Professor of health law and science policy, author, speaker, and commentator. #ScienceUpFirst Linktree: https://linktr.ee/caulfieldtimhttps://bsky.app/profile/caulfieldtim.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/caulfieldtim.bsky.social/post/3mkuzunxe7s2dGreat resource! 👇 The Hallmarks of Pseudoscience https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/critical-thinking-pseudoscience/hallmarks-pseudoscience by @jonathanjarry.bsky.social 🙏 🚩 Example red flags: - Scienceploitation - Science washing of ancient beliefs - Overreliance on testimonials - Vague claims - Logical fallacies - Politicizing spin!! #GoScience! 💪02 May 2026 16:12 +0000at://did:plc:kqsdfw4cj532lp7bidtdzyyz/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkuzunxe7s2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/caulfieldtim.bsky.social/post/3mkuz4qnjg22dMy take on the BS from Alberta separatists: https://thewalrus.ca/albertas-separatists-are-chasing-a-total-cowboy-fantasy/ So many harmful lies. For example, there is nothing subtle about how Alberta separatists scapegoat immigrants. To call this language a dog whistle is an insult to dog whistles. And the embrace of the "cowboy" myth?02 May 2026 15:58 +0000at://did:plc:kqsdfw4cj532lp7bidtdzyyz/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkuz4qnjg22dhttps://bsky.app/profile/caulfieldtim.bsky.social/post/3mkuvg5vp2k2d🚨 Political identity HUGELY relevant! Where people get their news influences their beliefs about vaccines https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-04-people-news-beliefs-vaccines-survey.html "People who follow 'new right' media outlets are more than twice as likely to be vaccine-hesitant compared to those who never engage with those outlets..."02 May 2026 14:52 +0000at://did:plc:kqsdfw4cj532lp7bidtdzyyz/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkuvg5vp2k2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/caulfieldtim.bsky.social/post/3mkuudbvzmk2dDo Psychedelic Treatments Receive Disproportionate Media Hype? https://www.emjreviews.com/neurology/news/do-psychedelic-treatments-receive-disproportionate-media-hype/ Study: "...media coverage emphasizes the purported benefits of psychedelics & drawbacks of established medications, which may impact patient expectations, adherence with treatment, & patient outcomes."02 May 2026 14:32 +0000at://did:plc:kqsdfw4cj532lp7bidtdzyyz/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkuudbvzmk2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/caulfieldtim.bsky.social/post/3mktcbndjxs2dHegseth bragging that he hasn't washed his hands in 10 years cuz he "can't see" germs "so they're not real" is sooooo on brand. Selfish, clueless, harmful, infantile, and highly mockable. 🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮 [contains quote post or other embedded content]01 May 2026 23:37 +0000at://did:plc:kqsdfw4cj532lp7bidtdzyyz/app.bsky.feed.post/3mktcbndjxs2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/caulfieldtim.bsky.social/post/3mksmdkxdqs2dAI Chatbots Vary Widely on Fake Medical References https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/ai-chatbots-vary-widely-fake-medical-references-2026a1000bmr In Grok 3 "34% of references were fabricated or unverifiable." From study: "AI chatbots exhibit heterogeneous reference integrity, with risks of hallucinations and biases..."01 May 2026 17:04 +0000at://did:plc:kqsdfw4cj532lp7bidtdzyyz/app.bsky.feed.post/3mksmdkxdqs2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/caulfieldtim.bsky.social/post/3mkskq2r7pc2dAI health advice getting a lot of attention these days. Coverage of our our recent study on point...👇 We are AI experts. Here are the dangers of using chatbots for health and medical information https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/chatgpt-grok-ai-chatbot-medical-mental-health-b2961786.html01 May 2026 16:35 +0000at://did:plc:kqsdfw4cj532lp7bidtdzyyz/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkskq2r7pc2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/caulfieldtim.bsky.social/post/3mkshuqekis2d📣 Wash your damn hands! 🧼 The number of men in public washrooms who just march out of toilet without washing? Reality: It ain't manly catching & spreading disease... "Promoting handwashing with soap is very likely to be cost-effective for interventions..." https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.100498201 May 2026 15:44 +0000at://did:plc:kqsdfw4cj532lp7bidtdzyyz/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkshuqekis2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/caulfieldtim.bsky.social/post/3mksfdzysqs2dIf our information ecosystem can be rigged to make us believe a band is authentically cool, edgy, and awesome – think of its impact on how we think about health, politics, & each other? 👇 Indie music has been invaded by fake fans & cynical viral campaigns https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/apr/29/geese-outcry-phoney-virality-music-fans-hype01 May 2026 14:59 +0000at://did:plc:kqsdfw4cj532lp7bidtdzyyz/app.bsky.feed.post/3mksfdzysqs2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/caulfieldtim.bsky.social/post/3mkseocoymc2d“I worry that my research — which is not to replace doctors, not to get people to stop seeing their doctors and talk to their chatbots... — is going to get used by companies that are heavily financed and are looking to skip some of these essential safe pieces..." https://www.statnews.com/2026/04/30/open-ai-llm-model-outperforms-doctors-study-published-journal-science/01 May 2026 14:47 +0000at://did:plc:kqsdfw4cj532lp7bidtdzyyz/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkseocoymc2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/caulfieldtim.bsky.social/post/3mkqi45k2is2dWTF @vanityfair.com? There is enough sh*t going on in the world. We don't need respected pubs (VF fan!) making smoking seem cool! I'm a bit late to this cover debacle, but tobacco kills more than 7 million each yr & approx half of its users who don’t quit. Pop culture representations matter!30 Apr 2026 20:43 +0000at://did:plc:kqsdfw4cj532lp7bidtdzyyz/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkqi45k2is2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/caulfieldtim.bsky.social/post/3mkqewsxbd22dSO MUCH nonsense in the longevity space right now! The push to test, test, test often does NOT have good science behind it, despite the science-y sounding pitches. These tests claim to tell your ‘biological age.’ Why the science isn’t there yet. https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/04/29/biological-age-tests-at-home/30 Apr 2026 19:46 +0000at://did:plc:kqsdfw4cj532lp7bidtdzyyz/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkqewsxbd22dhttps://bsky.app/profile/caulfieldtim.bsky.social/post/3mkq4nybh422qYa know you are an uber grifter quack when even MAGA gives up. Yikes. https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/04/30/surgeon-general-nominee-means-saphier/30 Apr 2026 17:18 +0000at://did:plc:kqsdfw4cj532lp7bidtdzyyz/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkq4nybh422qhttps://bsky.app/profile/caulfieldtim.bsky.social/post/3mkpw2mwou22dKnee surgery for cartilage damage does not benefit patients, study suggests https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/apr/29/knee-surgery-cartilage-damage-patients-study So many surgeries useless or harmful. Also, massive costs to patients and healthcare system. “This effectively illustrates how difficult it is to give up inefficient therapies.”30 Apr 2026 15:20 +0000at://did:plc:kqsdfw4cj532lp7bidtdzyyz/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkpw2mwou22dhttps://bsky.app/profile/caulfieldtim.bsky.social/post/3mknvkag36c27Did Kennedy just stack the deck on FDA oversight of peptides? [Spoiler: yep] https://www.statnews.com/2026/04/29/rfk-jr-peptides-upcoming-fda-policy-shift-compounding-drugs/ by @stemcells.bsky.social via @statnews.com "What risky thing might Kennedy unleash next after these peptides? It could be unproven stem cells."29 Apr 2026 20:06 +0000at://did:plc:kqsdfw4cj532lp7bidtdzyyz/app.bsky.feed.post/3mknvkag36c27https://bsky.app/profile/caulfieldtim.bsky.social/post/3mknklsi2vs2dA cheap drug used by longevity enthusiasts may have a surprising impact [read: HARM] on exercise wapo.st/4cYnIY3 Those taking rapamycin gained LESS strength & physical function. "They also developed more aches, fatigue and, in one case, a serious infection." Sum: Don't take "rapamycin off-label." https://wapo.st/4cYnIY329 Apr 2026 16:50 +0000at://did:plc:kqsdfw4cj532lp7bidtdzyyz/app.bsky.feed.post/3mknklsi2vs2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/caulfieldtim.bsky.social/post/3mknetvuyqc2dEcho chambers, motivated reasoning, misinformation, and the embrace of conspiracy theories happens across the political spectrum. This is particularly true in an era when the platforms that create our information environment profit from rage and polarization. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/28/white-house-press-dinner-shooting-conspiracy-theories29 Apr 2026 15:07 +0000at://did:plc:kqsdfw4cj532lp7bidtdzyyz/app.bsky.feed.post/3mknetvuyqc2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/caulfieldtim.bsky.social/post/3mkne55ikmk2dHear, hear! So needed. 🚨 AI decides what we see online. It’s time digital platforms tell us exactly how they do it https://theconversation.com/ai-decides-what-we-see-online-its-time-digital-platforms-tell-us-exactly-how-they-do-it-281327 by @skpark.bsky.social et al. "Society can’t afford an information environment in which invisible AI dictates what we see."29 Apr 2026 14:54 +0000at://did:plc:kqsdfw4cj532lp7bidtdzyyz/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkne55ikmk2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/caulfieldtim.bsky.social/post/3mkndo2qmn22dChilling to watch a democracy fall apart, piece by piece...29 Apr 2026 14:46 +0000at://did:plc:kqsdfw4cj532lp7bidtdzyyz/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkndo2qmn22dhttps://bsky.app/profile/caulfieldtim.bsky.social/post/3mknda4f6d22aWith DOJ indictment of researcher, "lab leak" controversy back. Fascinating how this has become a political acid test. And it is treated as definitively true. Reality: Despite all the noise, most in science community believe evidence supports animal source. https://www.science.org/content/article/who-panel-favors-natural-origin-covid-19-virus-decries-missing-evidence29 Apr 2026 14:38 +0000at://did:plc:kqsdfw4cj532lp7bidtdzyyz/app.bsky.feed.post/3mknda4f6d22ahttps://bsky.app/profile/caulfieldtim.bsky.social/post/3mklxumt4ys2aThis kinda of legitimizing noise from @pnas.org deeply disappointing. THOUSANDS of studies on acupuncture. All iffy or pretty underwhelming. If it worked well, we'd know. Stop "Western science" BS. There is SCIENCE. The toleration & normalization of pseudoscience helped create the current crisis.29 Apr 2026 01:42 +0000at://did:plc:kqsdfw4cj532lp7bidtdzyyz/app.bsky.feed.post/3mklxumt4ys2ahttps://bsky.app/profile/caulfieldtim.bsky.social/post/3mklspirks22aMAGA has: - used ICE to terrorize & kill - destroyed international public health that will lead to millions of deaths - dragged the US into a scientific Dark Age - normalized corruption, lies, incompetence, hate & rage - started wars - etc etc etc And gas prices have biggest impact on support?29 Apr 2026 00:09 +0000at://did:plc:kqsdfw4cj532lp7bidtdzyyz/app.bsky.feed.post/3mklspirks22ahttps://bsky.app/profile/caulfieldtim.bsky.social/post/3mklnyrvjs22vStudy reframes aging narrative: Many older adults improve in later life https://healthjournalism.org/blog/2026/04/study-reframes-aging-narrative/ "...participants who held more positive beliefs about aging at the outset were significantly more likely to improve in cognitive and physical function..." Love this message! 💪❤️28 Apr 2026 22:45 +0000at://did:plc:kqsdfw4cj532lp7bidtdzyyz/app.bsky.feed.post/3mklnyrvjs22vhttps://bsky.app/profile/caulfieldtim.bsky.social/post/3mkljaevhyc2vFile under "obviously but good to have data"... 👇 Young men use moral outrage to claim status in political debates https://www.psypost.org/young-men-use-moral-outrage-to-claim-status-in-political-debates/ From study: "...young men (ages 18–35) consistently report the highest levels of dominance-oriented moral grandstanding..." #Manosphere rage.28 Apr 2026 21:20 +0000at://did:plc:kqsdfw4cj532lp7bidtdzyyz/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkljaevhyc2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/caulfieldtim.bsky.social/post/3mklecc7szk2aDaily reminder that U.S. is an authoritarian regime fuelled by rage and infantile grievances.28 Apr 2026 19:52 +0000at://did:plc:kqsdfw4cj532lp7bidtdzyyz/app.bsky.feed.post/3mklecc7szk2ahttps://bsky.app/profile/caulfieldtim.bsky.social/post/3mkkyl5ivwc2a📣 Hey Saskatoon! Looking forward to this event! We are in a midst of a knowledge crisis. What can we do about it? See ya soon! 🙏 Details: https://www.uregina.ca/events/2026/04/the-2026-houston-lecture-presents-is-misinformation-killing-us.html via @uregina.bsky.social28 Apr 2026 16:22 +0000at://did:plc:kqsdfw4cj532lp7bidtdzyyz/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkkyl5ivwc2a