The doctor is in! While he doesn’t make us call him “Doctor Siegel,” Trapit’s new science and health editor holds a Ph.D. in theoretical cosmology. Trapit let me take a break from keeping up with the Kardashians to Skype with Ethan about his new role.

Ethan (we call him by his first name) comes to Trapit from Lewis & Clark College where he must have been the only professor on campus wearing a kilt. He joins Trapit with the intention of spreading high quality science and health information far and wide.

“Science and health is the type of vertical that needs this technology. There is a whole lot of information out there and people don’t know who to trust. These are big issues: Autism, Evolution, HIV/AIDS, the list goes on. In science, there is a right answer. Not everyone’s voice deserves equal time. My goal in joining Trapit is to vet everything and promote the legitimate sources in my traps.”

Ethan found his calling while working on his post-doc research, starting a personal science blog in January 2008.

“I felt isolated among only fellow scientists. I wanted to reach a larger audience.”

It started with a simple question: “How do you make a black hole?” The question and corresponding blog post was interesting enough to make it on Stumbleupon. A few initial hits turned into 1000 overnight, and Ethan was hooked on his newfound following. Within a year, his blog had up to 400 visits a day, which is when ScienceBlogs(owned by National Geographic) invited him to be a part of its network.

Today Ethan’s blog, “Starts with a Bang,” is among the most popular science blogs on the web. Perhaps its large following is due, in part, to Ethan’s dedication to covering the most compelling and controversial topics in the science community.

“These are topics that affect public health, safety, and people’s understanding of how things work. There is an incorrect idea on the Internet that science is ‘sometimes wrong’ or one person’s opinion is just as good as fact-based science. A scientific theory is not an opinion; a theory requires a burden of proof. I want to clarify to my readers, at the very least, the best answer we have right now. Science isn’t something that ends.”

I may be Trapit’s new Entertainment Editor, but even I can understand neutrinos when Ethan is explaining them to me. Watch him simplify the mysteries of science for the Portland’s local TV news. Thankfully, my areas of expertice, i.e. Ashton & Demi’s divorce, don’t require the same level of translation!

When he’s not fighting for good science, Ethan is collaberating with his wife Jamie to renovate an old school bus into an off-grid mobile home. Their dog, Cordelia, will be along for the ride.

Want to discover the best in science? Read Ethan’s first Trap of the Day on Vaccination.

—Whitney

To vaccinate or not to vaccinate: for millions of adults that is the question for not only themselves, but for their children as well. Yet along with a lack of clean water and sanitation, failing to vaccinate is one of the top causes of preventable deaths worldwide, claiming over 4 million lives per year.

And while the majority of these deaths occur in third world countries without universal access to vaccines, as well as religious opposition to vaccines there, an unprecedented number of cases of measles, pertussis, and other vaccine-preventable illnesses plague the most developed countries in the world, including the United States, Great Britian, Germany, Australia and New Zealand.

Why is this? Controversy over the safety and side-effects of these vaccines. Controversy, mind you, that is nothing more than a manufactured conspiracy. The backlash against vaccines has grown so strong that parents are buying chickenpox-infected lollipops through the mail and infecting their kids. “Big deal,” you might say, “I had the chickenpox when I was a kid and I turned out fine.” Yes, you did. I did too. But every year, about 150 individuals die in the United States from complications related to chickenpox, 100% of which are preventable with the vaccine. Yes, your kid probably won’t die if they get chickenpox, but why take the chance?

The biggest argument against the standard vaccination schedule has to do with fears of side-effects, particularly autism. But the study that linked vaccines to autism was fraudulent, and follow-up studies have shown that there is not only no connection, but that following the CDC’s vaccination schedule is the safest way to protect your children from preventable death and disease.

My name’s Ethan Siegel, I’m the new head editor of the science and health sections here at Trapit, and this Trap of the Day has been curated by me for the scientific accuracy and veracity of the information contained within. I certify that I have no conflicts of interest.

-Ethan