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Bills Facing Heavy Backlash Over Josh Allen Decision
Three games, three wins for the Buffalo Bills to open up the 2026 season.And while they look like arguably the best team in the AFC, the Bills have been employing an offensive strategy that has their fans concerned.Buffalo is averaging the fourth-most yards per game (401.7) with the fourth-best rushing offense (155 yards per game) […] The post Bills Facing Heavy Backlash Over Josh Allen Decision appeared first on HEAVY.
SpyGlass Pharma Acquires Advanced Vision Science, Securing Commercial IOL Supply, Accelerating Lens Portfolio Expansion
IRVINE, Calif.—SpyGlass Pharma, Inc. (Nasdaq: SGP), a late-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on transforming treatment paradigms for patients with chronic eye conditions, has announced the acquisition of all the outstanding shares of common stock of Advanced Vision Science, Inc. (AVS), an ophthalmic medical device company and manufacturer of intraocular lenses (IOLs) and lens materials, for approximately $13 million in cash. This acquisition secures scalable commercial IOL supply and accelerates lens portfolio expansion capability for SpyGlass Pharma, the announcement noted.
Throwback Threadsday: West Virginia
As the Iowa State Cyclones face off against the West Virginia Mountaineers for the 13th time in series history at 11 a.m. CDT Saturday, gridiron rivalry and uniform history collides. Let’s turn back the clock on the visual identity of the Riot Bowl. 2012 – 31-24, West Virginia 2013 – 52-44 (3 OT), Iowa State 2014 […]
Full Debate: DiNapoli, Hernandez face off in debate
Incumbent state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli and Republican challenger Joseph Hernandez are expected to participate in the debate.
A fact-checked guide to Trump's talking points and falsehoods at midterm rallies
President Donald Trump is hitting the campaign trail to support Republican candidates in toss-up races that will determine which party controls Congress for the final two years of his presidency. Here’s a list of more than two dozen go-to Trump statements and how they square for accuracy.
Caleb Douglas does not practice Thursday
Dolphins WR Caleb Douglas misses second straight practice because of injury
New sports facility signals continuing growth in regional youth sports
Elite Sports Center in Loves Park had the grand opening of its secondary location this week, marking the newest component of a growing regional initiative to establish the Stateline area as a hub for youth sports.
Recap: President Trump speaks at Peterbilt facility in Denton on Thursday
Update at 5:40 p.m.: Trump thanks the crowd for welcoming him. He concluded his speech with a short dance to “Y.M.C.A.” (1978) by Village People and walking off the stage.
Potential RJ Barrett Extension Could Depend on One Key Factor
There's only so much money to go around with Kawhi Leonard now on the team, but re-signing Barrett may not make sense after this season.
Austin-East football off to best start since 2017
The Austin-East Roadrunners, currently tied for first place in Class 3A, Region 2, are scheduled to face the Sweetwater Wildcats this Friday at 7 p.m.
Mothers face barriers to accessing mental healthcare, survey shows
Having theoretical access to healthcare doesn’t mean you can take advantage of it, as underscored by a report examining mothers’ experiences for themselves and their children. Released Thursday, Pulse Check 2026: Mothers on Mental Health, Care, and the Systems Around Their Families reports that nearly 48% of Florida mothers surveyed said they had struggled struggle […]
Marion man found not guilty of murdering son seeking outside mental health evaluation
A Marion man found not guilty by reason of insanity for strangling his son to death is seeking outside mental health evaluation at the facility he’s in.
Proposed Peoria apartments face backlash from neighbors
More than 20 nearby business owners and homeowners in Far North Peoria signed a petition against a proposed apartment project.
Who does CBS Sports think OU will face this bowl season?
Where does CBS Sports have the Oklahoma Sooners headed in their new bowl predictions?
National high school girls soccer composite rankings
Indiana teams dominate the latest USA TODAY Sports composite rankings for high school girls soccer this fall.
Corus Entertainment Announces Amendment To Credit Facility
Corus Entertainment Inc TSX:CJR.B:
This week in science: Loud birds, eating with company, and asteroid samples
NPR's Short Wave podcast talks about really loud birds, the benefits of eating with company and what asteroid samples could tell us about the early Earth.
Baltimore Fishbowl | Are there enough women in Maryland politics?
The challenges facing women in politics in Maryland, and how they've made gains but where they've fall short, is the subject of the latest episode of the Maryland Now podcast
Lions Welcome Key Figure Back to Practice
The Detroit Lions were back on the practice field on Thursday as they continue preparations to face the Carolina Panthers on Sunday evening, in which they’ll look to improve their record to 3-1.Detroit, who remains shorthanded with several key players still missing because of injury, did get a bit of good news with regard to […] The post Lions Welcome Key Figure Back to Practice appeared first on HEAVY.
Double-digit health insurance increases will hit individual and small group plans in 2027, again
Hundreds of thousands of Minnesotans are facing significantly more expensive health insurance next year. The average increase for individual and small group insurance plans is 17% for 2027, the state’s Department of Commerce announced Thursday, raising costs for the 203,000 and 184,000 Minnesotans covered by individual and small group plans respectively. Individuals and their families […]
Nearly $55 million awarded to boost healthcare access across rural Alabama
Gov. Kay Ivey announced that 34 grants totaling nearly $55 million are being awarded to healthcare providers and institutions throughout Alabama as part of the second round of the Alabama Rural Health Transformation Program (ARHTP) funding for 2026.
Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy Responds to Health Insurance Rate Increases
SAINT PAUL, Minn. – On Thursday, the Minnesota Department of Commerce announced the health insurance rate increases facing Minnesotans next year. For 203,000 consumers who purchase insurance on the individual market, rates will increase between 9.9 and 21.1 percent; for 184,000 Minnesotans who are insured on small group market plans, rates will increase between 10.6
INSBANK Honors Four Middle Tennessee Business Leaders at 10th Annual INSBY Awards
/PRNewswire/ -- INSBANK proudly celebrated the 10th Annual INSBY Awards on September 30, recognizing four outstanding client businesses whose innovation,...
Arsenal’s International Break Soured by ‘Bad News’
Arsenal began the 2026/27 season in dominant fashion, unbeaten in all competitions, until before the international break when they faced Brighton in the Premier League and were beaten 3-0. Mikel Arteta’s men will be back in action on October 10 against Leeds United, but the Gunners may have to do it without summer signing Christos …
Science of Perception Box Podcast Named Finalist in Four 2026 Signal Awards Categories
/PRNewswire/ -- Science of Perception Box™, the award-winning podcast produced by Unlikely Collaborators in partnership with Pod People, has been named a...
Mo. files new proposed regulations for cannabis business ownership, product recalls
The Department of Health and Senior Services recently filed proposed rule amendments regarding cannabis facilities in Missouri.
RCX SPORTS AND U.S. BANK ANNOUNCE PARTNERSHIP ACROSS 10 NFL FLAG REGIONAL TOURNAMENTS
Partnership expands the bank's support for the next generation of flag football athletes RCX Sports, the official operator of NFL FLAG, and U.S. Bank announced...
Cosmos Health's Brands Reach More Than 40 Countries Across Europe, the Middle East, North America and Asia, Addressing Global Markets Estimated at Approximately $946 Billion
The portfolio comprises more than 15 proprietary brands and product lines and 10 branded generics across five product categories, sold in more than 40 countries through pharmacies, hospitals, retail chains and e-commerce. It is manufactured at GMP-certified facilities in Europe and the United States and supported by the Company's services in contract manufacturing, pharmaceutical distribution, telehealth and research and development.
Cubs facing 'interesting' catcher question on three key players
This question for the Cubs this offseason will be very interesting.
Politics doesn't always 'reward what it should': Brian Brenberg
'The Big Money Show' panelists analyze economic data, GDP growth and President Donald Trump's manufacturing push in Texas.
Most Americans blame Trump for high prices as his economic approval hits new low, AP-NORC poll shows
A majority, 65%, of U.S. adults now blame Trump’s policies for persistently high costs more than factors outside of his control, signaling growing weariness over his aggressive use of tariffs and continued unhappiness with the war with Iran.
How the data boom is transforming the social sciences
In a video, scholars from across Yale’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences explain how the recent explosion of data in our world presents both challenges and opportunities in their quest to better understand human behavior.
👀Jorge Jesus gets major backing after Cristiano scandal
Portugal are facing Denmark, and a group of fans have publicly expressed their firm support for coach Jorge Jesus following the huge controversy sparked by Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure from the tra...
NC Chamber Announces ‘Coolest Things’ for the Year
Coinciding with National Manufacturing Day, the NC Chamber announced winners of this year’s “Coolest Thing Made in NC” competition.
Five Pennsylvania hospitals join West Virginia University Health System
Butler Memorial Hospital, Clarion Hospital, Frick Hospital, Latrobe Hospital, and Westmoreland Hospital, as well as affiliated physician practices and outpatient facilities, moved from their previous operator Independence Health System to WVU Medicine this month.
After murders of Zoe Welsh, Iryna Zarutska, NC lawmakers face questions over mental health funding
SDSC Helps Improve AI-Ready Geospatial Data Through GeoCroissant
Oct. 1, 2026 — Researchers working with Earth science data often face a basic but time-consuming challenge: Determining what datasets exist, what they contain and whether they can be used together. Doug Fils, with the University of California San Diego Halıcıoğlu School of Data Science and Computing’s San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC), is helping advance a […]
Cape Cod restaurant hit with threats and fall in business after hosting Republican fundraiser
Ed Medeiros, who owns Montano’s Restaurant, says he’s faced abuse and threats since the event
Never played in Prem - and now face World Cup hosts
Jack Combes and Alex Post tell BBC Sport about a "dream come true" as they look ahead to the 2027 Rugby World Cup opener against hosts Australia.
The Cornell Case Raises An Overlooked Health Question
Sexual assault can affect physical and mental health for months or years. Here’s what survivors may face—and what good healthcare should provide.
What to know about the U.S. Senate race to replace Sen. Dick Durbin
Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, who has served alongside Gov. JB Pritzker since 2018, faces Don Tracy, the former chair of the Illinois Republican Party.
Science Lab: Joey Porter Jr. trade to Cowboys — the Great, the Good, the Hmm...
Welcome to "The Science Lab", a place where football facts and in-depth analysis always triumph over feelings.
Denver Museum of Nature & Science appoints Kirk Johnson as president and CEO
/PRNewswire/ -- The Denver Museum of Nature & Science Board of Trustees has appointed Kirk Johnson, Sant Director of the Smithsonian's National Museum of...
Steelers' Aaron Rodgers Moves Up QB Rankings Entering Week 4
Pittsburgh Steelers star Aaron Rodgers moved up a quarterback ranking coming into Week 4.
TKO Miller Launches Innovative Donor Advised Fund Initiative to Help Business Owners Multiply Their Charitable Impact Following a Business Sale
/PRNewswire/ -- TKO Miller today announced the launch of its TKO Miller Impact Initiative, a Donor Advised Fund-based (DAF) program designed to help business...
Manufacturing Depends on Logistics to Keep Supply Chain Moving
When JBE Inc. opened in Hartsville in 1982, the “old school manufacturing company” was mainly working with metal — clinging it, grinding it, whatever the manufacturing companies the subcontractor served needed. More than 40 years later, the...
UAMS Health Opens New Hospital in Saline County
LITTLE ROCK —The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) held a ribbon-cutting ceremony today to celebrate the opening of a new comprehensive healthcare facility at 21514 I-30 Frontage Road (Exit 123) in Bryant.
Global Fund Leadership Shortlist Unveiled Amid Donor Friction And Push For Reform
The shortlist of five finalists to serve as the next Executive Director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria was disclosed by the organisation on Wednesday (30 September), launching the final phase of its leadership search. The incoming chief will assume office in early 2027, facing a massive funding shortfall and mounting geopolitical pressure to overhaul the global health architecture.
How medical weight loss can fit into a person’s long-term health
Nutrition and physical activity remain important parts of weight loss, but medical understanding of obesity has evolved over time to consider other factors too.
VA Western Colorado Health Care System Mobile Medical Unit brings healthcare to veterans’ doorsteps
For many veterans living in Western Colorado, reaching traditional healthcare facilities can be a significant challenge. Long and difficult trips to hospitals in Montrose or Grand …
The Executive Leadership Council Announces 2026 Scholars, Investing $1.5 Million in the Next Generation of Business Leaders
/PRNewswire/ -- The Executive Leadership Council (ELC) today announced its Class of 2026 Scholars, awarding $1.5 million in scholarships to 100 students from...
FOX BUSINESS NETWORK ANNOUNCES NEW WEEKDAY PROGRAMMING LINEUP DEBUTING MONDAY, OCTOBER 12
/PRNewswire/ -- FOX Business Network (FBN) will unveil a new weekday programming lineup beginning on Monday, October 12th, announced FOX News Media President...
Bills Have a Major Problem Emerging in Their Secondary
Rising sack totals mask a vulnerable unit struggling with Christian Benford’s regression and mounting injuries. Now, Buffalo’s depth faces a brutal litmus test against the league’s elite quarterbacks.
Michigan State's Injury Report Looks Like a Christmas Shopping List
A wave of sidelined stars and season-ending blows leaves the Spartans dangerously thin as they prepare to face a surging Wisconsin team with a depleted roster.
‘Momentous’ groundbreaking sets stage for new health, community center in Fairfax City
Fairfax City officials and some of their Fairfax County colleagues gathered Wednesday (Sept. 30) to kick off an expected three years of construction of the future Willard-Sherwood Health & Community Center. Built on the Blenheim Blvd site long occupied by the Joseph Willard Health Center, the new 100,000-square-foot facility will serve both city and county
Cabinetworks Group expands employee access to health care with third on-site clinic
/PRNewswire/ -- Cabinetworks Group, the country's largest privately owned cabinet manufacturer, recently expanded employee access to health care with the...
Lightbeam Health Solutions and ChartSpan Partner to Unify Device-Based and Deviceless Remote Patient Monitoring Within Value-Based Care
/PRNewswire/ -- Lightbeam Health Solutions, the proven AI-enabled solutions and services leader helping healthcare organizations succeed in value-based care,...
Minnesotans face another year of steep health insurance hikes
All approved insurers will raise rates by at least 10 percent in Minnesota’s individual and small-group markets, as higher healthcare costs and expiring ACA tax credits put pressure on consumers.
Thomson Reuters and KKR complete joint venture for Global Print Business
/PRNewswire/ -- Thomson Reuters Corporation (TSX/Nasdaq: TRI), a global content and technology company, today announced that it has closed on its previously...
‘Digger’ review: Climate change satire will leave you feeling cold
Sometimes, a wildly talented and imaginative artist can make a film that leaves you entirely cold, worn out by the in-your-face-ness of it all. Such is the case with “Digger,”
How Washington Funded the Politicization of Science
Over the last half-decade, the National Science Foundation (NSF) has spent hundreds of millions of dollars on projects designed to influence academic policies, both in the sciences and other disciplines. The aim was to foster a progressive conception of social justice in these fields. In pursuit of this end, the foundation earmarked nearly a million dollars for a project titled “Creating Inclusive Scientific Societies through Policies and Practices,” over a million for a project on “Faculty Online Learning Communities for Gender Equity,” and over $2 million to foster “racial equity focused departmental change.” Through a public records request, I’ve obtained the proposals and progress reports for dozens of NSF grants designed to promote social justice. Although funding for these grants was eventually halted by the Trump administration, the projects illustrate an important facet of recent higher-education policy. Many of the university policies that promised “social transformation” didn’t arise in a vacuum. They were actively encouraged by outside funders—often by the federal government itself. Subscribe Accreditation—the peer-review process which enables universities to receive federal grants and student loans—has recently become a policy battleground, with accreditors wielding significant power over both universities and academic disciplines. In 2020, when Oregon Health and Science University’s medical school issued an extensive diversity action plan—which promised “consequences” for employees who failed to support “DEI, anti-racism and social justice”—it specifically pointed to the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME), the medical-school accrediting body, to justify the overhaul. The NSF actively promoted DEI-focused accreditation policies. The proposal for a $1.2 million program on promoting “community engagement” in STEM, which I obtained through a records request, notes that the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology was exploring changes to its criteria “that would incorporate JEDI [justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion].” The proposal promised to “support broader JEDI efforts in the general criteria for engineering.” Another grant funded a conference designed to “identify and share best practices and strategies to integrate IDEA principles in accreditation criteria”—referring to an acronym that stands for “inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility.” Scholarly societies have become another flashpoint in debates over higher education. Critics argue that many of these societies, which have the power to shape entire disciplines, have become increasingly politicized. Again, through its giving, the NSF played a role in promoting this politicization. In one million-dollar grant that received funding in 2024, a group of psychologists proposed a series of social-justice reforms to the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues. The proposal, which I obtained via a records request, asserts that “[r]edistributing resources (such as moving different people into leadership roles) is not enough” and that the society’s “governance structures do not yet reflect its stated values of diversity, equity, and inclusion.” Its solution: review and rework the society’s criteria for leadership development, academic awards, conferences, and publications. Adjusting review criteria informed by “intersectionality” designed to fight “epistemic exclusion” is an easy way to introduce de facto ideological litmus tests into the peer-review process. For many of the grants I obtained, such litmus tests seem to be the point. “Academic departments are racialized social systems that produce and sustain the byproducts of systemic racism,” a proposal for a $2.7 million project funded in 2024 asserts, promising to develop “departmentally-focused change efforts that cultivate values, assumptions, and behaviors that advance racial equity.” The University of Illinois Urbana Champaign’s million-dollar “I-ADVANCE” project, which effectively created a small DEI bureaucracy on campus, promised to Embed 28 ADVANCE faculty fellows in STEM departments” to amplify its equity goals. Another $1.2 million project promised to create “faculty online learning communities,” made up of scientists at universities around the country, that would eventually build department-level diversity action plans. “Ultimately,” the proposal asserts, perhaps more perceptively than its authors realized, “both organizational change and intersectionality frameworks deal with power.” Indeed, such grants confer a great deal of power to administrators and scholar-activists, who can even use the mere availability of funding as a tool to advance their causes. That history is worth remembering amid today’s debate over federal involvement in higher education: Washington has been shaping university priorities for years, including by financing efforts to instill progressive ideas about race, gender, and equity into academic institutions—and many of the policies those grants encouraged remain embedded within universities long after the federal money has stopped flowing. John D. Sailer is the director of higher education policy and a senior fellow at Manhattan Institute. Share
Winner of Nikon microscopy photo contest faces criticism over AI usage
The organizers of a highly regarded scientific photography contest are reviewing this year’s winning entry following criticism over the use of AI.
5 western Pennsylvania hospitals officially join West Virginia University Health System
Five western Pennsylvania hospitals and their affiliated physician practices and outpatient facilities began operating today under the umbrella of the West Virginia University Health System. Butler Memorial Hospital, Clarion Hospital, Frick Hospital, Latrobe Hospital and Westmoreland Hospital officially joined the new health system as of Oct. 1, after previously operating
NFL pregame shows face growing criticism from fans in 2026
rafapress/Depositphotos Fans react to changing NFL pregame shows NFL pregame coverage is drawing fresh attention during the 2026 season. Familiar formats and longtime personalities are facing criticism from some viewers. FOX, ESPN, CBS, and Prime Video have also made lineup changes across their NFL coverage. Major programs continue to attract large audiences, adding another layer…
Valve's Poker Face Around the Steam Deck 2 Is Finally Starting to Crack
Valve’s next-gen handheld could run the ‘Gainsborough’ chip, and only nerds will understand the significance.
Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library joins Libraries & Academic Innovation unit
GW’s Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library joined the University’s Libraries and Academic Innovation unit on Sept. 28 in order to make it easier for students, faculty and researchers working across disciplines to use library resources.
Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library joins Libraries & Academic Innovation unit
GW’s Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library joined the University’s Libraries and Academic Innovation unit on Sept. 28 in order to make it easier for students, faculty and researchers working across disciplines to use library resources.
Panthers vs Lions: Storylines
Breaking down all the major storylines to watch on Sunday between the Lions and Panthers
FSU neuroscientist earns NSF CAREER Award for researching how brains process smell
A Florida State University neuroscientist has received one of the most prestigious awards available to early career faculty for his exploration into how
90% of Life Sciences Manufacturers Say Digital Transformation Is Now Business-Critical, According to New Rockwell Automation Report
/PRNewswire/ -- Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE: ROK), the global leader in industrial automation and digital transformation, today released "The New Operating...
90% of Life Sciences Manufacturers Say Digital Transformation Is Now Business-Critical, According to New Rockwell Automation Report
/PRNewswire/ -- Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE: ROK), the global leader in industrial automation and digital transformation, today released "The New Operating...
Protect College Sports Act Clears Senate, Faces House Next
In the era of NIL and a seemingly unlimited transfer portal, many are concerned about the future of college sports. On Monday, the Senate took a step in the direction to create stricter guidelines for the NCAA. The Protect College Sports Act was passed by the Senate with a 77-22 vote in the nation’s capital. […]
Saquon Barkley: fantasy bust or turnaround candidate?
Here's why Saquon Barkley's slow start isn't a fluke, and why he's headed toward his least-productive per-game season.
12 spooky new movies and shows to watch this Halloween, from 'Carrie' to 'Clayface'
Whether you want jump scares, psychological thrills or something the whole family can handle, October's lineup has you covered.
Verana Health Introduces Significant Data and AI Enhancements to Support Ophthalmologic Research and Treatment Optimization
/PRNewswire/ -- Verana Health®, a digital health company dedicated to revolutionizing patient care and clinical research through real-world data (RWD),...
"Office Hours: Business Edition" Takes Flight with United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby
/PRNewswire/ -- "Office Hours: Business Edition," from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Haslam College of Business, has returned with fresh episodes....
OLLY Unveils Mochi Bites, Pairing Science-Backed Innovation with First-of-Its-Kind Format
/PRNewswire/ -- Eleven years ago, OLLY redefined the supplement aisle by bringing gummies into the mainstream. Now, the brand is pushing the category forward...
Jewish and Israeli Artists Face Growing ‘Cultural Boycotts’ Across Entertainment, ADL Report Says
The Anti-Defamation League has tracked 65 cases of protests, cancellations and harassment involving Jewish, Israeli and Zionist performers.
Corgi launches sports and entertainment platform Golden
Corgi Insurance has launched a dedicated sports and entertainment platform providing coverage for organisations, events, facilities and businesses that power the sports industry, the insurtech announced on Wednesday.
Pray with the Pope | For mental health ministry
The Holy Father invites the faithful and people of good will to pray that the Church may become an open house, able to accompany without judging and without casting aside those who face difficulties with their mental health.
Agassi Sports Entertainment Forms Let's Play, LLC, With Goal of Building a Unified Global Club Network
Jonathan Fornaci Named President of Let's Play, LLCLAS VEGAS, NV / ACCESS Newswire / October 1, 2026 / (OTCID:AASP) ("ASE" or the "Company"), a sports, media, and technology platform focused on the global racket sports ecosystem and built around the iconic brands of Andre Agassi and Stefanie Graf, today announced the formation of Let's Play, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary, as well as the appointment of Jonathan Fornaci as President of Let's Play, LLC. As the newly formed facilities division of A
Mets Morning News: Mets face offseason questions
Your Thursday morning dose of Mets and Major League Baseball news, notes, and links.
Infosys and Columbia University Launch Strategic Collaboration Across Deep Research to Drive Innovation and Unlock Business Value
/PRNewswire/ -- Infosys (NSE: INFY) (BSE: INFY) (NYSE: INFY), a global leader in AI-first business consulting and technology services, today announced a...
Gusto Simplifies HR and Compliance for Growing Small Businesses
/PRNewswire/ -- Gusto, the leading partner for small businesses, today announced general availability for Gusto Business Compliance, a solution that...
Could Mavs Rookie Force His Way Into Dusty May's Rotation?
The Athletic believes Sergio de Larrea could crack Dallas' rotation immediately and become one of the NBA's most entertaining rookies.
Dodgers notes: Offense, Freddie Freeman, Miguel Rojas
As the Los Angeles Dodgers await the outcome of the final game between the Philadelphia Philles and Atlanta Braves to see who they will face in the NLDS, the team is busy working on keeping their bats and arms fresh and ready for the road to a three-peat that lies ahead. As Bill Plunkett of […]
Three UCSB researchers recognized for contributions to the earth sciences
Three UC Santa Barbara faculty members have received honors this year from the American Geophysical Union, the country’s preeminent earth science professional organization.
Rice experts available to discuss human spaceflight, safety and space policy
Leveraging Rice’s deep ties to U.S. space exploration, faculty can analyze the technical, political and physiological implications of recent developments across the space industry.
KU faculty member receives inaugural endowed professorship in applied behavioral science
Isaac Melanson, an assistant professor of applied behavioral science whose research specializes in helping people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, has been chosen as the inaugural recipient of the Donald M. Baer and Elsie M. Pinkston Endowed Professorship. The three-year term took effect July 1.
Good science requires much more than evidence
Empiricists believe that scientific theories are true only if they make correct empirical predictions: if we can't verify these predictions, then there is no reason to expect that they tell us anything about reality. However, Professor of Philosophy at King's College David Kyle Johnson argues that this is mistaken. In response to Bas van Fraassen, who has written on this subject for the IAI, he argues that we have many reasons for believing a theory to be true, such as it being parsimonious and having large scope — qualities which have been used throughout the history of science as criteria for judging theories. In 2024, Princeton philosopher Bas van Fraassen wrote a short article for IAI News entitled “Science Does not Describe Reality: The Limits and Benefits of Explanation.” At the time, I was working on two projects (a science book and a Great Course) that, when completed, would (among other things) defend science’s ability to describe reality. I wanted to write a response to van Fraassen, but the projects demanded too much of my attention. But now that those projects are complete, I am in a position to explain the objections to van Fraassen’s thesis. Summarizing van Fraassen’s argumentIn a nutshell, his argument is this: What scientists do is make predictions based on theories and then invite others to test to see whether those predictions are borne out. “If theory T is right, result R should happen in experimental condition C.” Many think that running an experiment that shows that R happens in condition C is proof that theory T is true (and should be believed). But, van Fraassen argues, that R happened in condition C is only a reason to think that R happens in condition C. That’s the only observable, or empirical, result we can actually see, so that is all that we are really justified in believing. (The underlying theory that made that prediction still may or may not be true.) That is why he calls those who accept his position “empiricists.”Before I explain what is wrong with this position, let me explain what it gets right. What van Fraassen Gets RightFirst, a theory correctly predicting the results of an experiment is not, strictly speaking, “proof” that the theory is correct. The basic line of reasoning is this:If the theory T is true, result R should happen. Result R did happen. Thus, theory T is true.In other words:“If T then R. R. Thus, T.”This is a deductively invalid, fallacious mode of reasoning, called “affirming the consequent.” Those premises do not guarantee that the conclusion follows. “If I am in Pennsylvania, then I am in the USA. I am in the USA. Thus, I am in Pennsylvania.” Clearly that argument doesn’t guarantee its conclusion; neither does the above argument.However, science is not a deductive method of reasoning; it is an inductive one. And inductive arguments merely try to raise the probability of their conclusion, not “prove” them for certain. Thus, the fact that an experimental result doesn’t prove a theory is true is irrelevant; it’s not supposed to. That is not what scientific reasoning is about.___If the hypothesis that something exists clearly provides the best explanation for what we can observe, then the belief that it exists is what is rational.___Second, it’s also true that a single experimental result doesn’t provide enough justification to believe that a theory is true. Scientists do not come to a consensus about whether a theory is true by looking at a single experiment; they look at all the evidence to determine where the preponderance of evidence points. The mere fact that I am in the USA raises the probability that I am in Pennsylvania, but not nearly enough to conclude that I am in Pennsylvania. However, if I am also regularly encountering people wearing Eagles and Phillies hats and seeing advertisements for Founding Father tours, I probably am. In the same way, a theory successfully predicting the outcome of one experiment is not enough to conclude that it is true; but if a theory makes a wide variety of predictions that are all vindicated by multiple experiments, performed by many different groups and people, all actively trying to prove the theory false (which is what good scientific experiments are designed to do)—that is a good reason to conclude that the theory is true. In other words, if you repeatedly try to prove something false but can’t, that is a very good indication that it isn’t. The problem of underdeterminationIn reply, those whom van Fraassen calls “empiricists” often point to the “problem of underdetermination.” For any given theory that makes successful predictions about what happens in experimental conditions, there are countless other possible theories that make exactly the same predictions—and since they do, the experimental evidence in question is just as much reason to accept any of those theories as it is to accept our original one. Thus, the argument goes, we have no way of knowing whether our original theory is true, or one of the other “predictively equivalent” theories is true. SUGGESTED VIEWING How Occam's Razor changed the world With Johnjoe McFadden As an example of underdetermination, philosophers often offer this example. The evidence of fossils seems to provide reason to conclude that the universe is quite old; ancient fossils are what the “ancient universe” hypothesis predicts. But it’s also possible that God created an ancient-looking universe 200 years ago, complete with a “fake” fossil record for us to find, to make it look old. The existence of fossils is what that theory predicts too. So, the argument goes, the fossil record can’t be used as evidence that the universe is ancient; the fossil record supports the “200-year-old ancient-looking universe” theory just as much. The problem of underdetermination points out that, for any theory with supporting evidence, we could invent another completely different theory that predicts exactly the same evidence, and thus undermine that evidence’s ability to support the original theory.But this “argument from underdetermination” betrays a fundamental misunderstanding of what scientific reasoning is and how it works. To explain, let me use another rather strange (but very real and commonly discussed) philosophical thought experiment called “The Grue Problem.” The “Grue” ProblemSuppose I want to know what color emeralds are, so I observe a few, see that they all appear green, and form the theory that “all emeralds are green.” I thus predict that the next 100 emeralds I find will also appear to be green. And let’s say that happens, and so I thus conclude that my theory that all emeralds are green is true. Now, one might rightly point out that I don’t know for sure that all emeralds are green—I have not seen them all. Maybe some I haven’t found yet are blue. Fair enough. After all, we used to think that all swans were white, until we found some black ones. But let’s say that I go on a quest and collect every emerald in the universe—and, for the sake of the argument, let’s say I can do this, and can even know that I have every one of them. So, I collect them all, look at them all, and verify that they all appear green. Can’t I now rightly conclude that all emeralds are green?Inspired by the problem of underdetermination, a friend might argue that I cannot.Sure, they all appear green now—but there could be another kind of color called “grue.” Something is grue if it is green up to a certain point in time, but then spontaneously turns blue. And there could be an infinite number of “shades” of grue. Something that is one shade of grue will turn blue at noon today, but something that is another shade of grue will turn blue at noon tomorrow, etc. So yes, the emeralds appear green now; and since they haven’t turned blue yet, they are not some “past” shade of grue. But they might be some “future” shade of grue (e.g., they may turn blue at noon tomorrow). And since all future shades of grue are consistent with “being green up to this point in time,” the evidence you have is completely consistent with the notion that all emeralds are some future shade of grue, rather than green. Indeed, that they would appear green until now is what the “some future shade of grue” hypothesis predicts. So, we have just as much reason to conclude that all emeralds are some shade of grue as we do to conclude that they are green.You’re probably thinking “It’s not equally possible that the emeralds are grue; they are obviously green.” You are right! But explaining why your instinctive reaction to my friend’s argument is correct will help inform why van Fraassen’s “empiricist” is wrong and science actually does describe reality.The main mistake my friend makes is in thinking that the “empirical evidence” (of all the emeralds appearing green) is (or even should be) all I am using to draw the conclusion that all emeralds are green. It is not. I am also considering known facts about how colors typically work; things don’t usually change color, and when they do, they don’t do so suddenly, without cause, and all at once. So, even though the simple evidence of the emeralds all appearing green up to this point is consistent with them being some future shade of grue—that is even what the grue hypothesis “predicts”—it is still exceedingly unlikely that they are. The hypothesis that they are green is much more likely. Understanding science refutes the problem of underdetermination The misunderstanding about science that the “empiricist” pointing to “the problem of underdetermination” makes is similar to the one that my friend made. Science is not just about considering experimental evidence; in fact, it’s not even just about considering empirical evidence. As Ernan McMullin and many other philosophers of science have pointed out, the inference that makes science is “inference to the best explanation” (sometimes called “abduction” or “retroduction” by McMullin). While, depending on the circumstances, scientists use many different kinds of reasoning, science as a whole is, simply put, the process of considering multiple competing explanations and comparing them to certain criteria—explanatory criteria (the kinds of things explanations must be and do, by definition, to be a good explanation)—to see which explanation is the best.And these criteria do not deal only with empirical results. Yes, successful predictions raise the probability of a hypothesis, but it’s also the case that the more new assumptions a theory makes, the less likely it is to be true; every new assumption presents an opportunity for the theory to be false. (The fewer assumptions a theory makes, the simpler or “more parsimonious” it is said to be.) Likewise, the more existing evidence a theory contradicts, the less likely it is, because in order for a theory to be true, every piece of evidence it contradicts has to be somehow faulty. (The fewer established theories a new theory contradicts, the more “conservative” it is said to be.) And, obviously, the more something explains, the better explanation it is. (This is called having “scope.”) If a theory raises unanswerable questions, it’s not expanding our understanding, and thus is not wide-scoping. Scientists consider all these things when deciding which theory to accept, because the theory that adheres best to these explanatory criteria is most likely to be true.___the mere fact that a theory’s predictive success is why it “sticks around” or “becomes accepted” in the scientific community is not a reason to be skeptical about its truth.___The reason the grue hypothesis is no good is because it invents an entirely new kind of color—not just a new shade, but an entirely different category of color (a different way colors work)—and thus is not parsimonious. It raises unanswerable questions about how and why emeralds would just spontaneously change from green to blue (and thus does not have wide scope). And it contradicts what is already well established about how color works (and thus is unconservative).The theories that the problem of underdetermination points to do the same thing. Yes, the theory that God created an “ancient-looking universe” (complete with an ancient-looking fossil record) two hundred years ago is also consistent with the empirical evidence (of a fossil record) that presently exists; but that theory is monumentally unparsimonious (it requires many extra assumptions about infinite entities) and not wide-scoping (it raises unanswerable questions about why God would do such a thing). So, I can rationally conclude that it is false.Indeed, the history of science includes many examples of theories that were rejected because they lacked parsimony and/or scope, even before their falsity (and the truth of their competing theory) was confirmed by observation. As I point out in my book, geocentrism was rejected by the scientific community because it lacked parsimony, almost 200 years before the observation of parallax confirmed that the Earth moves around the sun. And the continuum theory of matter was completely rejected by 1860, because it couldn’t explain chemical reactions or organize matter into a periodic table, even though the experiments that eventually confirmed atomic theory weren’t even proposed until the 1870s. Solving the best of a bad lot problemIn response, the “empiricists” are likely to object, this time pointing to the “best of a bad lot” problem. “We have no reason to conclude that an explanation that has been shown to be better than others is true because we have no guarantee that the true theory was among those that we were considering.” If you have a “lot” (a collection) of poor explanations, even the best one is not true.The responses to this problem, however, are numerous. Peter Lipton argues that the set of hypotheses that scientists consider are not just randomly selected and thus unlikely to contain a theory that is true; they use existing knowledge to home in on what is most likely to be true. A doctor trying to explain abdominal pain is not going to bother wondering whether demons are causing it; they are going to stick with things like appendicitis and kidney stones, because they are most likely. Further, despite its name, inference to the best explanation is not just the process of comparing hypotheses and accepting the best one; we also want one that is a good explanation in its own right. If it’s not, we are going to keep looking until we find an explanation that is. And while that process does not guarantee that we will come across the exact truth, it’s very likely that the theory that emerges as the best will be at least approximately true, and thus we will be justified in believing it. And lastly, as I point out in my book, although many theories not based in scientific evidence (like geocentrism and continuum theory) have been completely overturned, science almost always progresses by the refinement of scientifically established theories—not their replacement. (Although our sun is not the center of the universe, heliocentrism was our first step in understanding the Earth’s true place in the universe.) So even if a theory we accept today may not be completely right, accepting it is a step on the journey toward the complete truth. The example of atomic theoryNow, it’s worth pointing out that most empiricists are not skeptical of all scientific theories; they are only skeptical of the ones that hypothesize the existence of “unobservables.” It’s not like they think that round Earth, heliocentrism, and germ theory are just useful (but untrue) “instruments” for making predictions about how to most efficiently navigate the seas, predict planetary motion, and treat diseases. They admit that the Earth actually is round, that the planets revolve around the sun, and that germs exist and cause disease. These facts and entities can be observed; the theories that suggest they exist are true. It’s only when theories start hypothesizing the existence of unobservables—like electrons, or quantum fields—that can’t be observed directly, that we should start doubting the theories’ truth. And to be fair to van Fraassen, in this published work, he doesn’t really say that we should doubt the truth of such theories. Only that scientific reasoning does not rationally force us to accept them as true. Skepticism, or agnosticism, he argues, is warranted. SUGGESTED READING Science is based in metaphor By Andrew Reynolds But the history of atomic theory throws a monkey wrench into that argument. Atoms used to be unobservable; again, scientists first accepted the theory that they exist because it had such grandiose explanatory power. But then atoms were seen with electron microscopes. They thus moved into the category of the observable. But this didn’t substantially change anything about what scientists were justified in believing; it certainly didn’t change any “atomic skeptics’” minds. It just confirmed what everyone already knew! If the hypothesis that something exists clearly provides the best explanation for what we can observe, then the belief that it exists is what is rational. The fact that the thing itself is not technically observable does not make doubting its existence rational.What’s more, the atoms were seen with an electron microscope. But electrons are themselves unobservable. How can an electron microscope reveal an atom if electrons are not real? This leads us to what is famously known as Hilary Putnam’s “miracle argument.” It’s (not) a miraclePhilosopher Hilary Putnam’s miracle argument is somewhat famous. Basically, he argued that a scientific theory being able to repeatedly make successful predictions—even about unobservables—without being at least approximately true would require a “miracle.” In other words, it would be such an improbable occurrence that it could not rationally be believed—the better explanation for why scientific theories about unobservables make the right predictions is because the unobservable entities and structures they hypothesize exist.Van Fraassen has addressed this argument. Indeed, in his original article, where he references Alison Gopnik’s point about orgasms not being “necessary for procreation” even though the desire for orgasm “drives the creation of progeny,” he is pointing to his own argument about how organisms are not naturally selected by evolution to get true beliefs; to the extent that belief-forming processes are selected for, the ones that are selected are the ones that are useful for survival—not the ones that produce true beliefs. In the same way, van Fraassen argues, scientific theories are accepted, not because they are true, but because they aren’t falsified; they make successful predictions; that’s what makes them “stick around.” So, the fact that they make successful predictions (and thus became accepted) is not a reason to think they are true.This argument is similar to C. S. Lewis’s “argument from reason,” which he used to argue against evolution: “The truth of evolution undercuts our ability to know that it is true.” Lewis’ argument famously failed; Elizabeth Anscombe, by Lewis’s own admission, demolished Lewis in a debate on the topic, and I have explained elsewhere why modified versions of the argument fail as well. In short, it’s because it fails to recognize that a belief-forming process can make an organism more likely to survive because it reliably produces true beliefs. It is therefore not the case that beliefs generated by naturally selected belief-forming processes are automatically false or unjustified.In the same way, the reason a theory “sticks around” could be because it’s not falsified, because it “makes correct predictions.” But the reason it makes correct predictions is most likely because it is true. (In pointing this out, I am echoing the arguments of Musgrave, Lipton, Psillos, and Kitcher, who refuted van Fraassen’s argument and analogy long before his 2024 article.) It would be a huge coincidence that it could do so without being true. And that is the point of Putnam’s miracle argument. Thus, contrary to van Fraassen’s suggestion, the mere fact that a theory’s predictive success is why it “sticks around” or “becomes accepted” in the scientific community is not a reason to be skeptical about its truth. ConclusionLet me close by saying something about the fact that empiricists don’t doubt the truth of all scientific theories, just the ones that hypothesize unobservables. In today’s society, this theory is dangerous to espouse publicly. The nuance between being skeptical about all of science, and just the highly technical theories about unobservables, is guaranteed to be lost to the average reader. And there is so much unjustified skepticism and doubt about the findings of science and experts that a headline like “Science Does Not Describe Reality” could easily fuel the anti-science movement, worsen climate change denial and cause the next pandemic.This is why I believe it was important to still respond to van Fraassen’s article, a full two years after he wrote it. Not only, as I have argued, does it represent a philosophically inaccurate view of how scientific reasoning works and what scientific reasoning can do, but it is a dangerous view to boot. It should thus be rejected.
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