Science via WhatsApp

Honourable justices and high-ranking officers in charge of accountability are not the only ones benefitting from an unlimited, unverified and highly dubious knowledge resource passed into the palms of their hands and to their vast imagination via WhatsApp. The problem is affecting many other mere mortals as well – who get a daily, dose of strange, bizarre and highly questionable science and health information passed to them. These mere mortals of course find it their personal, moral and public duty to pass it on thereby both increasing the reach of the nonsense and being a party to negatively impacting the lives of those who fall prey to this scam.

One of such bizarre science and health information passed along was information about how a microwave “zaps only the good nutrients”, is akin to “nuking the food” and is the best possible way to get cancer. None of this, unfortunately, is true or backed by science. I am all for scientific discoveries and getting our ideas challenged, but making a bizarre claim with some pictures copied from the internet doesn’t make things true. There is no scientific evidence, anywhere, published in any reputable journal, that backs these claims. As a matter of fact, reputable organisations such as American Cancer Society, Australian Cancer Society along with food and nutrition scientists from around the world have gone to great lengths to explain both the science of a microwave oven and that of nutrition, to show that the microwave oven does not cause any cancer. Now if we start to believe that everyone except the anonymous character who started the rumour is a public enemy, driven by greed, or bought by the global microwave conglomerates then we have other problems.

Similarly, a few weeks before, there were even more bizarre pictures of how garlic “extracts” the tumour cells and make them come out of the tumour. I have spent the last fifteen years studying tumour cells – so I am not sure where to start here. There are clearly benefits of healthy living and having more vegetables is an excellent idea – but no, garlic does not extract any cells, and that is not how the whole thing works. Sorry.

I want to highlight three things today with regards to this new brand of khidmat-e-khalq (public service). First, I always find it ironic that when it comes to good news from the political party or even a country that we do not like, we exercise the greatest degree of skepticism and find every excuse on why it can’t be so, and why this is all hype, a smoke-screen or a conspiracy. But when it comes to exercising reason, rigour and caution, with the so-called science, we fail to ask even the most basic questions.

Second – this is a sign, and a terrifying one at that – to think and critically analyse. Here an advanced degree in science is not what is missing, but a sense on how to ask relevant questions and seek meaningful answers. The saddest part of this whole episode is that I know individuals, even with advanced degrees in science and medicine, who believe and share this nonsense. We have a long way to go.

Finally – and perhaps most importantly – believing things that come our way on WhatsApp (or any other mechanism) without questioning can lead to terrible outcomes. WhatsApp hoaxes about child kidnapping has gotten people killed in India, including tourists who were just asking for directions in Assam. Our behaviour, from our kitchens to our communities is increasingly shaped by the instant news that we consume. Lives are being changed, and at times, destroyed by our consumption and sharing of these hoaxes. The desire for public service is worthy, but what may really serve the public are caution, rigour and skepticism, and not the impulse to press the share button.