National Geographic Sent Crystal Healing Water Bottles To Science Writers

[progressoid]

National Geographic Sent ‘Crystal Healing’ Water Bottles To Science Writers

There’s no question that crystals are pretty. But the aesthetic visual pleasure is where it stops for most crystals. All too often we’ve seen “celebrity health experts” like Gwyneth Paltrow promote crystals and other forms of dangerous pseudoscience. Paltrow’s brand, Goop, has promoted products such as jade eggs (read: polished rocks) to place in your vagina as well as encouraged people to put coffee in their ass. It’s one thing for non-scientist celebrities like Paltrow to endorse nonsensical and potentially dangerous behaviors. They’re celebrities after all. Their job is to act in a show or film and provide entertainment. As a result, we shouldn’t expect them to be beacons of scientific literacy.

But now we have a problem. Recently, National Geographic, who is well known for their stories about wildlife, science, history, and archaeology, sent packages to science writers to promote their new show, One Strange Rock. Contained in the package Gizmodo writer Ryan F. Mandelbaum received was this:



It’s a water bottle that contains ‘healing’ crystals.

Mandelbaum points out that the instruction manual for the water bottle (yes, there’s an instruction manual) makes it clear that at no time should the water you’re putting in the bottle come in contact with the vial of rocks (or “crystals,” if you will) inside it.

...

All of the “science” cited in the brochure comes from widely debunked research from the likes of Japanese author Masaru Emoto—you know, the researcher who claimed humans could impact the chemical structure of water with their thoughts—or unnamed “German scientists.” Some of the claims are really wild. At one point, the pamphlet says: “Everything in nature vibrates. Gems naturally act like a source of subtle vibrations. These vibrations inspirit water, making it more lively and enjoyable.” This is nonsense, and any reference to electricity in crystals (like piezoelectricity, when charge accumulates on some structures in response to physical stress) is neither exclusive to crystals nor relevant to healing or enlivening drinking water. (“Ha! Yeah. Nah,” astrophysicist Katie Mack told me in a DM.)

Read more at: https://ascienceenthusiast.com/national-geographic-sends-crystal-healing-waterbottles/

[safeinOhio]

1. As a young teen, I thought crystals were kind of magic.

Not for healing, but for hearing. Put together a crystal radio kit and it worked. No batteries needed.

[get the red out]

2. I want one

It's really cool looking!

[Thyla]

3. No time for that

Murdoch owned rag anymore.

[MFM008]

4. We dropped it

When Murdock bought it after 40 some years of subscribing. Haven't looked at one since.

[progressoid]

5. My parents still get it.

It's not terrible. But it pales in comparison to what it once was.

[Fix The Stupid]

6. Yep...me too...

I think the one that did it for me was a few months after Murdoch bought it...

A big picture of mary on it with the caption of, paraphrasing, "Does prayer actually work?"

Last one I ever bought...such a shame...

[muriel_volestrangler]

7. When called out, NatGeo then lies that it "does not subscribe to pseudoscience"

He continued:

Of course National Geographic does not subscribe to pseudoscience, and I think you full well know that. But it doesn’t mean we can’t have a little fun.

https://gizmodo.com/national-geographic-just-sent-me-a-crystal-healing-wate-1823398246

But by buying the bottles at absurd prices, they are literally subscribing to pseudoscience. They're sending it money (it seems these promotional packs went out to many writers, to publicise the upcoming series, so it was a serious total) that a serious publisher ought to be using to fund a wildlife photographer or something. Instead, the snakeoil industry got the cash. Even if their intention was a "controversy" about them (which would indicate they had no confidence that the program can be marketed on its merits), it's still chucking money at con men for the sake of publicity.

[progressoid]

8. I wonder what sort of marketing deal Vitajuwel made with Nat Geo for this scam.

The mind boggles.