Sensationalism does more harm than good

As I've been saying for a while, sensationalism is damaging for public trust in science, and this is an excellent example of that.

When media sensationalism continuously reports "discoveries" like this, we get into a dangerous feedback loop. Reputable scientists come along and dismiss it as the nonsense that it is. Believers then say, "Ah, there you go again, dismissing anything that doesn't agree with your world view", reinforcing their view of the mainstream scientists as a dogmatic acolyte, eroding trust in the scientific consensus.

As for the discovery itself, it might be true. There's no reason to suppose the Universe has to be comprehensible, and even though violating the conservation of momentum is akin to saying, "a wizard did it", observations always have the last word. The point is that no reputable scientist would ever have made claims like this on evidence this flimsy.

Originally shared by Ethan Siegel

"But there’s this romantic notion we all hang onto, nonetheless, that if some talented maverick with a novel perspective comes along, even without the proper background, they (or possible we, ourselves) can change the course of history forever.

This is the story we tell ourselves about a genius like Albert Einstein, whose general theory of relativity turns 100 this year. It’s the story we tell ourselves about Tesla, Edison, Faraday, Newton and more. We all know the danger of following the crowd, of a herd mentality, and of accepting what’s presently known in science as absolute, indisputable truth. And that’s why, when it comes to the biggest lies and hoaxes of all, it’s often the most intelligent among us who are the most gullible."

Every few months now, the popular press goes wild with claims that there's a new engine out there, one that produces thrust without any exhaust, violating the fundamental law of conservation of momentum. While science is, fundamentally, an experimental endeavor, this is far, far more likely to be a case of our own, human failings than it is a case of revolutionary new physics. There are distinct patterns we fall into that allow us to fool ourselves, and the root of it is that we, ourselves, simply do not have the resources and capacities to become experts in everything, and yet we do not trust those who have done exactly that.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/2015/11/08/the-em-drive-nasas-impossible-engine-highlights-our-greatest-failing