Seven signs of voodoo science

Several readers have recently recommended the book "Voodoo Science" by Robert Park.

Here is the first paragraph of Amazon's Editorial Review of the book:

Scientific error, says Robert Park, "has a way of evolving ... from self-delusion to fraud. I use the term voodoo science to cover them all: pathological science, junk science, pseudoscience, and fraudulent science." In pathological science, scientists fool themselves. Junk science refers to scientists who use their expertise to befuddle and mislead others (usually juries or lawmakers). Pseudoscience has the trappings of science without any evidence. Fraudulent science is, well, fraud--old-fashioned lying.

Here are the seven warning signs of "voodoo science":

1. The discoverer makes his claim directly to the popular media, rather than to fellow scientists.
2. The discoverer claims that a conspiracy is trying to suppress the discovery.
3. The claimed effect is so weak that it can hardly be distinguished from noise.
4. Anecdotal evidence is used to back up the claim.
5. Ancient beliefs are cited in support of the new claim.
6. The discoverer or discoverers work in isolation from the mainstream scientific community.
7. The discovery requires a change in the understanding of the fundamental laws of nature.

Here is an article by Robert Park entitled "The Seven Warning Signs of Voodoo Science".

If you see any specific examples of "voodoo science" in the current news, please feel free to leave a comment...