Belief in pseudoscience is a significant problem today, particularly in the U.S., where a 2022 study reports that 10% of people believe the Earth is flat (there is even a Flat Earthers movement).

Wired magazine is combating pseudoscience with a series of videos by the authoritative and smart (not to mention camera-ready) biomedical scientist, Dr. Andrea Love. In these videos she debunks a wide range of pseudoscientific beliefs, from the idea that raw milk is healthier than the pasteurized variety, to the damaging idea that vaccines cause autism. Love provides context for each theory she torpedoes, explains the science in simple terms, and corrects the fallacies without resorting to belittling.

Unfortunately, Love has an uphill battle. Consider the Flat Earthers, which didn’t even exist a decade ago. In truth, this theory completely died out in the modern era as people became more educated and sophisticated. The Flat Earth theory was last widely held before the birth of Christ. The ancient Greeks, in the 4th Century BCE, were the ones who determined the Earth was a sphere. By the time of Columbus’ famous voyage in the 16th Century, knowledge that the Earth was round was widespread among educated Europeans.

Today, however, despite the countless images of the round Earth produced by NASA, and the simple undeniable fact that its curvature is readily visible from an airplane, people have still somehow become convinced that the Greeks got it wrong and that a round Earth is a lie we’re being fed as part of an unknown conspiracy.

What caused the Flat Earth theory to take hold? A series of YouTube videos produced by influencers popped up in 2015-2016, and the YouTube algorithm, programmed to prioritize engagement, recommended them widely. A certain percentage of people will take a video at face value, and the YouTube algorithm was ensuring lots of people were seeing Flat Earth videos.

A 2021 MIT study found that false information spreads six times faster on Twitter/X than factual news. And with every social media site prioritizing engagement (because engagement means increased advertising revenues), people have been fed a lot of stories and videos that are patently false.

There are additional reasons for an increase in belief in pseudoscience in the U.S.. The main reasons:

• social media algorithms
• lower science literacy
• mistrust in institutions
• President Donald Trump

President Donald Trump’s actions and rhetoric have significantly contributed to the rise in pseudoscientific beliefs in the United States. His administration’s approach has often undermined scientific consensus, leading to increased public skepticism toward established science.

The Trump administration has been criticized for suppressing, downplaying, or ignoring scientific research, particularly when it conflicted with political or economic objectives. By frequently challenging and dismissing scientific findings, President Trump has contributed to an erosion of public trust in scientific institutions. 

Trump’s appointment of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., known for his anti-vaccine stance, as Secretary of Health and Human Services, has raised concerns about the promotion of pseudoscientific ideas within public health policies. Trump also publicly endorsed controversial and unproven therapies during the COVID-19 pandemic, further undermining people’s faith in the only effective treatment, vaccines.

Trump has vowed to return America to the use and mining of fossil fuels, becoming in effect a climate change denier. This is at odds with the entire scientific community, who are finally unanimous about the reality of climate change.

Republicans are very happy with Trump’s performance this term, but his reckless policies are like hitting the fast-forward button on total worldwide environmental collapse. His policies will also undoubtedly lead to unneeded deaths when climate change accelerates and even bigger storms kill more people than would have otherwise. But in the short term, the stock market will be up, American oil companies and other businesses will make a killing, and that’s good enough for many people to ignore we’re heading even faster towards the the edge of a cliff.