Silicon Triangle - Sense About Science: Ask For Evidence!

This month we welcome Max Goldman and Stef Knappe, they are Ask for Evidence ambassadors from Sense About Science. Sense About Science works with scientists and members of the public to change public debates and to equip people to make sense of science and evidence. At the moment they are running a campaign to empower people to ask for evidence! From the campaign:

Ask for EvidenceEvery day, we hear claims about what is good for our health, bad for the environment, how to improve education, cut crime, and treat disease. Some are based on reliable evidence and scientific rigour. Many are not. These claims can't be regulated; every time one is debunked another pops up – like a game of whack-a-mole. So how can we make companies, politicians, commentators and official bodies accountable for the claims they make? If they want us to vote for them, believe them, or buy their products, then we should ask them for evidence, as consumers, patients, voters and citizens.

The Ask for Evidence campaign has seen people ask a retail chain for the evidence behind its MRSA resistant pyjamas; ask a juice bar for the evidence behind wheatgrass detox claims; ask the health department about rules for Viagra prescriptions; ask for the studies behind treatments for Crohn's disease, and hundreds more. As a result, claims are being withdrawn and bodies held to account.

This is geeks, working with the public, to park their tanks on the lawn of those who seek to influence us. And it's starting to work. Come and hear what the campaign is going to do next and how you can get involved.

I hope to see you all there to get to know more about Sense About Science and their campaign.As always, entry is free and all are welcome from boffins to novices. The Antenna Cafe will have a fully stocked bar to give you a warm welcome.