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1500 questions
33
votes
2 answers
Has homeopathy ever passed a double-blind study?
Has there ever been a double-blind study of homeopathy in which the null hypothesis was rejected?
I'm not looking for a blanket validation. Just a single study where the null hypothesis (that there is no difference between homeopathy and placebo)…
Chris Cudmore
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Is Swype faster than typing?
Many articles on IT websites claim that Swype is faster than typing on smartphones (zdnet, ghacks, etc). Wikipedia relates the following claim : "The creators of Swype predict that users will achieve over 50 words per minute.". I know that Swype was…
Franck Dernoncourt
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33
votes
1 answer
Did Amazon remove copies of 1984 from Kindles?
I read on one of the Free Software Foundation's websites the following claim:
This is not conspiracy -- we know this capability exists because Amazon has previously deleted copies of 1984 from users' Kindles.
I found this very implausible. Did…
ike
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33
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1 answer
Are all the atoms in our bodies replaced on a regular basis?
In a related question, Are all cells of the human body completely replaced every seven to ten years?, it is explained that there are cells in the human body, like neurons, that are never replaced.
However, are the atoms within those neurons…
endolith
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33
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1 answer
Did medieval Russia reject Islam because of its prohibition against alcohol?
For a long time, I have been aware of a historical anecdote about the attempt to convert Russia to Islam. I don’t know where I first heard the anecdote: I’m pretty sure it was oral, so I had to dig a bit to find notable claims. The anecdote goes…
gerrit
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33
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3 answers
Are humans incapable of digesting gluten?
Recently this I09 article about wheat made the rounds and there was a part in it that stood out to me:
According to Alessio Fasano, the Medical Director for The University
of Maryland's Center for Celiac Research, no one can properly digest
…
Melissa
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33
votes
3 answers
How dangerous is thiomersal (thimerosal)?
Some people blame the preservative thiomersal in vaccines for all kinds of illnesses, but mainly for autism. As thiomersal is a mercury compound, there is some plausibility in suspecting it may cause some damage, but is there some hard data on how…
Mad Scientist
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33
votes
3 answers
Did Muhammad exist?
What contemporary historical records of the existence of Muhammad, the
prophet of Islam, exist or are known to have existed at some point?
Jay Cee
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33
votes
1 answer
Do THC or other cannabis compounds cure/slow cancer?
I see this popping up on my Facebook feed quite a lot (to be fair, it's usually the same 3 people): Claims that evidence has shown that marijuana/cannabis/THC/other cannabinoids can have a positive effect in cancer treatment. I wonder what the truth…
Damon
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32
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2 answers
Stock Market Crash of 1929: Did Wall Street investors jump off buildings?
I think the tales of Wall Street financiers plunging to their deaths in 1929 are probably well known.
The Hudsucker Proxy
From Random Facts - The Great Depression:
After the initial crash, there was a wave of suicides in the New York’s financial…
Oliver_C
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32
votes
2 answers
Do you get less wet walking through a vertical rainstorm than running through it?
My brother claims that a person will get less wet walking through rain that is falling vertically than running through it. He says that when running less rain may fall on top of the head and shoulders, but far more rain will come in contact with…
L. D. S.
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32
votes
1 answer
Can HAARP affect weather or earthquakes?
Project HAARP is a favorite target of conspiracy theorists. It has been blamed for causing the Haiti earthquake, the recent Japanese earthquake and many, many other events.
The High Frequency Active Auroral
Research Program (HAARP) is an
…
FYG
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32
votes
1 answer
Can locally produced honey help to build an immunity to hayfever?
I suffer quite badly in the summer months with hayfever and I've been told by numerous people that eating a spoonful of locally produced honey a day in the months leading up to summer will help me become immune to the local pollen that causes my…
Hayley Stevens
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32
votes
2 answers
Does music affect the growth of plants?
According to a very old study plants that “listen” to music have a better growth than other plants.
For her next experiment, Mrs. Retallack used two chambers (and fresh plants). She placed radios in each chamber. In one chamber, the radio was tuned…
Benoit
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32
votes
1 answer
Brushing your teeth multiple times per day
Is there evidence that suggests that your teeth will be more healthy if you brush them multiple times per day than when you brush them once per day?
Christian
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