Since 1955, The Journal of Irreproducible Results has offered “spoofs, parodies, whimsies, burlesques, lampoons and satires” about life in the laboratory.
Among its greatest hits: “Acoustic Oscillations in Jell-O, With and Without Fruit, Subjected to Varying Levels of Stress” and “Utilizing Infinite Loops to Compute an Approximate Value of Infinity.” The good-natured jibes are a backhanded celebration of science. What really goes on in the lab is, by implication, of a loftier, more serious nature.
It has been jarring to learn in recent years that a reproducible result may actually be the rarest of birds. Replication, the ability of another lab to reproduce a finding, is the gold standard of science, reassurance that you have discovered something true. But that is getting harder all the time. With the most accessible truths already discovered, what remains are often subtle effects, some so delicate that they can be conjured up only under ideal circumstances, using highly specialized techniques.
Fears that this is resulting in some questionable findings began to emerge in 2005, when Dr. John P. A. Ioannidis, a kind of meta-scientist who researches research, wrote a paper pointedly titled “Why Most Published Research Findings Are False.”
Given the desire for ambitious scientists to break from the pack with a striking new finding, Dr. Ioannidis reasoned, many hypotheses already start with a high chance of being wrong. Otherwise proving them right would not be so difficult and surprising — and supportive of a scientist’s career. Taking into account the human tendency to see what we want to see, unconscious bias is inevitable. Without any ill intent, a scientist may be nudged toward interpreting the data so it supports the hypothesis, even if just barely.
The effect is amplified by competition for a shrinking pool of grant money and also by the design of so many experiments — with small sample sizes (cells in a lab dish or people in an epidemiological pool) and weak standards for what passes as statistically significant. That makes it all the easier to fool oneself.
Paradoxically the hottest fields, with the most people pursuing the same questions, are most prone to error, Dr. Ioannidis argued. If one of five competing labs is alone in finding an effect, that result is the one likely to be published. But there is a four in five chance that it is wrong. Papers reporting negative conclusions are more easily ignored.
Putting all of this together, Dr. Ioannidis devised a mathematical model supporting the conclusion that most published findings are probably incorrect.
The Latest on: Research results
[google_news title=”” keyword=”Research results” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
via Google News
The Latest on: Research results
- Smart Advertising Market To Reach USD 2,367.6 Billion By 2032 | DataHorizzon Researchon May 5, 2024 at 4:29 am
The smart advertising market was valued at USD 696.9 Billion in 2023 and is anticipated to grow CAGR at 14.6% to reach USD 2,367.6 Billion by 2032.Fort Collins, Colorado, May 05, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) ...
- Surge Protection Devices Market To Reach USD 7.9 Billion By 2032, Says DataHorizzon Researchon May 5, 2024 at 3:30 am
The surge protection devices market size was valued at USD 3.3 Billion in 2023 and is expected to reach a market size of USD 7.9 Billion by 2032 at a CAGR of 10.2%.Fort Collins, Colorado, May 05, 2024 ...
- Research into habitats, diet to could allow bear cub rehabilitation by next springon May 5, 2024 at 2:00 am
A provincial wildlife official says his department is hopeful new research into where bears live in Nova Scotia will inform protocols on how to rehabilitate orphaned cubs by next spring.
- Why does beer taste better cold? New research explainson May 4, 2024 at 11:33 am
When beer is cold, the ethanol appears chain-like on a molecular level, bringing out the ethanol-like flavor. As beer becomes warm, the ethanol creates clusters, and that flavor fades. “This is why we ...
- Readers respond to funding academic medical centers, the ‘residency research arms race,’ and moreon May 4, 2024 at 4:00 am
Financial strain is created by inequitable health financing structures that overpay private academic medical centers at the expense of safety net hospitals.
- There are 4 big factors to watch that could bring turmoil to financial markets, research firm sayson May 3, 2024 at 10:18 am
There is plenty of scope for material worsening of financial conditions if the macro and geopolitical outlooks deteriorate, Capital Economics said.
- The No. 1 skill companies are hiring for is also the hardest to find, according to new researchon May 3, 2024 at 9:00 am
A strong work ethic” is the top skill companies are looking for in new hires, but is one of the hardest to find, according to new research from ADP.
- ABC News’ Becky Worley joins research study that could help millions of otherson May 3, 2024 at 8:57 am
Worley is now a part of an effort to study over 1 million people in the U.S. Becky Worley is an ABC News correspondent based in California. Here, she documents her experience as a participant in the ...
- Animal behavior research is getting better at keeping observer bias from sneaking in – but there’s still room to improveon May 3, 2024 at 5:16 am
Like all people, the way scientists see the world is shaped by biases and expectations, which can affect how they record and report. Rigorous research methods can minimize this effect.
- Huawei Secretly Backs US Research, Awarding Millions in Prizeson May 2, 2024 at 1:18 pm
Huawei Technologies Co., the Chinese telecommunications giant blacklisted by the US, is secretly funding cutting-edge research at American universities including Harvard through an independent ...
via Bing News