctors who believe diseases are caused by sex with demons and vaccines contain alien DNA. I had someone say we should hear them out. Then she starts talking about hydroxychloroquine and the Henry Ford study.

I’m really tired of conspiracy theorists. Really, really tired.

[beaglelady]

Life these days: where the nuts chase the squirrels.

[MarkD (A Whateverist, not a Christian)]

That is one heck of a quip. Today you win the internet.

[beaglelady]

Thanks, but it’s not an original joke. I do like it!

[MarkD (A Whateverist, not a Christian)]

Me too now.

I’m disappointed that the new Frontline doesn’t start until 10 pm tonight. So we’ll probably watch it ASAP after that. (Actually Lia will probably watch it tonight.) But we get up before 6 every morning to give the younger dog some off leash work. Tougher leash laws makes that a no-no. I don’t mind bending the rule but I don’t want to do it openly where that could undercut following restrictions.