So now GMOs cause concussions.

[progressoid]

You read that headline correctly.

Stephanie Seneff first came to skeptical attention when she published a study claiming that vaccines were linked to autism. She trolled through the VAERS database and, as David Gorski noted, “tortured the data until it confessed.” Last year she published a paper in which she claimed glyphosate caused autism, claims which I addressed almost a year ago. Gorski also deconstructed this paper, noting, “In fact, if you look at the slides for Seneff’s talks (e.g., this one, available at her MIT web page), you’ll find a tour de force of confusing correlation with causation…”

Seneff is a computer scientists who apparently is anti-vaccine and anti-GMO. In a stunning example of the Dunning-Kruger effect, she feels she can take her computer expertise and export it to biology. She nicely demonstrates that expertise is not so easily transferable.
From autism to concussions

Last year she also published a paper, which escaped my attention until it was recently pointed out to me, claiming that glyphosate, GMOs, and other modern lifestyle factors are responsible for the recent increase in concussions. Her co-author on the paper is Wendy Morely, who is a “Registered Holistic Nutritionist” specializing in the nutrition of concussion. Neither author has any neuroscience background.

In order to make this claim the authors have to take the reader on a wild ride of speculation, over-interpretation of the literature, tenuous links, cherry picked data, and confusing correlation with causation, all guided by motivated reasoning to arrive at a pre-determined destination.

The authors propose the existence of, “Diminished brain resilience syndrome.” In fact, they propose many entirely new concepts in the paper, all without doing any actual research or presenting any actual data. It is a long and tortured argument, but let’s see if I can briefly summarize.

Essentially they argue that concussions are on the increase because the general population had poor nutrition, disordered gut microbiota, and increased exposure to toxins (specifically glyphosate and GMOs) which render the brain less resilient to injury and less able to repair itself after injury.

...https://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/seneff-claims-gmos-cause-concussions/

Well, reading this certainly gave me a concussion.

[Archae]

1. Gave me a headache...

Worst part about this?

The "trVe believers" vote.

[HuckleB]

2. Oh, goodness. And the antis are now pushing Taleb's BS again, on the Goodreads forum.

There is just no shame in that crowd.

[progressoid]

3. Oh boy.

That's just tiresome.

I'm going to go grill some veggies and some salmon. Might even have a beer. I hope the genetically engineered glyphosate soaked glutens don't kill me.

[trotsky]

4. Wait, I thought gluten did?

Or was it pasteurized milk?

[AlbertCat]

5. “Diminished brain resilience syndrome.”

AKA...Stephanie Seneff.... or sometimes "GOP"

[HuckleB]

6. +1

[miyazaki]

7. Well it feels like getting hit in the head everytime I read this type of BS

so I guess they're half right.

[Liberal Veteran]

8. I suppose if you drop a GMO pumpkin on someone from a high place....

....it could cause a concussion.

Of course, non-GMO pumpkins would have the same effect.