Commentary

Celebrity vs. Science

The group Sense About Science has had it with celebs who spout off on scienceââ?¬â??or to be more specific, the group wants the celebrity spoutings to be accurate. Here the BBC assembles some SAS examples of celebrity junk science. Too bad most of them (with the exception of Ms. Ex Paul McCartney) won’t be familiar to Yanks. Then again, most of what matters most does not get lost in translation. Case in point:

[“Lifestyle Guru” Carole Caplin] On how to prevent breast cancer by giving women more information about “the importance of keeping the lymph system clear and unclogged”. Prof Michael Baum, emeritus professor of surgery, University College London: “Carole’s idea of keeping the lymph system “clear and unclogged” has no meaning whatsoever. “It is not based on knowledge of anatomy or physiology of the human body, let alone of breast cancer.”

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