Unreasonable Science

A recent edition of National Geographic features topics where "science" may not be right.  Eg:

• Climate change may not really be happening, and if it is, it is not in the way that scientists think;
• Evolution never happened, it is a theory that has not been proven beyond all doubt;
• The moon landing was faked, it was a conspiracy;
• Vaccinations can lead to autism; and
• Genetically modified food is not really good for you.

The front cover of this magazine looks attractive, though sadly, as someone said, the people who need to know these things won't read this magazine.  They will just believe what they will want to believe or what the news media tells them.  They do not have the habitual inquiring mind to subscribe to magazines like National Geographic.

Do you think these comments are true?  People only understand science for what popular media tells them, rather than to examine the actual facts?

Is there a conspiracy behind what media informs?  A viewpoint twisted to influence the masses to think in a certain way, even when the viewpoint is an unproven theory?  And a contested one at that?

I understand that the masses came to believe that being "gay" is genetic and unavoidable, even though scientifically, it is yet to be proven that a gay gene exists.

And the evolution theory is taught at schools, even though the indesputable "missing link" between the different kinds of species has never been found.

Personally, I believe in the "scientific" method.  However, conclusions need to be checked against this method.  Inconclusive data should not be publicised as facts.  It would be deceiving the public if we were to do this.

Unfortunately, the need for grants and the attraction of the public to information and controversies lead us to believe some things, even though "science" does not actually validate those beliefs.

What do you believe?