24 ■ CHAPTER 02 Evaluating Scientific ClaimsSCIENCE
world works that can be tested using the scien-
tific method. We are exposed to scientific claims
every day—dozens of them, in fact. They are not
all true. In 2004, editors at the magazine Popu-
lar Science asked one of their journalists to write
down every scientific claim he heard in a day and
evaluate each one. He recorded a whopping 106
claims and dug into each of them, from Cheerios’
claim that it reduces cholesterol (supported by
scientific evidence) to the claim that a face cream
infused with vitamin A would revitalize skin (not
supported). Of the 106 claims, most were bogus.
The majority of scientific claims come from
advertisers. Though companies are legally bound
to tell the truth, not all of them do. For exam-
ple, in 2005 an Italian footwear company named
Vibram introduced the $100 FiveFingers running
shoes, glove-like shoes that mimic the feel of
barefoot running (Figure 2.3). In a marketing
campaign, the company touted the health bene-
fits of these unique shoes, advertising that they
could reduce foot injuries and strengthen foot
muscles. In 2013, however, two peer-reviewed
studies of over a hundred joggers found that the
shoes actually increased the likelihood of injury.
Soon, Vibram was sued for false advertising, and in 2014 the company settled that lawsuit for
$3.75 million, agreeing to refund FiveFingers
shoe purchases and remove all health claims
about the shoes from its advertisements.
Scientific claims also come from special-
interest groups and organizations that exist to
advance certain causes, often for political or reli-
gious reasons. These claims include statements
about global warming, evolution, and medi-
cal care. Again, such claims are often untrue.
Therefore, it is important to question the “truth”
of a claim when you hear it.
We, the public, are not simply consumers of
science and technology. We are participants.
By voting on issues that have a scientific under-
pinning, we shape the course of science and
influence which technologies are used, as well
as where and how they’re used. Although our
personal values and political leanings are likely
to influence how we vote, the underlying science
should also be taken into consideration. Scien-
tific literacy, an understanding of the basics
of science and the scientific process, enables us
to make informed decisions about the world
around us and to communicate our knowledge
to others. Our hope is that this book will help
you become scientifically literate.Figure 2.3
Shoes designed to mimic bare feet
FiveFingers running shoes did not live up to the
manufacturer’s scientific claims.W
hy do we need a flu shot every year? Why doesn’t it protect us for
life, like other vaccines do? In fact, each year’s flu vaccine does
protect you for life from a particular strain of the flu virus, but the virus
mutates rapidly, and every year’s flu strain is likely to be different from
the previous year. To the immune system, the new strain looks like a
completely new virus. But that’s not all! That pesky flu virus can even
combine itself with other flu viruses, from animals like birds and pigs, to
create deadly flu pandemics like the H1N1 strain, or “swine flu,” in 2009.
Each flu season, the CDC uses current flu cases to try to determine
what the next season’s flu viruses will be. It then creates a vaccine to
protect us from the anticipated viruses. Sometimes the experts are
extremely accurate and the flu vaccines are highly effective against
that season’s virus. Sometimes, however, they are not so accurate,
and the vaccine is not as protective. It’s a viral genetics puzzle and
a guessing game, with a little attempt at clairvoyance thrown in. Still,
even in years when the vaccine does not provide full coverage for that
season, it is likely to protect you from future manifestations of the flu.
Here’s the bottom line: The more yearly flu vaccines you receive, the
more flu viruses your immune system will be ready to fight, and the less
likely you will be to catch the seasonal flu. More important, you will be
less likely to succumb to a deadly flu pandemic.Flu Shot