How We KnowAnswer
Are the colors in space photos real?
A space image can be faithful to measured light without matching human eyesight. Here is how to read the translation.
SECTION
How We Know.
How can I tell what to trust?
How can I tell what to trust? Plain guides to evidence, sources, and the thinking traps we all share.
FROM THE QUESTION LIBRARY
Short answers, with sources.
How We KnowAnswer
Can science answer every question?
Science can test explanations and inform decisions, but evidence alone cannot choose our values. Learn the difference between unknown and unknowable.
How We KnowAnswer
Does science ever prove anything for certain?
Proof belongs to mathematics and logic, while science builds strong, testable confidence from evidence, and that difference is a strength, not a weakness.
How We KnowAnswer
How can I check a viral video before I share it?
Smart, caring people share false videos every day, so here is a calm routine for tracing a clip to its source, and what research says about spotting AI fakes.
How We KnowAnswer
How can I tell if a number, chart or headline in the news is misleading?
A few concrete questions help you judge a striking number without dismissing useful evidence.
How We KnowAnswer
How can you tell good science from bad science?
Good science shows how a claim was tested and gives other people enough information to challenge it.
How We KnowAnswer
How do scientists know how old rocks and fossils are?
Rock layers show what came first, and natural atomic clocks help put dates on that history.
How We KnowAnswer
How do scientists tell a real signal or pattern from a lucky coincidence?
How scientists distinguish real signals from lucky fits: look-elsewhere effects, independent predictions, black-hole searches and data-window artefacts.
How We KnowAnswer
How does science catch and correct its own mistakes?
How scientists check and correct mistakes, what failed replications can reveal, and why anomalies need evidence before they become discoveries.
How We KnowAnswer
How much evidence should it take to change your mind?
How to change your confidence with evidence, understand Bayesian thinking, and use Occam’s razor without assuming the simplest story must be true.
How We KnowAnswer
Is luck real, or do we just see patterns in randomness?
Random outcomes can form real streaks. Learn how independent events, chance models, and face pareidolia help explain luck and perceived patterns.
All 18 short answers in How We Know
- Are the colors in space photos real?
- Can science answer every question?
- Does science ever prove anything for certain?
- How can I check a viral video before I share it?
- How can I tell if a number, chart or headline in the news is misleading?
- How can you tell good science from bad science?
- How do scientists know how old rocks and fossils are?
- How do scientists tell a real signal or pattern from a lucky coincidence?
- How does science catch and correct its own mistakes?
- How much evidence should it take to change your mind?
- Is luck real, or do we just see patterns in randomness?
- What are the most common thinking traps, and how do we avoid them?
- What is the placebo effect, and why do studies give some people fake pills?
- Why Can We Read Mammoth DNA but Not Dinosaur DNA?
- Why do extraordinary claims need extraordinary evidence?
- Why do personal stories and gut feelings feel more convincing than data?
- Why do scientific studies sometimes contradict each other?
- Why do some conspiracy theories spread so easily?
The author’s own research on this
Author’s hypothesisMutation by Natural Dominance: One Mutation or a Hundred?
How We KnowExplainer
How to ask for the source behind a claim
Sample messages for asking for the original source behind a shared claim, leaving a missing source unresolved, and respecting a conversation’s limits.
How We KnowEssay
Changing your mind: seven prompts to write down
A seven-prompt writing exercise to record a claim, an objection, a possible turning point, and what remains unresolved.