Chemistry: Public Perception versus Chemical Reality

April 10, 2008 9:00am - 11:00am

Most of the world is certain that synthetic chemicals are dangerous and that “natural” means safe. Brent Iverson will look into the science behind these notions and challenge some preconceived ideas, while trying to reach some conclusions as to why public perception is where it is today.

Bio(s): 
Brent Iverson
Brent Iverson discusses the limits of scientific understanding.

In this excerpt, Dr. Brent Iverson, Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Texas at Austin talks about the limits of scientific understanding, and how the scientific method really works. He encourages journalists to keep in mind that scientists don’t necessarily have answers, reminding us “You can only prove a hypothesis wrong.”

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