Food Scanner Scams: Non-Physicists Overestimate The Multifariousness Of Food

They also underestimate the importance of expertise, experience

Hours ago, Thunderf00t posted a wonderful novel 50-minute-long video:



ThunderF00t chooses "Pražská vodka", i.e. the "Vodka of Prague", equally his template for an ethanol-water mixture. He deserves special compliments for that. That Czech vodka is based on the 1978 diploma thesis of Ing. Eugen Skalický at Prague's University of Chemical Technology as well as uses the Highland (Vysočina) Wheat to create the ethanol. It's been Czechia's bestselling vodka, is notwithstanding close the top, but I receive got no thought how he got 1 unless he is only visiting my homeland.

It shows how utterly useless 2 smartphone-based, StarTrek-based nutrient scanners or spectroscopes are – as well as why their crowdfunding campaigns that had collected $3 1 1000 m as well as $0.4 1 1000 m must live on considered scams.

These 2 bogus revolutionary products, TellSpec as well as Scio, terms $149 or $250 (plus $1,000 for software etc.), respectively. You betoken them to a food, some photons are reflected, the spectrum is evaluated, as well as yous know what's within the foor or pills perfectly, the nutrition values, as well as everything else.




Needless to say, it's bullšit. You can't larn to a greater extent than information from the edible stuff than what the existing spectrometers do. And the existing spectrometers terms over $1,000 as well as $70,000, respectively, as well as fifty-fifty they can't fulfill the promises for the inexpensive products. You straight off confront problems because the apples as well as oranges are non transparent for the infrared light. The low-cal gets absorbed past times the peel of the orange. If yous peel it, the low-cal gets scattered inwards all directions, as well as then on. If plenty low-cal doesn't larn dorsum to the spectrometer, your signal volition live on weak or non-existent.




If yous larn within the food, yous may come across some characteristic frequencies of the sugar, but the spectrum of almost everything else looks deadening as well as rather featureless (and most features yous tin come across are really "noise"). You can't fifty-fifty distinguish apples from oranges or pears, the Rex of cheese from the cheapest cheese, sometimes fifty-fifty apples from tomatoes. On the other hand, the clear differences inwards the spectrum arise from rather nutrient-wise irrelevant differences e.g. betwixt the yellow, green, as well as reddish peel of an apple. There's really some other job he doesn't utter over that the different components of the nutrient receive got different albedo then the ratios of the components can't live on trusted.

If yous want to to set the pesticides inwards the fruits as well as other things they promised, yous would receive got to contend amongst the tiny concentrations as well as the depression sensitivity of the gadgets. OK, then the gadgets for thousands of dollars – or $70,000 for a Raman spectrometer (wavelength of 10 microns plus minus 30%) that Thunderf00t got for $6,000; as well as a near-infrared (close to 1 micron) which may terms equally niggling equally $1,000 – tin do much to a greater extent than than these toys, but it's notwithstanding completely useless for getting whatever accurate plenty information most the nutrient that has many components: You tin come across at most the surface as well as different materials that appear inwards the nutrient expression almost identical upward to the unavoidable racket as well as mistake margins, anyway.

Moreover, if yous wanted to work these gadgets for gain loss, it's utterly pointless. If yous want to lose weight, at that topographic point is a magic recipe: Just swallow less food. This is a miraculous recommendation that none of the people obsessed amongst the diets has discovered yet. But it's the solely 1 that really works. Even if gadgets similar to Scio as well as TellSpec could stair out the precise pct of diverse nutrients (be sure that the nutritional labels give yous to a greater extent than helpful information!), yous wouldn't know how much you're eating. Different parts of your hamburger receive got different percentages of carbohydrates, fats, as well as proteins, as well as other things as well as yous can't really stair out the weight as well as percentages inwards each component separately, peculiarly when the parts are continuously switching from 1 to another. Imagine how complicated the hamburgers or salads are inwards McDonald's – as well as almost all other nutrient is fifty-fifty to a greater extent than complicated.

One component of our majority civilisation is the obsession amongst nutrient quality. Lots of people believe inwards some genuinely supernatural abilities as well as wellness hiding inwards the divinely correct proportion of the nutrients etc. Most of this stuff is bullšit equally well, of course. You withdraw some expose energy – which tin live on obtained from carbohydrates, sugars, as well as fifty-fifty proteins, as well as those tin live on largely converted to each other (and the detailed choice which form of a refined saccharify etc. is almost irrelevant) – plus some dietary fibers, minerals, as well as vitamins... I may receive got forgotten 1 or 2 similar classes of compounds but that's it.

(And it's likely fifty-fifty to a greater extent than of import to avoid really toxic or carcinogenic compounds inwards your diet – but I am really talking most some apparently harmful compounds, similar pesticides, plutonium, or arsenic LOL, non compounds that are notwithstanding only speculated equally beingness slightly harmful.)

Unless yous omit some essential nutrient, yous must live on OK. In fact, the trunk finds the precise composition then irrelevant that fifty-fifty those people who deliberately omit some really vital as well as major parts of their diet – e.g. vegetarians as well as vegans – may notwithstanding alive rather salubrious lives although I am pretty sure that the inferiority of their diet already has observable consequences (it has some advantages, too). But the subtler differences betwixt the types of products are almost completely irrelevant for one's physical well-being.

Lots of people part my "indifferent" view. I am willing to claim that this is the view of every existent competent scientist. But at that topographic point are lots of people who are really obsessed amongst watching what is the newest recommendation past times the "food experts" what to swallow as well as what to avoid. Well, my manlike individual rear is a textbook example. Now for almost lxx years, he's been obsessed amongst seeing every unmarried fudging article inwards the Czech media most these matters. Roughly 1 time a week, he would radically alter his opinions most a critical question. Are saturated fats salubrious or not? Most recently, do Omega-3 obese acids receive cancer or preclude cancer (e.g. prostate cancer)? Over the years, the journalists receive got written lots of contradictory press most those – as well as indeed, at that topographic point are contradictory papers inwards the scientific literature, too.

If these claims are changing then often, it proves that there's some major uncertainty, the latest article likely isn't the final one, as well as 1 shouldn't live on obsessed amongst these reports, anyway, should he? To me, this looks similar an absolutely rudimentary footing of whatever rational thinking most these matters. But for some reasons, my manlike individual rear can't maybe "agree" amongst that. And he's non the solely one. I intend that lots of people are obsessed amongst such things.

I intend that this form of obsession amongst some miraculous advantages of the "optimal composition of food" is a widespread pseudoscience that is largely driven past times the people's conflation of their sense of savor sensors as well as rational thinking most the wellness of the food. Our sense of savor sensors tin distinguish a rather large number of types of food. It's intriguing for many people to imagine that there's some holy betoken inwards this parameter infinite that tells yous how to alive for 120 years as well as approach God.

(Incidentally, I wrote 120 years because Bogdanov Brothers' Sister Veronique – I wrote a French volume most theoretical physics as well as most them, L'Equation Bogdanov – has claimed that the brothers' increasingly extraterrestrial appearance is a resultant of their high-tech modifications of their ain bodies that volition allow them to alive for 120 years. Cool!)

Well, I don't intend yous tin really surpass 120 years of historic menses past times adjusting the optimal number as well as types of apples as well as other fruits that yous eat. The oldest people inwards the ground receive got had really different diets, subsequently all. So the really belief that at that topographic point is some "magic precise truth most the diet" that yous should notice is an irrational faith of a sort. And subsequently all, equally 1 of the comedians from the United States cable TVs pointed out, most of the authors of books most the really salubrious nutrient receive got died significantly younger than the average life expectancy. What an irony. Does it tell yous something?

Well, I intend that this slice of information does tell something to everyone who is beingness rational. It's only a waste matter of time.

Spectrometers or spectroscopes may stair out the intensities at whatever – continuous – frequency, i.e. infinitely many numbers that depict the spectrum. But inwards practice, at that topographic point is solely a "low-dimensional parameter space" of the possible spectra of the things that nosotros eat. Moreover, most of these dimensions that depict the "food's spectrum" tell us really niggling most what form of a nutrient or nutrient it is – permit lone most the overall wellness of the given food.

Because the spectrometers solely come across the surface of solids, they can't fifty-fifty distinguish M&Ms from some pretty special pills because the pills are oft coated inwards the same refined saccharify equally M&Ms. I was surprised that some multivitamins are coated past times titanium dioxide. ;-) There are lots of instinctive reactions – I've never studied it as well as it seems foreign to swallow titanium dioxide. But the folks who chose it likely had goodness reasons as well as checked it's prophylactic enough. It also looks similar a terrible thought to swallow lithium, fifty-fifty lick micrograms of lithium that is left somewhere. But yous may really swallow a gram of lithium per twenty-four hr menses as well as do pretty well. So the number of toxic things yous really receive got to live on careful most is rather limited. Well, pesticides, plutonium, as well as arsenic are bad.

Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 reasonably goodness spectroscopy practiced could tell the scientific discipline journalists really chop-chop that – as well as why – Scio as well as TellSpec are almost certainly bullšit. But none of the scientific discipline journalists ever bothered to inquire an actual scientist. So there's been a huge amount of hype most these products. Check e.g. this junk inwards the Washington Post (2016). The championship said "A groundbreaking technology scientific discipline volition shortly permit us come across [inside food?]" as well as it said "I receive got seen the hereafter of nutrient transparency, as well as it is optical. Also, it fits inwards your smartphone. Imagine a scanner the size of a grain of rice, built...". Why couldn't they inquire someone who could do the analysis as well as figure out that it's impossible to larn much helpful information most the nutrient from a similar gadget, peculiarly from such a trimmed downward version of a spectral analyzer?

And it's non only far left scum at publications such equally WaPo. Check this utterly uncritical video at Bloomberg.

Aside from the "divinely salubrious food" religion, I intend that at that topographic point be additional postmodern religions that abuse some people's want to expression for the optimal betoken – patch underestimating all the mistake margins as well as overestimating the importance of the differences. I intend that the primary ultimate effect of most of these religions is that lots of wealthy plenty people waste matter a lot of coin for things that are expensive as well as hyped to live on remarkable inwards some means – but they terminate upward beingness the same equally the inexpensive stuff bought past times the poorer people. For example, lots of wealthy people waste matter coin for the organic nutrient fifty-fifty though most of the nutrient sold equally "organic" really isn't as well as on top of that, there's no argue to intend that the "organic" nutrient is healthier than the "inorganic" food.



I e'er loved this episode of Penn&Teller's Bullšit – all the episodes are wonderful – equally a proof how the smug people comport irrationally. First, they utter over that bottled H2O is unremarkably less goodness than tap H2O inwards the U.S., due to its lousy rule past times FDA. Then they conquered a really expensive Californian eatery as well as through their bogus H2O steward, they served amazing expensive waters amongst fancy French names. The clients were impressing each other amongst the description of the special feelings they had patch drinking that expensive water. But the rootage of all this H2O was a garden hose! ;-)

Many of us were educated then that we're non picky. I may receive got been picky when I was five but I am non picky anymore. Moreover, over the years, I flora it extremely of import to solely attention most the aspects of the sense of savor etc. that I tin really distinguish as well as I sufficiently attention about, non most some bogus sense of savor characteristics that others tell me that I should attention most – or others tell me that they tin distinguish or notice important. This approach seems similar 1) a thing of scientific integrity to me, 2) a protection against overpaying for nonsense similar the H2O from the garden hose.

There are diverse other generalizations of the Scio as well as TellSpec scams. Much to a greater extent than generally, lots of people purchase the stories that some randomly built grouping of friends tin all of a precipitous create vastly cheaper as well as superior scientific instruments than what the professional person scientists were capable of edifice then far, subsequently the centuries of practice. In principle, it's possible. Sometimes, it may happen. But a individual who has at to the lowest degree the basic scientific literacy must know that it's really unlikely as well as it occurs very, really rarely.

One argue why then many laymen purchase this stuff is their postmodern religious search for the "optimal point" inwards situations where no optimal betoken really exists or where the choice of the betoken isn't equally good important. Another argue is their distrust inwards professional person scientists, including the really experimental ones who piece of work amongst spectroscopes as well as similar gadgets all the time, combined amongst the wishful thinking that "ordinary people similar to themselves trump the scientists inwards science". These laymen vastly overestimate the probability that an outsider makes (or fifty-fifty tin make) a revolution. If they studied at to the lowest degree a few similar cases as well as what was the resolution, they would receive got to empathize that almost all such claims – automatic generators of H2O from the air (dehumidifiers that are claimed to live on meliorate than all others, also debunked past times ThunderF00t), Scio as well as TellSpec, Andrea Rossi's mutual frigidity fusion, as well as hundreds of similar examples – are almost guaranteed to live on rubbish.

Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 sociological argue why they're almost guaranteed to live on rubbish is that the outsiders who claim to move leaders inwards these gadgets only can't maybe receive got the skills or special talents to larn to the top. In sports or music, most people would empathize that someone who doesn't expression similar the top athletes or musicians – as well as who has gone through no similar stages of his life – likely can't live on the leader. But for these laymen, spectroscopy or whatever other component of physics or natural scientific discipline must live on "less meritocratic than sports as well as music", as well as thus the experience as well as expertise doesn't thing according to them.

But it does matter. It matters much to a greater extent than than it does inwards sports as well as music, inwards fact.

Another mutual sense consideration that should allow an intelligent layman to figure out that such things don't piece of work is the realization that if they could work, someone would receive got already used them. As ThunderF00t also mentions, if the expensive spectrometers could live on made outdated past times some smartphone-like inexpensive device, the replacement would receive got likely taken set already. It hasn't taken set yet then it's likely non then easy. The nutrient scanners are only an illustration of this reasoning. The same applies to mutual frigidity fusion or anything else. Great labs for sure receive got meliorate equipment as well as experts to do most things that Andrea Rossi claimed to do, then if at that topographic point were something genuinely interesting inwards his work, they would receive got done it earlier – or shortly subsequently him.

But lots of the laymen don't "agree" amongst me – to a greater extent than precisely, they don't empathize this uncomplicated reasoning. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 component of it is that they don't want to empathize it. The wishful thinking is a component of their psychological well-being – it's a contemporary replacement for the religion. And people believe lots of such postmodern religions, indeed.

I intend that the crowdfunding campaigns should live on equipped amongst some mechanisms that protect the donors' coin inwards the illustration of the scams of the type that "the proposed gadget amongst the promised functionalities as well as characteristics is physically impossible", similar this case. At to the lowest degree the people who want to live on told most some scientific views should live on able to larn them. And scientists similar ThunderF00t should at to the lowest degree receive got some might to number official verdicts on whether or non the promised gadget was realized – or whether it was possible. Without that, the crowdfunding servers are almost guaranteed to live on largely composed of similar scams.