Dangers of health misinformation | Top 10

+ Mike Johnson's young Earth creationism US Edition - Today's top story: Health misinformation is rampant on social media – here's what it does, why it spreads and what people can do about it [View in browser]( US Edition | 17 December 2023 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( Happy Sunday − and welcome to the best of The Conversation. Here are a few of our recently published stories: - [Paying people to replant tropical forests − and letting them harvest the timber − can pay off for climate, justice and environment]( - [100 years ago, the KKK planted bombs at a U.S. university – part of the terror group’s crusade against American Catholics]( Debunking misinformation with facts and evidence-based research is a big part of what we do – and one of our hardest challenges. “A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is still putting on its shoes,” the often-misattributed saying goes. But whoever coined it, it was centuries before social media gave lies rocket boosters. And this has serious consequences for many areas of life, including politics, democracy, national security – and public health. One positive sign I see is that many readers are hungry for stories that fight misinformation, as evidenced by [one of last week’s most engaging articles on our site](. In the piece, Monica Wang, a public health expert at Boston University, explores the costs of health misinformation. She debunks a few persistent myths about vaccines and offers guidance on what you can do to combat them. “Though vaccine myths and misunderstandings tend to dominate conversations about health, there is an abundance of misinformation on social media surrounding diets and eating disorders, smoking or substance use, chronic diseases and medical treatments,” Wang writes. “In my view, we cannot underestimate the dangers of health misinformation and the need to understand why it spreads and what we can do about it.” Bryan Keogh Managing Editor Readers' picks Media literacy is more essential than ever. Wanlee Prachyapanaprai/iStock via Getty Images Plus [Health misinformation is rampant on social media – here’s what it does, why it spreads and what people can do about it]( Monica Wang, Boston University Studies show that health misinformation on social media has led to fewer people getting vaccinated and more lives lost to COVID-19 and other life-threatening diseases. - [Israelis and Palestinians warring over a homeland is far from unique]( Monica Duffy Toft, Tufts University Conflicts over the Alsace-Lorraine region and Northern Ireland offer examples of how territory is often at the center of a conflict − and what is necessary to pave the path to peace. - [Before he was House speaker, Mike Johnson represented a creationist museum in court. Here’s what that episode reveals about his politics]( William Trollinger, University of Dayton A scholar of American evangelicalism explains House Speaker Mike Johnson’s connections with Ark Encounter and the Creation Museum. - [Israel’s mass displacement of Gazans fits strategy of using migration as a tool of war]( Nicholas R. Micinski, University of Maine; Adam G. Lichtenheld, Stanford University; Kelsey Norman, Rice University Mass forced movement of people has been used in conflicts to serve three goals: population control, territorial expansion and as a sorting mechanism. All three could be in play in Gaza. - [Hamas’ use of sexual violence is an all-too-common part of modern war – but not in all conflicts]( Dyan Mazurana, Tufts University; Anastasia Marshak, Tufts University Sexual violence can be used as a weapon of war. Hamas’ use of sexual violence was likely meant to show its power over Israeli women and girls, and to humiliate Israeli men and Israel’s military. Editors' picks Short winter days can influence your brain chemistry. Schon/Moment via Getty Images [Winter brings more than just ugly sweaters – here’s how the season can affect your mind and behavior]( Michael Varnum, Arizona State University; Ian Hohm, University of British Columbia Some of winter’s effects have been tied to cultural norms and practices, while others likely reflect our bodies’ innate biological responses to shorter days and colder weather. - [Big-box retail chains were never a solution for America’s downtowns − and now they’re fleeing back to suburbia]( Nicholas Dagen Bloom, Hunter College Shoplifting has been hyped as a driver of chain-store closures, but did these companies ever really understand urban environments in the first place? - [Why university presidents find it hard to punish advocating genocide − college free speech codes are both more and less protective than the First Amendment]( Lynn Greenky, Syracuse University University codes of conduct support their mission to educate. But it’s not easy to balance those codes with the values of free speech, as the resignation of a prominent university president shows. - [Viva Guadalupe! Beyond Mexico, the Indigenous Virgin Mary is a powerful symbol of love and inclusion for millions of Latinos in the US]( Kristy Nabhan-Warren, University of Iowa The famous apparition of the Virgin Mary has come to symbolize Mexico, but other groups – particularly migrants and Latinos north of the border – also feel a special connection to Guadalupe. - [Racism produces subtle brain changes that lead to increased disease risk in Black populations]( Negar Fani, Emory University; Nathaniel Harnett, Harvard Medical School Racial threats and slights take a toll on health, but the continual invalidation and questioning of whether those so-called microaggressions exist has an even more insidious effect, research shows. News Quiz 🧠- [The Conversation U.S. weekly news quiz]( Test your knowledge with a weekly quiz drawn from some of our favorite stories. Questions this week on mayors, sluggers, universities and a boiled mass of suet. Like this newsletter? You might be interested in our other weekly emails: [Science Editors' Picks]( • [This Week in Religion]( • [Politics Weekly]( About The Conversation: We're a nonprofit news organization dedicated to [helping academic experts share ideas with the public](. We can give away our articles thanks to the help of foundations, universities and readers like you. [Donate now to support research-based journalism]( [The Conversation]( You’re receiving this newsletter from [The Conversation]( 303 Wyman Street, Suite 300 Waltham, MA 02451 [Forward to a friend]( • [Unsubscribe](