Showing posts with label research. Show all posts
Showing posts with label research. Show all posts

Red Light Cams Linked To Rear-End Collisions In Chicago

by Dan Kedmey.   New study casts doubts on the claims that cameras improve road safety. A new Chicago-focused study links red light cameras to a coinciding rise in rear-end collisions, casting doubts on claims that the mounted cameras improve safety at intersections. The study’s findings, published by the Chicago Tribune Friday, found that while   ... MORE

It’s Actually Easy To Force People To Be Evil

by Annalee Newitz.   We've known for a long time that people will do terrible things under orders—like hurt strangers. But why are we so easily persuaded to do things we wouldn't otherwise choose, even when nobody is holding guns to our heads? A new scientific experiment sheds light on this ancient ethical question. University College London neuroscientist ... MORE

A VERY Inconvenient Truth: Scientists Finally Admit Climate Models Are FAILING To Predict Global Warming

by Michael Bastasch.    A group of scientists recently put out a new study confirming the 15-year “hiatus” in global warming. That study made headlines, but what went largely unnoticed was a major admission made by the paper’s authors: the climate models were wrong. “There is this mismatch between what the climate models are producing     ... MORE

Dozens Of Studies Libertarians Should Know About

The proof for economic freedom.         Over the years I have been running ‘Being Classically Liberal,’ I have done a bit of research and come across a number of empirical research papers which I find very interesting and relevant to many current socioeconomic debates. I figured I’d share them here, so that other people can use them as resources.  ... MORE

Hottest Year On Record? Claim Not Backed Up By The Data

from Investors Business Daily.    The narrative says we’re living in dangerous times as man’s carbon dioxide emissions heat Earth. But a scientist testifying before Congress showed that the temperature record telling that story can’t be trusted. When the media reported — gleefully because it allowed them to advance their agenda — that 2015  ... MORE

You Know Less Than You Think About Guns

by Brian Doherty.   "There is a gun for roughly every man, woman, and child in America," President Barack Obama proclaimed after the October mass shooting that killed 10 at Umpqua Community College in Oregon. "So how can you, with a straight face, make the argument that more guns will make us safer? We know that states with the most gun laws tend ... MORE

Veronique de Rugy: The Government Wasted Tons Of Money On 'Shrimp Fight Club' And A Million Other Things

Waste, fraud, abuse, and monkeys on hamster wheels.  In honor of the release of the new Star Wars movie, Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Arizona), subtitled this year's "Wastebook" as "The Farce Awakens." The latest edition of this annual report details 100 spending programs—totaling $108.5 million—that are a complete waste of your money.    ... MORE

Robert Coolman: CDC Says E-Cigs Help You Quit Smoking

A helpful tool to quit traditional cigarettes.   According to a CDC report issued Saturday, electronic cigarettes (e-cigs) are strongly associated with attempts to quit regular smoking. E-cigs are battery-powered inhalation devices that typically deliver nicotine and/or flavored vapor in the form of an aerosol. Several studies have suggested a ... MORE

Danny Vinik: Obama’s Effort To ‘Nudge’ America

Government using behavioral science to shape behavior.  For the past year, the Obama administration has been running an experiment: Is it possible to make policy more effective by using psychology on citizens? The nickname is “nudging”—the idea that policymakers can change people’s behavior just by presenting choices or information      ... MORE

Cynthia M. Cale: Forensic DNA Evidence Is Not Infallible

Some new techniques have higher probability of error. Earlier this month, the Texas Forensic Science Commission raised concerns about the accuracy of the statistical interpretation of DNA evidence, and it is now checking whether convictions going back more than a decade are safe. Despite how it is often portrayed, in the media and in courts,    ... MORE

Henry L. Miller: The Dirty Truth About "Organic"

In denial of reality.       Passionate advocates of organic farming and foods resemble members of a religious cult, one founded on a “back to Nature” mentality. They are not so fundamentalist, however, that they do not make concessions to reality. For example, organic standards arbitrarily define which pesticides are acceptable, but allow “deviations”   ... MORE

Guy Bentley: Good News For Cronies: Study Shows Regulations Are Strangling New Businesses At Birth

Protecting incumbent businesses from competition. Businesses are being strangled at birth and prevented from hiring workers, according to a new study looking at regulations across 215 industries. Using data on the extent of federal regulations, the Mercatus Center finds that a 10 percent increase in regulation leads to 0.5 percent fewer firm   ... MORE

G Bentley: Paper Explodes Feminist Myth That Women Are As Horny As Men And Calls For Legalization Of Prostitution

It is what it is.   Men’s demand for sex far outstrips that of women and the gap is set to widen with major implications for laws surrounding prostitution, according to a new paper from the Institute of Economic Affairs. One of the key claims in the IEA paper is that there is a major gap between men and women in sexual desire. “Male sexual      ... MORE

NatGeo: Science Seeks To Unlock Marijuana’s Secrets

by Hampton Sides. As the once-vilified drug becomes more accepted, researchers around the world are trying to understand how it works and how it might fight disease. There’s nothing new about cannabis, of course. It’s been around humankind pretty much forever. In Siberia charred seeds have been found inside burial mounds dating back to 3000 B.C.  ... MORE

VIDEO: John Stossel - Eating Up Junk Science