Carlton Supporters Club

The practices of science

But it’s not time to forget everything we thought we knew about how scientists work, says Heidi Schweingruber. She should know. She’s the deputy director of the Board on Science Education at the National Research Council, in Washington, D.C.

In the future, she says, students and teachers will be encouraged to think not about the scientific method, but instead about “practices of science” — or the many ways in which scientists look for answers.

Schweingruber and her colleagues recently developed a new set of national guidelines that highlight the practices central to how students should learn science.

“In the past, students have largely been taught there’s one way to do science,” she says. “It’s been reduced to ‘Here are the five steps, and this is how every scientist does it.’“

But that one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t reflect how scientists in different fields actually “do” science, she says.

So right wingers don’t paint everyone else as wrong   

Here’s a tip: don’t watch FoxNews or SkyNews or listen to Alan Jones and his ilk.

The problem with your ode to libertarianism is that anti-vaxxers are pushing propaganda and misinformation rather than trying to contribute to debate. And vaccine refusal risks the health of the rest of the population. By all means, if someone wants to smoke cigarettes, let them. But if they want to smoke in restaurants or the like then there are clashing individual freedoms, the right to smoke vs. the right to avoid 2nd-hand smoke.

You argued a while back that we should let Covid rip after those that wanted a vaccine had been vaccinated. Underpinning your argument was the idea that the vaccinated would then be safe. But we’ve all been debating the significance of breakthrough infections for the last few days: they do occur, so the unvaccinated do endanger the vaccinated. And the more the unvaccinated are infected, the greater the risk that there’ll be mutations that beat the vaccine.

Just get the damn jab.

As you noted, our arguments aren’t diametrically opposed and that was true of our earlier discussion. I have no problems with such discussions. But you’d have to admit the right wingers in the US aren’t engaged in good faith arguments. For instance, all the FoxNews hosts are vaccinated and the channel has Covid protocols. Murdoch cancelled his 80th birthday party for fear of catching Covid. And yet their hosts bash the vaccine relentlessly, disputing its efficacy and alleging various conspiracies about it. Even though Trump could have claimed credit for the vaccine program, Republicans and other right wingers are increasingly spurning the vaccine and right wingers are ecstatic about that. It seems that “owning the libs” is all that matters and they’re willing to die for that privilege.

Let’s hope it doesn’t get to Omega. In Star Trek canon, the Omega particle was capable of extinguishing all life.

It doesn't seem that long ago that we were discussing India, the virulence of the Delta strain and how well or how bad India was handling the pandemic.

It seems that COVID may be "modern India's worst human tragedy."

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-07-21/india-covid-deaths-could-be-in-the-millions/100310602?utm_medium=social&utm_content=sf247814345&utm_campaign=fb_abc_news&utm_source=m.facebook.com&sf247814345=1&fbclid=IwAR2EuaETn3eGfGNnIQce__WyEYFKMo_hn3Bpwp9WkeUZMMpMfpN9iwvaqrQ

The University of Melbourne modelling team that has guided Victorian Government responses to COVID outbreaks has crunched the NSW numbers:

https://pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/articles/how-long-till-sydney-gets-out-of-lockdown

It's highly likely there are departments in both the State and Federal Health authorities that already had these types of figures, ............... and yet they can't pull the triggers!

Imagine the complaints if people were told 6 to 8 weeks from the get go, but we have to go early and hard, otherwise it's going to be 5 months!

What happened to just telling the public the truth?

I complain about naysayers and deniers being merchants of doubt, I think in our leaders we have a electoral college of certain uncertainty!

The University of Melbourne modelling team that has guided Victorian Government responses to COVID outbreaks has crunched the NSW numbers:

https://pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/articles/how-long-till-sydney-gets-out-of-lockdown

It also seems that Singapore has backflipped on its “learn to live with Covid” strategy, according to News.com.au. Only 4 days ago, restrictions were relaxed, e.g. groups of 5 vaccinated people could eat in restaurants (up from 2) and 5 people could socialise. But Covid then spiked and now restrictions have been reintroduced, e.g. only takeaway food is allowed and groups of more than 2 are prohibited.
https://www.news.com.au/world/coronavirus/global/singapore-reintroduces-covid19-restrictions-days-after-relaxing-rules/news-story/d9ec0e764ce24e0279a2bf7c2fba1d45

Ignoring what is happening in most places this is a hell of a tell. I'd say Singapore was "The Gold Standard" for Sars-CoV-2 preparedness, having learned the lessons of the original Sars. Then just a few weeks back they were all in with the UK in calling for borders to be opened up to save the economies, and now as you point out Singapore has flipped. I think it's a safe bet the UK might be back in the bleachers soon as well.

A lot of this is because they see the infected average age dropping very quickly, ICU's are no longer the preserve of +65 year olds or the chronically ill comorbidities, we are seeing otherwise healthy 20 or 30 somethings starting to fill beds.

Then there is the rising infection rate in the under 16 sector, which for the original strains was almost rarer than hens teeth, but is now becoming common place.

I am cynical though, because I suspect the aging bureaucrats and politicians no longer see themselves getting priority access to an ICU bed when they may be competing for slots with children and youths. So now they are "Ya'll better get a vaccine!"

At a ct of 30, 20% of samples remained positive; at a ct of 35, 3% ; "at a ct above 35, no sample remained positive (infectious) in cell culture.

SARS-CoV-2 Vero cell infectivity was only observed for RT-PCR Ct < 24 and STT < 8 days. Infectivity of patients with Ct > 24 and duration of symptoms > 8 days may be low. This information can inform public health policy and guide clinical...

The cycle threshold needed to detect virus is inversely proportional to the patient’s viral load. Where test results do not correspond with clinical presentation, a new specimen should be taken and retested using the same or different NAT [Nucleic Acid Technology] technology.