What’s the birthstone for February?

Photo credit: UCL Mathematical and Physical Sciences

February’s birthstone is the amethyst. Amethysts contain the second most abundant mineral found in Earth’s crust – quartz. Quartz is often found lining the insides of geodes. So it’s no wonder that geodes sometimes contain amethysts, too. Like quartz, amethysts are a transparent form of silicon dioxide (SiO2). An amethyst’s color can range from a faint mauve to a rich purple. It’s not clear why they’re purple. Some scientists believe the purple color arises from the amethysts’ iron oxide content, while others attribute the color to manganese or hydrocarbons.

Amethysts are very sensitive to heat. When heated to 400 or 500 degrees Celsius, an amethyst’s color changes to a brownish-yellow or red. Under some circumstances, the stones can turn green when heated. Heat may even transform an amethyst into a naturally-rare mineral called citrine. And even without heating, the violet color of an amethyst may fade over time.

Commercial sources of amethyst are Brazil and Uruguay; while in the U.S., most amethyst is found in Arizona and North Carolina.

The amethyst has a rich history of lore and legend. It can be traced back as far as 25,000 years ago in France, where it was used as a decorative stone by prehistoric humans. It has also been found among the remains of Neolithic man.

It’s said that the signet ring worn by Cleopatra was an amethyst, engraved with the figure of Mithras, a Persian deity symbolizing the Divine Idea, Source of Light and Life. It is also said to be the stone of Saint Valentine, who wore an amethyst engraved with the figure of his assistant, Cupid. Saint Valentine’s Day is still observed in February.

The word amethyst comes from the Greek word “amethystos” meaning “not drunk,” and was believed to prevent its wearers from intoxication. The following is a story from Greco-Roman mythology, as quoted from Birthstones by Willard Heaps:

Bacchus, the god of wine in classical mythology, was offended by Diana the huntress. Determined on revenge, he declared that the first person he met as he went through the forest would be eaten by his tigers. As it happened, the first person to cross his path was the beautiful maiden Amethyst on her way to worship at the shrine of Diana. In terror, she called upon the goddess to save her, and before his eyes, Bacchus observed the maiden changed to a pure white, sparkling image of stone. Realizing his guilt and repenting his cruelty, Bacchus poured grape wine over her, thus giving the stone the exquisite violet hue of the amethyst. The carryover to non-intoxication was quite logical, and in ancient Rome, amethyst cups were used for wine, so drinkers would have no fear of overindulgence.

The early Egyptians believed that the amethyst possessed good powers, and placed the stones in the tombs of pharaohs. During the Middle Ages, it was used as medication, believed to dispel sleep, sharpen intellect, and protect the wearer from sorcery. It was also believed to bring victory in battle. In Arabian mythology, the amethyst was supposed to protect the wearer from bad dreams and gout.

February’s birthstone, the amethyst, was the stone of royalty, representing power. See the birthstones for the rest of the year.

January birthstone

February birthstone

March birthstone

April birthstone

May birthstone

June birthstone

July birthstone

August birthstone

September birthstone

October birthstone

November birthstone

December birthstone

from EarthSky http://ift.tt/1oJAFXt

Photo credit: UCL Mathematical and Physical Sciences

February’s birthstone is the amethyst. Amethysts contain the second most abundant mineral found in Earth’s crust – quartz. Quartz is often found lining the insides of geodes. So it’s no wonder that geodes sometimes contain amethysts, too. Like quartz, amethysts are a transparent form of silicon dioxide (SiO2). An amethyst’s color can range from a faint mauve to a rich purple. It’s not clear why they’re purple. Some scientists believe the purple color arises from the amethysts’ iron oxide content, while others attribute the color to manganese or hydrocarbons.

Amethysts are very sensitive to heat. When heated to 400 or 500 degrees Celsius, an amethyst’s color changes to a brownish-yellow or red. Under some circumstances, the stones can turn green when heated. Heat may even transform an amethyst into a naturally-rare mineral called citrine. And even without heating, the violet color of an amethyst may fade over time.

Commercial sources of amethyst are Brazil and Uruguay; while in the U.S., most amethyst is found in Arizona and North Carolina.

The amethyst has a rich history of lore and legend. It can be traced back as far as 25,000 years ago in France, where it was used as a decorative stone by prehistoric humans. It has also been found among the remains of Neolithic man.

It’s said that the signet ring worn by Cleopatra was an amethyst, engraved with the figure of Mithras, a Persian deity symbolizing the Divine Idea, Source of Light and Life. It is also said to be the stone of Saint Valentine, who wore an amethyst engraved with the figure of his assistant, Cupid. Saint Valentine’s Day is still observed in February.

The word amethyst comes from the Greek word “amethystos” meaning “not drunk,” and was believed to prevent its wearers from intoxication. The following is a story from Greco-Roman mythology, as quoted from Birthstones by Willard Heaps:

Bacchus, the god of wine in classical mythology, was offended by Diana the huntress. Determined on revenge, he declared that the first person he met as he went through the forest would be eaten by his tigers. As it happened, the first person to cross his path was the beautiful maiden Amethyst on her way to worship at the shrine of Diana. In terror, she called upon the goddess to save her, and before his eyes, Bacchus observed the maiden changed to a pure white, sparkling image of stone. Realizing his guilt and repenting his cruelty, Bacchus poured grape wine over her, thus giving the stone the exquisite violet hue of the amethyst. The carryover to non-intoxication was quite logical, and in ancient Rome, amethyst cups were used for wine, so drinkers would have no fear of overindulgence.

The early Egyptians believed that the amethyst possessed good powers, and placed the stones in the tombs of pharaohs. During the Middle Ages, it was used as medication, believed to dispel sleep, sharpen intellect, and protect the wearer from sorcery. It was also believed to bring victory in battle. In Arabian mythology, the amethyst was supposed to protect the wearer from bad dreams and gout.

February’s birthstone, the amethyst, was the stone of royalty, representing power. See the birthstones for the rest of the year.

January birthstone

February birthstone

March birthstone

April birthstone

May birthstone

June birthstone

July birthstone

August birthstone

September birthstone

October birthstone

November birthstone

December birthstone

from EarthSky http://ift.tt/1oJAFXt

Pros and Cons of Super Bowl Science [Uncertain Principles]

The ending of last night’s Super Bowl couldn’t’ve been more perfect as a demonstration of the point I was making about scientific thinking in football (and, you know, in that book I keep flogging…). First, on the positive side, you have New England’s Malcolm Butler making the key play:

“I knew what was going to happen,” said Butler, an undrafted free agent out of Western Alabama who said New England was the only team that gave him a chance to reach the NFL. “I don’t know how I knew. I just knew. I just beat him to the point and caught the ball.”

Perhaps Butler knew because he had seen the play before. During a scout-team practice, backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo beat Butler on the same play for a touchdown to Josh Boyce.

“We did and Josh got a touchdown in practice on it,” Garoppolo confirmed in the Pats locker room. “It got him ready and he knew what to expect. Jumping the route like that, that’s very impressive. That’s all instincts.”

That’s the successful sort of mental model-building and testing. They had practiced against this, Butler recognized the set, and guessed where the ball was going to go, and guessed correctly. It happened very fast, but the process underlying that is essentially scientific: recognizing a pattern, making a model based on that pattern of what will happen next, and using that model to predict the future.

And then, there’s the other side, namely the decision to throw that pass in the first place:

[Seattle head coach Pete] Carroll said the call for a quick slant to Lockette was dictated by the Patriots deploying their run-stuffing package.

“We were going to run the ball to win the game — just not on that play,” Carroll said. “They had sent in their goal-line people. They had guys on the line of scrimmage. So we thought we’d spread them out with three wides. … We had three downs and we had a timeout.

“This one didn’t work out for us. In retrospect, we could have run it.”

That one happened a little more slowly, but again, the underlying process was scientific: They saw who the Patriots had on the field, made a model of what they expected New England to do, and called a play that they thought would work based on that expectation.

In retrospect, it looks like a bad decision, but then again, had Malcolm Butler not been thinking like a scientist, ESPN might be full of talking heads banging on about how the wily Pete Carroll wrong-footed the Patriots on the key play, completing a pass when everybody north of New Jersey was looking for a run. In science, as in football, you win some, and you lose some…

So, a bit of an I-told-you-so for a snowy morning after the big game. There are a bunch of other places where the scientific look-think-test nature of the game was on display– ESPN had a great clip of an interception Tom Brady threw, showing a linebacker for Seattle making a last-second adjustment to get in front of a pass to Rob Gronkowski. But the end of the game on both sides was as nice a demonstration as I could possibly have asked for of how football players and coaches are using their inner scientists.

Just don’t ask me to explain the halftime show. Some things are still beyond the reach of modern science…

from ScienceBlogs http://ift.tt/1yumuYL

The ending of last night’s Super Bowl couldn’t’ve been more perfect as a demonstration of the point I was making about scientific thinking in football (and, you know, in that book I keep flogging…). First, on the positive side, you have New England’s Malcolm Butler making the key play:

“I knew what was going to happen,” said Butler, an undrafted free agent out of Western Alabama who said New England was the only team that gave him a chance to reach the NFL. “I don’t know how I knew. I just knew. I just beat him to the point and caught the ball.”

Perhaps Butler knew because he had seen the play before. During a scout-team practice, backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo beat Butler on the same play for a touchdown to Josh Boyce.

“We did and Josh got a touchdown in practice on it,” Garoppolo confirmed in the Pats locker room. “It got him ready and he knew what to expect. Jumping the route like that, that’s very impressive. That’s all instincts.”

That’s the successful sort of mental model-building and testing. They had practiced against this, Butler recognized the set, and guessed where the ball was going to go, and guessed correctly. It happened very fast, but the process underlying that is essentially scientific: recognizing a pattern, making a model based on that pattern of what will happen next, and using that model to predict the future.

And then, there’s the other side, namely the decision to throw that pass in the first place:

[Seattle head coach Pete] Carroll said the call for a quick slant to Lockette was dictated by the Patriots deploying their run-stuffing package.

“We were going to run the ball to win the game — just not on that play,” Carroll said. “They had sent in their goal-line people. They had guys on the line of scrimmage. So we thought we’d spread them out with three wides. … We had three downs and we had a timeout.

“This one didn’t work out for us. In retrospect, we could have run it.”

That one happened a little more slowly, but again, the underlying process was scientific: They saw who the Patriots had on the field, made a model of what they expected New England to do, and called a play that they thought would work based on that expectation.

In retrospect, it looks like a bad decision, but then again, had Malcolm Butler not been thinking like a scientist, ESPN might be full of talking heads banging on about how the wily Pete Carroll wrong-footed the Patriots on the key play, completing a pass when everybody north of New Jersey was looking for a run. In science, as in football, you win some, and you lose some…

So, a bit of an I-told-you-so for a snowy morning after the big game. There are a bunch of other places where the scientific look-think-test nature of the game was on display– ESPN had a great clip of an interception Tom Brady threw, showing a linebacker for Seattle making a last-second adjustment to get in front of a pass to Rob Gronkowski. But the end of the game on both sides was as nice a demonstration as I could possibly have asked for of how football players and coaches are using their inner scientists.

Just don’t ask me to explain the halftime show. Some things are still beyond the reach of modern science…

from ScienceBlogs http://ift.tt/1yumuYL

What do you know about the Yellowstone supervolcano?

Beneath Yellowstone National Park in the western United States, lies a hot, upwelling plume of mantle. Heat from the mantle melts the overlying rocks and the resulting magma pools close to Earth’s surface. Areas such as these are known as volcanic hotspots.

Occasionally, molten rock from a hotspot will erupt.

Three enormous eruptions occurred at the Yellowstone hotspot 2.1 million, 1.3 million, and 640,000 years ago. Two of these released so much material that the area is often referred to as a supervolcano.

Will the Yellowstone supervolcano erupt in your lifetime?

According to the U.S. Geological Survey,

A supervolcano is a volcano that at one point in time erupted more than 1,000 cubic kilometers of deposits.

That is enough material to fill up Lake Erie twice; Lake Erie is one of the Great Lakes, and it has a volume of 480 cubic kilometers.

Examples of material released by supervolcanic eruptions (shown in dark orange). Image Credit: U.S. Geological Survey.

The eruption at Yellowstone 2.1 million years ago is thought to have released about 2,450 cubic kilometers of material, whereas the eruption at Yellowstone 640,000 years ago is thought to have released about 1,000 cubic kilometers of material. Scientists can obtain estimates of releases from historic eruptions by looking at the thickness of deposits surrounding the volcano.

The last known eruption of a supervolcano on Earth occurred at Lake Taupo in New Zealand 26,500 years ago.

Given the incredible power of supervolcanoes, such an eruption at Yellowstone would have catastrophic consequences. One recent study estimates that another supervolcanic eruption at Yellowstone would blanket North America in ash, and some areas close to the hotspot could be covered by more than a meter of debris. Supervolcanoes can also have pronounced cooling effects on the climate for several years after an eruption because of the sulfur dioxide that is released to the atmosphere. The sulfur dioxide forms aerosols that block incoming sunlight. Eventually, the sulfur dioxide from the eruption will wash out of the atmosphere and the climate cooling effect will subside.

Many scientists think that it is unlikely that another supervolcanic eruption will occur at Yellowstone any time soon, for example, in the next few thousand years. Experts also say that a supervolcanic eruption at Yellowstone is not necessarily imminent. One new study has even estimated that if another supervolcanic eruption were to occur at the Yellowstone hotspot, it likely would not happen for another 1 to 2 million years from now. These estimates were based, in part, upon knowledge of the size, contents, and activity of the magma reservoir underneath Yellowstone.

Echinus Geyser, Yellowstone National Park. Image Credit: National Park Service.

The Yellowstone hotspot is being monitored with numerous instruments that can detect precursors to eruptions such as earthquake swarms that indicate magma is moving beneath the surface. The monitoring data are posted to the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory website and can be viewed at the link here. Scientists think that they would be able to detect precursory activity to a catastrophic eruption by at least a few weeks or months prior to the event, thus giving them time issue any necessary warnings.

Yellowstone supervolcano would cover North America in ash

from EarthSky http://ift.tt/1z6hHeY

Beneath Yellowstone National Park in the western United States, lies a hot, upwelling plume of mantle. Heat from the mantle melts the overlying rocks and the resulting magma pools close to Earth’s surface. Areas such as these are known as volcanic hotspots.

Occasionally, molten rock from a hotspot will erupt.

Three enormous eruptions occurred at the Yellowstone hotspot 2.1 million, 1.3 million, and 640,000 years ago. Two of these released so much material that the area is often referred to as a supervolcano.

Will the Yellowstone supervolcano erupt in your lifetime?

According to the U.S. Geological Survey,

A supervolcano is a volcano that at one point in time erupted more than 1,000 cubic kilometers of deposits.

That is enough material to fill up Lake Erie twice; Lake Erie is one of the Great Lakes, and it has a volume of 480 cubic kilometers.

Examples of material released by supervolcanic eruptions (shown in dark orange). Image Credit: U.S. Geological Survey.

The eruption at Yellowstone 2.1 million years ago is thought to have released about 2,450 cubic kilometers of material, whereas the eruption at Yellowstone 640,000 years ago is thought to have released about 1,000 cubic kilometers of material. Scientists can obtain estimates of releases from historic eruptions by looking at the thickness of deposits surrounding the volcano.

The last known eruption of a supervolcano on Earth occurred at Lake Taupo in New Zealand 26,500 years ago.

Given the incredible power of supervolcanoes, such an eruption at Yellowstone would have catastrophic consequences. One recent study estimates that another supervolcanic eruption at Yellowstone would blanket North America in ash, and some areas close to the hotspot could be covered by more than a meter of debris. Supervolcanoes can also have pronounced cooling effects on the climate for several years after an eruption because of the sulfur dioxide that is released to the atmosphere. The sulfur dioxide forms aerosols that block incoming sunlight. Eventually, the sulfur dioxide from the eruption will wash out of the atmosphere and the climate cooling effect will subside.

Many scientists think that it is unlikely that another supervolcanic eruption will occur at Yellowstone any time soon, for example, in the next few thousand years. Experts also say that a supervolcanic eruption at Yellowstone is not necessarily imminent. One new study has even estimated that if another supervolcanic eruption were to occur at the Yellowstone hotspot, it likely would not happen for another 1 to 2 million years from now. These estimates were based, in part, upon knowledge of the size, contents, and activity of the magma reservoir underneath Yellowstone.

Echinus Geyser, Yellowstone National Park. Image Credit: National Park Service.

The Yellowstone hotspot is being monitored with numerous instruments that can detect precursors to eruptions such as earthquake swarms that indicate magma is moving beneath the surface. The monitoring data are posted to the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory website and can be viewed at the link here. Scientists think that they would be able to detect precursory activity to a catastrophic eruption by at least a few weeks or months prior to the event, thus giving them time issue any necessary warnings.

Yellowstone supervolcano would cover North America in ash

from EarthSky http://ift.tt/1z6hHeY

Launch of the mini IXV

A fabulous video record of the mini #IXV's successful launch and landing on its #30secondmission! Thank you, @SpaceHolger!

And here is the VIDEO showing the launch of the mini #IXV and its separate landing http://t.co/4y0clIlviz @esa_ixv @esaoperations

— Holger Voss (@SpaceHolgar) February 2, 2015

from Rocket Science » Rocket Science http://ift.tt/1Dwvn7t

v

A fabulous video record of the mini #IXV's successful launch and landing on its #30secondmission! Thank you, @SpaceHolger!

And here is the VIDEO showing the launch of the mini #IXV and its separate landing http://t.co/4y0clIlviz @esa_ixv @esaoperations

— Holger Voss (@SpaceHolgar) February 2, 2015

from Rocket Science » Rocket Science http://ift.tt/1Dwvn7t

v

Two stars in Scorpius are a harbinger of spring

On this Groundhog Day – February 2, 2015 – look east before dawn for another sign of spring. It’s the two stars that represent the Stinger in the constellation Scorpius the Scorpion. From mid-northern latitudes, in the cold dawn of February, the sighting of these stars announces that the winter landscape is about to awaken from its long dormant slumber: that spring is nearly here. You’ll need a clear, unobstructed view to the south to southeast to spot Scorpius’ stinger stars – Shaula and Lesath – flickering by the horizon. If you miss seeing these stars tomorrow, or the next day, try again later in February.

If you’re in the Northern Hemisphere, Shaula and Lesath will come over your southeastern horizon before dawn sometimes this month. They’re a hopeful sign that spring is coming.

Image credit: rkramer62

For the Pawnee, who roamed the prairie lands of Kansas and Nebraska, the sky was a calendar, and the stars foretold the change of seasons. The Pawnee saw a snake in the stars forming the front part of Scorpius. But the stars of the stinger were, for the Pawnee, a pair of ducks. It is believed that the Pawnee called the stars on the Scorpion’s stinger the Swimming Duck stars. When the Swimming Ducks came into view in the southeast – prior to daybreak in the month of February – the Pawnee recognized that it was time to begin planting ceremonies. In other words, spring was on its way. These stars are now coming into view at or shortly before dawn. In some respects, we can regard the search for the Swimming Duck stars as a Pawnee version of Groundhog Day.

The return of the Swimming Ducks to the morning sky signaled the first stirrings of the great plains from hibernation. Shaula and Lesath’s presence over the horizon was symbolic of waterfowl breaking through the ice.

As we approach the end of winter, Shaula and Lesath will appear higher each morning in the southeast before dawn. Their morning appearance tells us that the prairie is about to awaken to the rolling thunders of spring.

By the way, the stars at the end of the Scorpion’s tail are also known as the Cat’s Eyes. They’re easy to spot at the J-shaped star pattern that forms the constellation Scorpius.

Bottom line: Go ahead. Treat yourself to something beautiful, and hopeful. Get up early on some morning this February. Look in the southeast for the Scorpion’s stinger stars near the horizon. If you’re lucky, you might behold them – a first glimmer of spring!

Antares: Heart of the Scorpion

February 2015 guide to the five visible planets

from EarthSky http://ift.tt/16kLBGt

On this Groundhog Day – February 2, 2015 – look east before dawn for another sign of spring. It’s the two stars that represent the Stinger in the constellation Scorpius the Scorpion. From mid-northern latitudes, in the cold dawn of February, the sighting of these stars announces that the winter landscape is about to awaken from its long dormant slumber: that spring is nearly here. You’ll need a clear, unobstructed view to the south to southeast to spot Scorpius’ stinger stars – Shaula and Lesath – flickering by the horizon. If you miss seeing these stars tomorrow, or the next day, try again later in February.

If you’re in the Northern Hemisphere, Shaula and Lesath will come over your southeastern horizon before dawn sometimes this month. They’re a hopeful sign that spring is coming.

Image credit: rkramer62

For the Pawnee, who roamed the prairie lands of Kansas and Nebraska, the sky was a calendar, and the stars foretold the change of seasons. The Pawnee saw a snake in the stars forming the front part of Scorpius. But the stars of the stinger were, for the Pawnee, a pair of ducks. It is believed that the Pawnee called the stars on the Scorpion’s stinger the Swimming Duck stars. When the Swimming Ducks came into view in the southeast – prior to daybreak in the month of February – the Pawnee recognized that it was time to begin planting ceremonies. In other words, spring was on its way. These stars are now coming into view at or shortly before dawn. In some respects, we can regard the search for the Swimming Duck stars as a Pawnee version of Groundhog Day.

The return of the Swimming Ducks to the morning sky signaled the first stirrings of the great plains from hibernation. Shaula and Lesath’s presence over the horizon was symbolic of waterfowl breaking through the ice.

As we approach the end of winter, Shaula and Lesath will appear higher each morning in the southeast before dawn. Their morning appearance tells us that the prairie is about to awaken to the rolling thunders of spring.

By the way, the stars at the end of the Scorpion’s tail are also known as the Cat’s Eyes. They’re easy to spot at the J-shaped star pattern that forms the constellation Scorpius.

Bottom line: Go ahead. Treat yourself to something beautiful, and hopeful. Get up early on some morning this February. Look in the southeast for the Scorpion’s stinger stars near the horizon. If you’re lucky, you might behold them – a first glimmer of spring!

Antares: Heart of the Scorpion

February 2015 guide to the five visible planets

from EarthSky http://ift.tt/16kLBGt

Winter stars … and Vega?

The prominent star pattern at the top left of this photo is Orion the Hunter. See his three Belt stars in a row? The two bright stars above the vehicle are the two Dog Stars, Sirius (right) in the constellation Canis Major the Greater Dog and Procyon (left) in the constellation Canis Minor the Lesser Dog. Photo by Raimie Hedman. Visit Raimie Hedman’s website, Juniper Rock Photography

Raimie Hedman in Oregon wrote:

I was camping along the coast for a week with my dog Vega, and each night Orion and his dogs would be hanging high in the sky above our camp when we went to bed. This particular night was unseasonably clear; the few thin clouds that spread across the lower sky were easily pierced by Sirius and Procyon. Vega (my dog — not the summer Harp Star, of course) even showed up clearly in the 15-second exposure because she was watching intently for raccoon invaders that lived in the brush behind the truck. The glow is from the cities of Florence and Reedsport, Oregon.

Thank you, Raimie!

from EarthSky http://ift.tt/1z5huIU

The prominent star pattern at the top left of this photo is Orion the Hunter. See his three Belt stars in a row? The two bright stars above the vehicle are the two Dog Stars, Sirius (right) in the constellation Canis Major the Greater Dog and Procyon (left) in the constellation Canis Minor the Lesser Dog. Photo by Raimie Hedman. Visit Raimie Hedman’s website, Juniper Rock Photography

Raimie Hedman in Oregon wrote:

I was camping along the coast for a week with my dog Vega, and each night Orion and his dogs would be hanging high in the sky above our camp when we went to bed. This particular night was unseasonably clear; the few thin clouds that spread across the lower sky were easily pierced by Sirius and Procyon. Vega (my dog — not the summer Harp Star, of course) even showed up clearly in the 15-second exposure because she was watching intently for raccoon invaders that lived in the brush behind the truck. The glow is from the cities of Florence and Reedsport, Oregon.

Thank you, Raimie!

from EarthSky http://ift.tt/1z5huIU

Antivaccine cardiologist Jack Wolfson and the resurrection of false balance about vaccines…again! [Respectful Insolence]

I swear, I had wanted to write about something else today. I really had. The reason is that we’re in one of those stretches of time where things seem to be happening fast and furious that have led most of my posts over the last couple of weeks to be about the Disneyland measles outbreak, how it was facilitated by the antivaccine movement, and the fallout, both in terms of the measles outbreak continuing to spread and the pushback by antivaccinationists anxious to distance themselves from blame for the outbreak. Yes, I’ve written about “Dr. Bob” Sears, “Dr. Jay” Gordon, and, most recently, the most despicable antivaccine doctor of all, a cardiologist named Jack Wolfson.

Indeed, Dr. Wolfson has to be one of the most vile antivaccinationists I’ve ever encountered, and I slammed the local Phoenix NBC affiliate, USA TODAY, and CNN for featuring this pathetic excuse for a physician, particularly CNN, which featured him in the classic “debate” of pseudoscience that provides false balance, the impression that there is a scientific disagreement about vaccines when there is none.



Ooops, CNN did it again. Yesterday. In a story by Elizabeth Cohen and Debra Goldschmidt entitled Arizona measles exposure worries parents of at-risk kids CNN couldn’t resist giving the vile Dr. Wolfson more national exposure. Yes, it’s a story similar to one I mentioned last week in which the parents of a child with leukemia are, quite understandably, terrified that their child will be at risk for the measles. The reason is this. MMR is a live attenuated virus vaccine, and live virus vaccines are contraindicated in cancer patients who are immunosuppressed due to chemotherapy. Such children have a legitimate medical contraindication to vaccination and therefore rely on herd immunity provided by having a high level of vaccination in the population of children with whom they come into contact. It’s an understandable fear, which is described in the story:

Anna Jacks checks her baby’s forehead over and over again. Is he hot? Does he have a rash? Is his nose still runny?

Her son has been sick before, but this time it’s different: Last week Eli was at a Phoenix Children’s Hospital clinic with a woman who had the measles, which spreads easily from person to person. Now he’s showing signs of the virus, such as runny nose and cough and fatigue.

At 10 months old, Eli is too young to get vaccinated and would be especially vulnerable to serious complications of measles, such as deafness and brain damage or even death. But his parents have an even bigger worry. If Eli does have the measles, he could give it to his 3-year-old sister, Maggie, who has leukemia.

So far Maggie is feeling fine, but her parents know that with her immune system wiped out by chemotherapy she’s even more vulnerable than her brother to complications.

It turns out that Eli was exposed to the measles by a a woman who was infected by a members of a non-vaccinating family and got her measles at—you guessed it—Disneyland. Eli’s father happens to be a physician and vented his frustration at antivaccinationists in a blog post that is a must-read. Indeed, Maggie’s family is so worried that they wouldn’t let the CNN crew into their home to see Eli or Maggie. In the story, Eli and Maggie’s mother is quoted as saying, “If you don’t want to vaccinate your children, fine, but don’t take them to Disneyland.” This is, of course, an entirely reasonable sentiment. If you don’t want to vaccinate your children, you shouldn’t be taking them to places where they can so easily be disease vectors.

Of course, if there’s one thing I’ve noticed when I describe selfishness as being one of the core motivators of the antivaccine movement, basically a lack of concern about other people’s children built on the false notion that others shouldn’t need to worry about their unvaccinated children if their children are vaccinated, it’s that people unfamiliar with the antivaccine movement have a hard time believing it. They don’t think that people can be so callous or that such callousness is baked into their antivaccine philosophy. For those people, I present to you: Dr. Jack Wolfson. Behold his staggeringly assholish response to the concerns of parents of children who can’t be vaccinated against the measles regarding the latest measles outbreak:

But Dr. Jack Wolfson said it’s the Jacks family who should keep themselves at home, not him.

Wolfson, an Arizona cardiologist, refuses to vaccinate his two young sons. He said the family that didn’t vaccinate and endangered the Jacks children did nothing wrong.

“It’s not my responsibility to inject my child with chemicals in order for [a child like Maggie] to be supposedly healthy,” he said. “As far as I’m concerned, it’s very likely that her leukemia is from vaccinations in the first place.”

“I’m not going to sacrifice the well-being of my child. My child is pure,” he added. “It’s not my responsibility to be protecting their child.”

In other words, screw you. I got mine, and I don’t care about anyone else and am perfectly satisfied to sponge off of herd immunity. Even worse, he’s blaming cancer on vaccinations without a shred of evidence to support his viewpoint. That this man is an actual cardiologist is a profound embarrassment to the specialty of cardiology. No, it’s a profound embarrassment to all physicians. I am profoundly embarrassed that such an pathetic excuse for a human being is a fully board-certified member of my profession.

Look, I can understand (sort of) the sentiment of some antivaccine parents that their child should be their first concern and that they are not responsible for other people’s children. I can (sort of) understand it, but I still find it to be an abhorrent attitude. However, as much as I can somewhat at least understand the roots of such an attitude, even as I disapprove of it, what I can’t understand is how someone like Dr. Wolfson takes that attitude and cranks it up to 11 and beyond:

CNN asked Wolfson if he could live with himself if his unvaccinated child got another child gravely ill.

“I could live with myself easily,” he said. “It’s an unfortunate thing that people die, but people die. I’m not going to put my child at risk to save another child.”

He blamed the Jacks family for taking Maggie to the clinic for care.

“If a child is so vulnerable like that, they shouldn’t be going out into society,” he said.

As I said: What a pathetic excuse for a physician and vile human being. And, again, I’d tell him that to his face if I were ever to encounter him. Worse, it’s not an isolated incident. It’s a pattern, as several of you have pointed out to me. Indeed, a commenter noted that this is not the first time Dr. Wolfson has blamed parents of a child with cancer for their predicament. Interestingly, the original post referenced has been removed from Dr. Wolfson’s website. Fortunately, the Wayback Machine remembers all, and the post is archived. In case Dr. Wolfson figures out how to change his robots.txt file to stop further archiving of this post, I will reprint the whole thing in all its evil glory, in order to make sure that its text never disappears:

Recently, a child died from complications of the chicken pox and now her mother wants to make sure everyone gets injected.

While the death of any child is a travesty, this one could have been prevented, not with injecting more chemicals into this young girl, but with good nutrition and chemical avoidance. She was likely fed GMO, sugar, gluten, soy, corn, and other items that led to her demise. Her mother sadly blames the doctor (who advised her against the vaccine) and the rest of us who demand the freedom to choose whether or not to inject chemicals into our children.

Here is the response of my wife, Dr. Heather Wolfson, to a column on Yahoo.

Where do I begin?!! I can go on forever about it. First of all, the little girl was born without a spleen therefore she was immunocompromised since birth. The lack of this vital organ was probably caused by some drug the mother took while pregnant! Immunocompromised individuals are not supposed to receive vaccines. Kudos to the pediatrician who steered the mom and child away from the chicken pox shot. I’d like to shake his hand. He probably saved the girls life given she may have died due to complications of vaccines based on her poor immune status. i Maybe the mother got an extra five years of life from her daughter by not participating in vaccine schedule folly. She should be thankful to the doctor.

Secondly, the mother probably gave fever reducers such as Tylenol. This depletes glutathione and is a sure fire way to allow your child to succumb to such a benign childhood illness. In this country, one in 30,000 of those with chicken pox died every year, for a grand total of 100 per annum. Those were usually adults. Please don’t pass a law forcing us to vaccinate and inject chemicals into our children because 100 people died per year. What was the health status of those 100 prior to chicken pox? Probably not good. Your healthy, breast fed, organic child will not suffer the same fate.

If this mother would have sought out chiropractic care, gave just two simple vitamins A and C, she would have never developed pneumonia. Also, mom fed her garbage food and exposed her to thousands of chemicals. This little girl is dead, not from chicken pox, but from chemicals and poor nutrition. Additionally, she probably had at least one vaccine, hepatitis B, when she was first born in the hospital which would have destroyed her immune and nervous system from the start.

The mother is ignorant, uneducated, and a danger to all other parents and children. She should spend her time learning how the human body works instead of spreading her deadly advice to the rest of the world.

Yes, this is what Dr. Wolfson says about a mother who has lost her child, that she is “ignorant,, uneducated, and a danger to all other parents and children,” even though her advice is in agreement with virtually the entire pediatric profession. This is the sort of man CNN has gone to more than once for its stories on the Disneyland measles outbreak.

In fact, Dr. Wolfson reminds me more than a little of J. B. Handley (remember him?), who has recently reappeared at the antivaccine crank blog Age of Autism. Just as he gloated over the role of the antivaccine movement in driving down parental confidence in the vaccine program, he’s gloating now about…well, let me just quote him:

While I think Nyhan is generally correct, I also have a much simpler explanation for why the messaging by the pro-vaccine community is backfiring:

They’re fucking lying.

There, I said it. It really is that simple. You can’t suppress truth forever, no matter how hard you try. Richer, more educated parents vaccinate less because they are smarter and have more resources and their bigger brains and pocketbooks give them the time and money to research the issue and when they do they are scared shitless that vaccines might trigger Autism in their child. They compare that risk to measles and guess what? Bye bye MMR.

Yes, Wolfson is nothing more than J.B. Handley with an MD. He is full of the arrogance of ignorance and practically breaks his arm patting himself on the back for being so smart when his scientific ignorance is beyond epic. Indeed, he even seems to think that you can eliminate stupid things you’ve posted on the Internet by just deleting the post in which you said them.

And did I say again that this is the sort of idiot that CNN features on its news reports about the ongoing measles outbreak?

from ScienceBlogs http://ift.tt/1CRggan

I swear, I had wanted to write about something else today. I really had. The reason is that we’re in one of those stretches of time where things seem to be happening fast and furious that have led most of my posts over the last couple of weeks to be about the Disneyland measles outbreak, how it was facilitated by the antivaccine movement, and the fallout, both in terms of the measles outbreak continuing to spread and the pushback by antivaccinationists anxious to distance themselves from blame for the outbreak. Yes, I’ve written about “Dr. Bob” Sears, “Dr. Jay” Gordon, and, most recently, the most despicable antivaccine doctor of all, a cardiologist named Jack Wolfson.

Indeed, Dr. Wolfson has to be one of the most vile antivaccinationists I’ve ever encountered, and I slammed the local Phoenix NBC affiliate, USA TODAY, and CNN for featuring this pathetic excuse for a physician, particularly CNN, which featured him in the classic “debate” of pseudoscience that provides false balance, the impression that there is a scientific disagreement about vaccines when there is none.



Ooops, CNN did it again. Yesterday. In a story by Elizabeth Cohen and Debra Goldschmidt entitled Arizona measles exposure worries parents of at-risk kids CNN couldn’t resist giving the vile Dr. Wolfson more national exposure. Yes, it’s a story similar to one I mentioned last week in which the parents of a child with leukemia are, quite understandably, terrified that their child will be at risk for the measles. The reason is this. MMR is a live attenuated virus vaccine, and live virus vaccines are contraindicated in cancer patients who are immunosuppressed due to chemotherapy. Such children have a legitimate medical contraindication to vaccination and therefore rely on herd immunity provided by having a high level of vaccination in the population of children with whom they come into contact. It’s an understandable fear, which is described in the story:

Anna Jacks checks her baby’s forehead over and over again. Is he hot? Does he have a rash? Is his nose still runny?

Her son has been sick before, but this time it’s different: Last week Eli was at a Phoenix Children’s Hospital clinic with a woman who had the measles, which spreads easily from person to person. Now he’s showing signs of the virus, such as runny nose and cough and fatigue.

At 10 months old, Eli is too young to get vaccinated and would be especially vulnerable to serious complications of measles, such as deafness and brain damage or even death. But his parents have an even bigger worry. If Eli does have the measles, he could give it to his 3-year-old sister, Maggie, who has leukemia.

So far Maggie is feeling fine, but her parents know that with her immune system wiped out by chemotherapy she’s even more vulnerable than her brother to complications.

It turns out that Eli was exposed to the measles by a a woman who was infected by a members of a non-vaccinating family and got her measles at—you guessed it—Disneyland. Eli’s father happens to be a physician and vented his frustration at antivaccinationists in a blog post that is a must-read. Indeed, Maggie’s family is so worried that they wouldn’t let the CNN crew into their home to see Eli or Maggie. In the story, Eli and Maggie’s mother is quoted as saying, “If you don’t want to vaccinate your children, fine, but don’t take them to Disneyland.” This is, of course, an entirely reasonable sentiment. If you don’t want to vaccinate your children, you shouldn’t be taking them to places where they can so easily be disease vectors.

Of course, if there’s one thing I’ve noticed when I describe selfishness as being one of the core motivators of the antivaccine movement, basically a lack of concern about other people’s children built on the false notion that others shouldn’t need to worry about their unvaccinated children if their children are vaccinated, it’s that people unfamiliar with the antivaccine movement have a hard time believing it. They don’t think that people can be so callous or that such callousness is baked into their antivaccine philosophy. For those people, I present to you: Dr. Jack Wolfson. Behold his staggeringly assholish response to the concerns of parents of children who can’t be vaccinated against the measles regarding the latest measles outbreak:

But Dr. Jack Wolfson said it’s the Jacks family who should keep themselves at home, not him.

Wolfson, an Arizona cardiologist, refuses to vaccinate his two young sons. He said the family that didn’t vaccinate and endangered the Jacks children did nothing wrong.

“It’s not my responsibility to inject my child with chemicals in order for [a child like Maggie] to be supposedly healthy,” he said. “As far as I’m concerned, it’s very likely that her leukemia is from vaccinations in the first place.”

“I’m not going to sacrifice the well-being of my child. My child is pure,” he added. “It’s not my responsibility to be protecting their child.”

In other words, screw you. I got mine, and I don’t care about anyone else and am perfectly satisfied to sponge off of herd immunity. Even worse, he’s blaming cancer on vaccinations without a shred of evidence to support his viewpoint. That this man is an actual cardiologist is a profound embarrassment to the specialty of cardiology. No, it’s a profound embarrassment to all physicians. I am profoundly embarrassed that such an pathetic excuse for a human being is a fully board-certified member of my profession.

Look, I can understand (sort of) the sentiment of some antivaccine parents that their child should be their first concern and that they are not responsible for other people’s children. I can (sort of) understand it, but I still find it to be an abhorrent attitude. However, as much as I can somewhat at least understand the roots of such an attitude, even as I disapprove of it, what I can’t understand is how someone like Dr. Wolfson takes that attitude and cranks it up to 11 and beyond:

CNN asked Wolfson if he could live with himself if his unvaccinated child got another child gravely ill.

“I could live with myself easily,” he said. “It’s an unfortunate thing that people die, but people die. I’m not going to put my child at risk to save another child.”

He blamed the Jacks family for taking Maggie to the clinic for care.

“If a child is so vulnerable like that, they shouldn’t be going out into society,” he said.

As I said: What a pathetic excuse for a physician and vile human being. And, again, I’d tell him that to his face if I were ever to encounter him. Worse, it’s not an isolated incident. It’s a pattern, as several of you have pointed out to me. Indeed, a commenter noted that this is not the first time Dr. Wolfson has blamed parents of a child with cancer for their predicament. Interestingly, the original post referenced has been removed from Dr. Wolfson’s website. Fortunately, the Wayback Machine remembers all, and the post is archived. In case Dr. Wolfson figures out how to change his robots.txt file to stop further archiving of this post, I will reprint the whole thing in all its evil glory, in order to make sure that its text never disappears:

Recently, a child died from complications of the chicken pox and now her mother wants to make sure everyone gets injected.

While the death of any child is a travesty, this one could have been prevented, not with injecting more chemicals into this young girl, but with good nutrition and chemical avoidance. She was likely fed GMO, sugar, gluten, soy, corn, and other items that led to her demise. Her mother sadly blames the doctor (who advised her against the vaccine) and the rest of us who demand the freedom to choose whether or not to inject chemicals into our children.

Here is the response of my wife, Dr. Heather Wolfson, to a column on Yahoo.

Where do I begin?!! I can go on forever about it. First of all, the little girl was born without a spleen therefore she was immunocompromised since birth. The lack of this vital organ was probably caused by some drug the mother took while pregnant! Immunocompromised individuals are not supposed to receive vaccines. Kudos to the pediatrician who steered the mom and child away from the chicken pox shot. I’d like to shake his hand. He probably saved the girls life given she may have died due to complications of vaccines based on her poor immune status. i Maybe the mother got an extra five years of life from her daughter by not participating in vaccine schedule folly. She should be thankful to the doctor.

Secondly, the mother probably gave fever reducers such as Tylenol. This depletes glutathione and is a sure fire way to allow your child to succumb to such a benign childhood illness. In this country, one in 30,000 of those with chicken pox died every year, for a grand total of 100 per annum. Those were usually adults. Please don’t pass a law forcing us to vaccinate and inject chemicals into our children because 100 people died per year. What was the health status of those 100 prior to chicken pox? Probably not good. Your healthy, breast fed, organic child will not suffer the same fate.

If this mother would have sought out chiropractic care, gave just two simple vitamins A and C, she would have never developed pneumonia. Also, mom fed her garbage food and exposed her to thousands of chemicals. This little girl is dead, not from chicken pox, but from chemicals and poor nutrition. Additionally, she probably had at least one vaccine, hepatitis B, when she was first born in the hospital which would have destroyed her immune and nervous system from the start.

The mother is ignorant, uneducated, and a danger to all other parents and children. She should spend her time learning how the human body works instead of spreading her deadly advice to the rest of the world.

Yes, this is what Dr. Wolfson says about a mother who has lost her child, that she is “ignorant,, uneducated, and a danger to all other parents and children,” even though her advice is in agreement with virtually the entire pediatric profession. This is the sort of man CNN has gone to more than once for its stories on the Disneyland measles outbreak.

In fact, Dr. Wolfson reminds me more than a little of J. B. Handley (remember him?), who has recently reappeared at the antivaccine crank blog Age of Autism. Just as he gloated over the role of the antivaccine movement in driving down parental confidence in the vaccine program, he’s gloating now about…well, let me just quote him:

While I think Nyhan is generally correct, I also have a much simpler explanation for why the messaging by the pro-vaccine community is backfiring:

They’re fucking lying.

There, I said it. It really is that simple. You can’t suppress truth forever, no matter how hard you try. Richer, more educated parents vaccinate less because they are smarter and have more resources and their bigger brains and pocketbooks give them the time and money to research the issue and when they do they are scared shitless that vaccines might trigger Autism in their child. They compare that risk to measles and guess what? Bye bye MMR.

Yes, Wolfson is nothing more than J.B. Handley with an MD. He is full of the arrogance of ignorance and practically breaks his arm patting himself on the back for being so smart when his scientific ignorance is beyond epic. Indeed, he even seems to think that you can eliminate stupid things you’ve posted on the Internet by just deleting the post in which you said them.

And did I say again that this is the sort of idiot that CNN features on its news reports about the ongoing measles outbreak?

from ScienceBlogs http://ift.tt/1CRggan