1)Watch the YouTube video Neil Degrasse Tyson - Analogy for the scientific method. Today, there are many topics that are pseudoscience in the news. Pseudoscience 'looks' like science but isn't. Astrology, homeopathic healing, bigfoot, the moon landing was faked are examples of ideas that may seem like science at first but once examined using the scientific method are found to be wrong. As the great Carl Sagan referenced in his book, The Demon Haunted World, scientists have a built in “baloney detector” with the knowledge and use of steps of the Scientific Method. Just as a review on how the scientific method works, view the Neil de Grasse Tyson video. You see that something as simple as the mystery of missing whipped cream on hot chocolate can be easily solved with the Scientific Method as there is solid evidence that cream floats on liquids. Therefore, you should be able to use the Scientific Method to prove or disprove pseudoscience as well. For this discussion assignment:

Choose en example of pseudoscience from the list.

In your initial post, devise a hypothesis about this topic and explain the steps that you would take to prove the hypothesis. Also, explain how think you will be able to prove your hypothesis.

You will need to reply to TWO other students as well. Your replies should include feedback on the methods used as well as any additional suggestions of how the hypothesis might be proven.

Here's the list. Remember these are things that look like science but are actually wrong and in some cases just stupid. Choose one of these.

Astrology

Cryptozoology (bigfoot Loc Ness monster etc...)

Homeopathic medicine

Crop circles

Perpetual motion

Faces, or canals on Mars

Vaccines cause autism

Flat Earth

Hollow Earth

Bermuda Triangle

Earthquake prediction

Phrenology

pur-new-sol

Related Questions