Can drinking some red wine every day soften blood vessels? The more natural snowfall during the Winter Olympics, the better? Hot water for nuclear heating also carries nuclear radiation? ...... At 19:00 on January 15, 2022, the "Wisdom Stop Rumors and Seek True Knowledge - 2021 'Science' Rumors seeking truth list" was officially unveiled on the Science and Education Channel of Beijing Radio and Television Station. The event invited a number of authoritative experts to crack the annual top ten "scientific" rumors, summarize the five major laws behind the rumors, disseminate scientific methods to identify rumors, improve the public's immunity to scientific rumors, and help create a clear cyberspace.
(Pictured) △ "Wisdom stop rumors to explore true knowledge - 2021 annual 'science' rumors and truth-seeking list" was unveiled at the scene
This event is part of the "2022 Science New Year Series Activities", sponsored by the Beijing Municipal Association for Science and Technology and the Cyberspace Administration of the Beijing Municipal Party Committee, organized by the Beijing Science and Technology Journalists and Editors Association, produced by the Science and Education Channel Center of Beijing Radio and Television Station, and strongly supported by Beijing Science and Technology Newspaper, Beijing Evening News, Tencent More True, Beijing Institute of Science and Technology Information and the Publicity Center of CNNC.
On the basis of the monthly "Science" Gossip List, the 2021 "Science" Rumor Seeking Truth List selects the ten most representative rumors of the whole year, and divides them into five categories according to the nature of the rumors and the law of dissemination: "confusing concepts", "stereotypical effects", "improper associations", "subjective inferences" and "inertial thinking". The event invited Wang Peiyu, director and professor of the Department of Social Medicine and Health Education, School of Public Health, Peking University, and director of the Chinese Nutrition Society, Zhang Zhenhua, technical director and researcher-level senior engineer of China Nuclear Power Co., Ltd., Wu Haiyun, chief physician of the Clinical Department of Internal Medicine of the General Hospital of the Chinese People's Liberation Army and senior consultant of the Chinese Geriatrics Society, and professor of the School of Earth and Space Sciences of Peking University. Jiao Weixin, a member of the Return and Reentry Professional Committee of the Chinese Society of Astronautics, and Zhang Kai, a professor at the School of Astronautics of Beijing Institute of Technology, took the form of keynote speeches and used various methods such as model demonstrations and on-site interaction to dispel rumors for the general public one by one.
(Pictured) △ Professor Wang Peiyu, director of the Department of Social Medicine and Health Education, School of Public Health, Peking University Medical School, interpreted on the spot
Zhang Zhenhua, technical director and researcher-level senior engineer of China Nuclear Power Co., Ltd., interpreted the principle of nuclear heating on the spot
Wu Haiyun, chief physician of the Clinical Department of Internal Medicine of the General Hospital of the People's Liberation Army of Chinese, analyzed the annual rumors
Jiao Weixin, a professor at Peking University's School of Earth and Space Sciences, pressed the rumor stop button
(Pictured) △ Zhang Kai, a professor at the School of Astronautics of Beijing Institute of Technology, refuted the rumors on the spot
Since 2014, the Beijing Municipal Association for Science and Technology and relevant departments have released a monthly list of "science" rumors, and a total of 721 have been released so far. On the basis of the monthly "science" gossip list, for eight consecutive years, the annual top ten "science" gossip truth-seeking list release activities were held, the most representative scientific rumors of the year were selected, authoritative experts in various fields were invited to participate in the interpretation work, the public's immunity to scientific rumors was improved, and the overall scientific quality of citizens was improved.
With the theme of "Leading the New Fashion of Science Communication and Building a New Brand of Science and Technology Culture", the 2022 Science New Year's Eve series of activities was created by the Beijing Municipal Association for Science and Technology, together with the Beijing Municipal Radio and Television Bureau and Beijing Radio and Television Station, and included six major science and technology popularization activities, including the Beijing International Science and Technology Film Festival, the 2022 Science New Year's Eve Night, the Beijing Science Center Science Time, the Science Winter Olympics Publicity Month, the Finals of the Beijing Citizen Science Quality Competition, and the release of the 2021 "Science" Rumor Seeking List, which were launched in the "two festivals" in succession. Enrich the cultural life of citizens' festivals and serve the citizens to celebrate the New Year in Beijing.
(Pictured) △ Top ten "scientific" rumors in 2021
Analysis of the top ten "scientific" rumors and communication laws in 2021
(1) The law of annual gossip: confusing concepts
Using some seemingly professional and advanced scientific vocabulary, seemingly "tall" pseudo-scientific concepts to concoct rumors, confuse the original correct scientific concepts, if people are not scientific literate or rational enough, it is easy to be deceived.
Typical rumors
1. Vaccination against COVID-19 will lead to "immune escape" of the virus
gossip:
Mass COVID-19 vaccinations should be stopped immediately, otherwise it will lead to mutations in the virus, resulting in "immune escape".
The truth:
"Immune escape" refers to the pathogen or tumor antagonizing, blocking, and inhibiting the body's immune response through different mechanisms. Although "immune escape" may theoretically occur, it is not at all the black pot that vaccines should carry. Various variants of the new coronavirus appeared before the mass vaccination of vaccines, and more contagious variants appeared. Even without a vaccine, after the virus infects the body, the immune system will generate its own immune pressure against the virus, and under this pressure, it will lead to the emergence of mutant strains.
On the other hand, "the virus adds a few mutations, and it can resist the antibody" is also unrealistic. When designing various vaccines, researchers generally choose the entire spike protein of the new crown virus or even inactivate the virus as a whole, so that the vaccine can stimulate the human body to produce a variety of antibodies against various parts of the virus, and these vaccines will not immediately lose their effect in the case of virus mutation.
Conversely, if there are few vaccinators and high disease transmission, the virus will have more opportunities to mutate. The real solution to the COVID-19 pandemic is to vaccinate large populations as soon as possible and reduce the space for virus evolution and mutation.
2. Mask disinfection residue will cause cancer, shake before use
Mask disinfection residue "ethylene oxide" is a class of carcinogens, after opening the package to shake the mask in the air, so that the value of ethylene oxide drops significantly, otherwise it will cause cancer.
Most of the medical surgical masks and N95 masks will be sterilized by ethylene oxide steam fumigation. However, after disinfection, manufacturers will wait for ethylene oxide to volatilize before packaging. In addition, after the mask is sterilized with ethylene oxide, the manufacturer will also carry out the detection of ethylene oxide, and the factory mask must meet the national standard, that is, less than 10μg/g.
Ethylene oxide is a volatile substance that, when a mask reaches a consumer through multiple processes, it is essentially free of residues that cause an impact. Masks produced by regular enterprises, the residues meet national standards, and will not pose a threat to the health of the wearer.
(2) The law of annual rumors: the prejudice effect
For unfamiliar science and technology, the public will always draw conclusions from the initial impression, and this initial impression is often a bias that lacks scientific evidence. This kind of rumor is the use of the public's "preconceived notions" and "prefer to believe in what they have, not to believe in what they don't have", but in fact, it is to sell social anxiety.
3. The hot water heated by nuclear energy carries nuclear radiation
The hot water of nuclear heating carries nuclear radiation, and if the heating pipe leaks, the consequences are unimaginable.
The heat generated by the nuclear reaction first enters the homes of residents after being converted by layers of media, so there is no nuclear radiation in the heating pipes.
Like thermal power plants, nuclear power plants can also achieve "cogeneration", that is, to generate electricity and heat supply. The heat generated by the nuclear power plant will be "multi-stage heat exchange" through the heat exchange station in the factory and the heat exchange station of the heat exchange enterprise outside the plant, and finally the heat will be transferred to the end user through the municipal heating pipe network. In the whole process, there are only two modes of "steam heating water" and "water heating water", and there are multiple circuits between the nuclear power plant and the heating user, and there is only heat transfer between each circuit, there is no water exchange, and there will be no radioactive material entering the user's heating pipe.
4. Air charging has radiation hazards
The radiation generated by "air charging" technology is extremely strong and will endanger the health of the body.
According to the technical principle, wireless charging technology can be divided into three categories, namely electromagnetic induction, electromagnetic resonance and radio wave. No matter which method of air charging (wireless charging), its technical basis is inseparable from electromagnetic waves, and electromagnetic waves will produce radiation, the higher the frequency, the greater the energy, the corresponding radiation is also stronger. However, the amount of radiation must be considered to discuss the impact of radiation on the human body, and if the charging power of electronic products is not high, the impact on the human body is negligible.
Radiation standards are also related to the area of space. According to the safety ceiling set by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation, the safe radiation range to which the human body is exposed is 10 watts per square meter. According to the calculation of the family housing area of 90 square meters, the maximum radiation power that residents can withstand in their homes is about 900 watts. According to the calculation of the charging pile of air charging, the maximum transmission power is only 25 watts, so it can ensure the safety of the human body.
Radio wave air-to-air charging technology is transmitted to mobile phones in the form of "millimeter wave" extremely narrow beams, and there is no experimental data to show that millimeter waves will bring radiation, that is to say, millimeter wave radiation will not have a negative impact on human health.
(3) The law of annual rumors: improper association
When the public is confronted with information of concern, if they make mistakes or excessive associations, they may fall into the trap of rumors. For example, if some possibilities or correlations are regarded as causality and inevitability, the information will "change taste" in word of mouth.
5. Drinking some red wine every day can soften the blood vessels
People who regularly drink red wine have a lower incidence of cardiovascular disease. This is because the resveratrol in red wine can soften blood vessels.
Drinking red wine to soften blood vessels is not reliable. Because red wine contains resveratrol, it was previously thought to have the effect of softening blood vessels. But now we know that the amount of resveratrol in red wine is very low, and even drinking 20 bottles of red wine a day will not play a role in softening blood vessels.
Conversely, red wine contains about 15% alcohol, which can have a negative impact on cardiovascular function. Multiple studies have confirmed that no matter how much alcohol is ingested, it is harmful to the human body. Alcohol is directly associated with cardiovascular diseases, cancer and other diseases. If a large amount of alcohol is consumed, it can also cause serious problems such as digestive system tumors, alcoholic liver, alcoholic cardiomyopathy and so on.
6. The "three high" crowd cannot eat egg yolks
Where the cholesterol is high, the "three high" people should stay away, so when eating eggs, they can only eat the protein part, and cannot eat high cholesterol egg yolks.
Egg yolks do contain more cholesterol, and the cholesterol content of an egg yolk can reach about 280 mg. But most people's dietary sources of cholesterol do not directly affect blood cholesterol levels.
Cholesterol in the human body is mainly affected by genetic and metabolic factors, the body's absorption of dietary cholesterol, and the effect of cholesterol on blood lipids, there are great individual differences between different people. Both the Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents 2016 and the Dietary Guidelines for U.S. Residents 2015 have eliminated the previous dietary cholesterol limit (300 mg/day), arguing that there is no evidence that dietary cholesterol is more likely to cause high blood lipids or heart disease.
In addition, egg yolks are rich in high-quality protein, monounsaturated fatty acids, lecithin, vitamin A, vitamin B1, calcium, zinc and other nutrients, and its overall nutritional value far exceeds egg white, which is the essence of egg nutrition.
(4) The law of annual rumors: subjective inference
Due to the lack of systematic understanding of cutting-edge technology, it leads to conclusions through subjective imagination and breeds rumors.
7. Astronauts eat fat as soon as they arrive at the space station
Astronauts Zhai Zhigang, Wang Yaping, and Ye Guangfu ate fat as soon as they arrived at the space station.
In November 2021, CCTV's "Readers" released a space reading video sent by the Shenzhou 13 astronaut crew. In the video, Wang Yaping, Ye Guangfu and Zhai Zhigang read aloud an excerpt from the general prologue of Ba Jin's "Torrent". Netizens praised this as "poetry from afar" and "cosmic romance". Some netizens also found that the three astronauts looked "fatter".
Thinking of the astronaut diet that I have seen before, everyone can't help but wonder: Are they eating fat?
This is not the case! In the weightless state, the astronaut's blood will rush to the brain and upper body, and the viscosity of the blood will also change, resulting in facial puffiness and even swelling of the head. Factors such as food and exercise will not cause such changes quickly.
Previously, some netizens also found that Shenzhou 12 astronauts Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo had a puffy phenomenon in space. Therefore, the astronaut's face becomes rounded not because of fat, but because of the redistribution of blood in the body in a specific environment.
8. The Beidou satellite navigation system will frequently drop the line
Vehicle Beidou positioning frequently drops, and the "Beidou system" is unreliable.
The Beidou locator and the Beidou satellite navigation system (referred to as the "Beidou system") are not the same concept. Beidou system is a satellite navigation and positioning system, and the so-called "Beidou products" on the market are often only the products of a certain enterprise and do not represent the Beidou system. The Beidou system has the ability to release navigation and positioning, but how to use it is realized by third-party software or hardware, that is, "Beidou products". To be sure, there is no problem with the Beidou system, there is also strict real-time monitoring, and there is no possibility of signal interruption caused by satellite disconnection.
It is precisely because of the fame and good reputation of the Beidou system that the people are very concerned, and the phenomenon of using the high-tech name of "Beidou" to fool around occurs from time to time. For some merchants to use the name of the Beidou system to speculate, it must be resolutely corrected, which is not only the norm of the industry, but also the care of the Beidou system.
(5) The law of annual gossip: inertial thinking
Inertial thinking often affects people's thinking, thinking stereotypes will affect people to scientifically and rationally explore true knowledge, especially for those phenomenon-level hot spots that are widely concerned, due to the high degree of attention and great dissemination of the whole people, information is more prone to deviation in two-way interactive communication, and it is easy to think only based on common sense and draw wrong conclusions.
9. The more natural snowfall during the Winter Olympics, the better
Snow is inseparable from the Winter Olympics, so the more natural snow falls during the game, the better, and artificial snow is only a backup plan.
For high-profile Winter Olympic events, artificial snow is not a backup option, but the main option. In areas where there is snow all year round and where there is a lot of snowfall, the tracks for winter events are still artificially snowcast. At this time, natural snowfall is a "burden".
The advantage of artificial snow is that the snow quality is more controllable. Its formation time is short, it grows fast, and the shape of the snowflakes is basically the same. In particular, the high-quality "ice-like snow", hardness, not easy to be destroyed, in the case of athletes turning at high speed can ensure that the surface of the slope is not deformed, no matter how many players appear, the state of the slope is relatively perfect. In addition, according to the needs of different events and different venues, artificial snow can be freely "customized", and the particle size, moisture content and hardness of snowflakes can be adjusted.
In contrast, natural snowfall is relatively soft, and athletes' snowboards are very easy to fall into the snow, causing accidents such as rollovers and emergency stops. Therefore, if there is snow during the event, the soft natural snow will lead to the failure of the "smooth as a mirror" track.
Therefore, if there is a real encounter with "heaven is not beautiful", the staff will immediately use the snow groomer to re-compact the slopes and make emergency renovations to the track.
10. Elephants moved north because of the serious ecological damage in Xishuangbanna
A group of Asian elephants moved north because their original habitat (Xishuangbanna) had been severely damaged and could no longer survive.
Both Asian and African elephants have the characteristics of long-distance migration. Because migration helps to find new foraging grounds and resources, river habitats, gene flow between populations, and survival in a changing environment.
At present, Asian elephants on the mainland are mainly distributed in Xishuangbanna, Pu'er and Lincang in Yunnan Province. The northward migration of Asian elephants comes from the Distribution Area of Asian Elephants with xishuangbanna national nature reserve - Mengyang area as the core.
Combined with historical research, it has been found that Asian elephants in this area have always had a habit of migrating and spreading. Since 1995, five Asian elephants have spread north to the Simao District of Pu'er City, and two groups of about 32 animals have migrated to Simao Port and Liushun Town in Simao District, moving back and forth between Jinghong and Simao. In 2005, another 13 spread westward to Lancang County, and now migrate back and forth between Menghai County and Lancang County.
The long-distance migration of wild animals depends on the connectivity of landscape and environmental conditions. Farmland near the forest edge provides food energy for migrating Asian elephants and is key to migration. The 15 Asian elephants went north to Kunming to explore the new habitat unimpeded, which was also attributed to some restored forests and farmland supply along the way, and the local government and various departments "escorted" the residents and Asian elephants along the way, providing a guarantee for reducing human-elephant conflicts.
The statutory scope of Xishuangbanna National Nature Reserve is all state-owned forests, and the local management department has been strictly managing in accordance with the regulations of the nature reserve, and has achieved good ecological benefits, and there has been no serious destruction of forest resources in Xishuangbanna National Nature Reserve. Since 2016, the forestry department of Yunnan Province has been planning the Asian Elephant National Park to scientifically plan for the long-term conservation of this species.
Therefore, the northward migration of elephants is not a serious damage to the local ecological environment of Xishuangbanna, on the contrary, the phenomenon of elephants moving north proves that the mainland has made significant progress in the protection of ecological environment and biodiversity.