Yvette d'Entremont

Yvette d'Entremont
At CSICon 2018
Born
Yvette Guinevere d'Entremont

8 July 1983[1]
Newburyport, Massachusetts, U.S.
Alma materEmmanuel College
Anglia Ruskin University
Known forScience writing
Spouse(s)Derek Ross, March 2018–present
Websitewww.scibabe.com
Voice of Yvette d'Entremont

Yvette d'Entremont, also known as SciBabe,[a] is an American public speaker, science blogger, and former analytical chemist. She has a background in forensics and toxicology.[2] Her blog, SciBabe, is dedicated to "clearing up misinformation about science, food and nutrition."[2] She also works to debunk falsehoods in alternative medicine, the anti-vaccination movement, and the anti-GMO (genetically modified organisms) movement.[3]

Biography

D'Entremont was born in Newburyport, Massachusetts[4] and raised in New Hampshire. She currently lives in Oakland.[5] She has bachelor's degrees in theater and chemistry and a master's degree in forensic science.[6][7] She is a graduate of Emmanuel College,[4] where she was recognized with cum laude honors and distinction in her field.[8]

When d'Entremont began to suffer what she described as "the worst headache of my life", which lasted for eight months before relief, she tried various remedies and attempted different diets, going vegan or all organic. None of these things helped her, and she eventually got the right diagnosis (Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome) and the right medical treatments for her condition.[7][9][10] D'Entremont also suffers from celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder associated with the consumption of gluten.[10] She cites these experiences as her motivation for becoming a blogger and debunking diet myths.[7]

D'Entremont has worked for Global Systems Technologies (a DHS contractor), Calloway Labs, and Amvac Chemical Corp in analytical chemistry,[5] and was an adjunct professor at Emmanuel College.[11][12]

Work

Speaking at the 2017 American Atheists Convention

D'Entremont started blogging in 2014.[6] She believes that using "snarky humor" is an important tool for communicating science and has been influenced by the style of Penn & Teller's show, Bullshit.[7] She began to get wider recognition in April 2015, when her Gawker article about Vani Hari, titled The 'Food Babe' Blogger is Full of Shit[7] went viral.[13]

D'Entremont chose the name "Science Babe" in reaction to Vani Hari's moniker of "Food Babe."[7] Since "Science Babe" had previously been claimed by another scientist, Debbie Berebichez, the name became shortened to "SciBabe."[7] In response to criticism concerning the word babe in her nickname, d'Entremont has said it is about helping science seem "relatable and sexy."[14]

Experienced science communicators have stated that writers like d'Entremont play an important role in educating the public with engaging and accessible scientific information.[5] Pamela Ronald, a biologist at University of California, Davis, applauded d'Entremont's sense of humor.[5]

D'Entremont has conducted several "stunt" tests of homeopathic remedies in order to demonstrate their ineffectiveness or deceptive advertising and labeling. In one event, she drank six bottles of homeopathic remedies sold as "CVS Constipation Relief" from CVS Pharmacy chains,[15] which had no effect except resulting in her being intoxicated with a blood alcohol content well above the legal limit to drive, as the product contained only 20% alcohol and water.[15] In another demonstration, she created a YouTube video in which she took 50 "homeopathic sleeping pills" at once, without effect.[16]

She is currently working as a contributing writer for The Outline and as a columnist for Self magazine.[17][18]

D'Entremont also co-hosted with Alice Vaughn the podcast Two Girls One Mic: The Porncast, which features humorous commentary about pornography. After three episodes, it was listed in the top 20 comedy podcasts on iTunes.[19][20]

Splenda collaboration

In late 2017, D'Entremont started to work as a paid spokesperson for Splenda.[21] Since accepting their offer, a series of her blog articles that defend the sweetener have been posted on the official Splenda website. These are part of the brand's campaign to "Debunk the Junk" (i.e., correct perceived misconceptions about Splenda).[22]

  • "The business of being a guru" February 2018
    "The business of being a guru" February 2018
  • American Atheists 2015 National Convention
    American Atheists 2015 National Convention
  • CSICon 2018 "SciBabe's Guide to Surviving Fake News"
    CSICon 2018 "SciBabe's Guide to Surviving Fake News"

Notes

  1. ^ "SciBabe" is an abbreviation of "Science Babe", an alias she began to employ as opposed to Vani Hari's alias "Food Babe", alleging that Hari's claims were not science-based.

References

  1. ^ "SciBabe". Facebook. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Don't Mess With Her Pumpkin Spice Lattes". ESkeptic. December 2, 2015. ISSN 1556-5696. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
  3. ^ Schafter, Monique (August 14, 2015). "SciBabe' Yvette d'Entremont reveals how her medical experience led to debunking science myths". ABC. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
  4. ^ a b Strong, Rebecca (April 11, 2015). "10 Questions With Science Babe, the Blogger Who Took Down Food Babe". BostInno. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
  5. ^ a b c d Brown, Eryn (April 16, 2015). "Edgy Blogger Sensation SciBabe Takes the Lab Coat Off Science". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
  6. ^ a b "About Yvette d'Entremont". Keppler Speakers. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Borel, Brooke (June 26, 2015). "Q&A With SciBabe On GMOs, Swearing, And More". Popular Science. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
  8. ^ "83rd commencement" (PDF). Emmanuel College. 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 14, 2017. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
  9. ^ Arthur, Christian (September 20, 2015). "Blogger SciBabe Debunks Pseudoscience". The Mass Media. Archived from the original on December 5, 2015. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
  10. ^ a b Yvette d'Entremont (January 22, 2015). "How SciBabe Lost (and kept off) 90 Pounds". Body For Wife. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
  11. ^ d'Entremont, Yvette (April 12, 2015). "I am Yvette, better known as ScienceBabe. You may have read my article that went viral on FoodBabe this past week - AMA!". Retrieved June 4, 2016.
  12. ^ d'Entremont, Yvette (June 10, 2018). "SciBabe Statement of COI". SciBabe. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
  13. ^ Peddie, Claire (August 24, 2015). "SciBabe's Quest for Truth". The Advertiser (Adelaide). Retrieved December 2, 2015 – via Newspaper Source - EBSCO.
  14. ^ Carbone, Suzanne (August 15, 2015). "American SciBabe blogger seeks chemical reaction during Science Week". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
  15. ^ a b Mac, Randy; Corral, Amy (November 6, 2015). "CVS Changes Policy on Sale of Medicine That Could Get You Drunk". NBC Los Angeles. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
  16. ^ Loki, Reynard (November 7, 2015). "Modern Science Says Homeopathy Is Total Bunk — So Why Is It More Popular Than Ever?". Alternet. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
  17. ^ d'Entremont, Yvette (August 7, 2017). "David Avocado Wolfe is the Biggest Asshole in the Multiverse". The Outline. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
  18. ^ "SELF Voices". SELF. December 7, 2015. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
  19. ^ "Two Girls One Mic: About". Archived from the original on September 12, 2018. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
  20. ^ Hines, Morgan (September 26, 2018). "Trending on the comedy podcast scene: Two Girls One Mic: The Porncast". Discover Pods. Archived from the original on October 27, 2018. Retrieved October 26, 2018.
  21. ^ "Let's Talk Sweetener Science, Pseudoscience, and the Sweetest Holiday of the Year". SciBabe. 2017. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
  22. ^ "Debunk the Junk Influencers". Splenda. Retrieved October 21, 2019.