Antibodies are used a lot in research labs around the world and scientists tend to trust what’s on the label. But antibodies aren’t as reliable as researchers may think, with some scientists now arguing that “due diligence” in their use should include considerable time and money. I remember comparing my own experimental results to published … Continue reading
Tag Archives: research
Why Reproducibility Is Crucial in Science
From Nature News: Japanese scientist resigns as ‘STAP’ stem-cell method fails It sounded too good to be true… and it was. Reproducibility is key. You can read the whole story here. Continue reading
Cracked Science Video 4: Irreproducible
We often hear the science corrects itself in the long run, but how efficient is this mechanism? Jonathan Jarry reports that reproducibility in the scientific literature is not always a given. (Des sous-titres en français seront bientôt disponibles!) Just so you are not too demoralized, the landscape may be changing: http://www.nature.com/news/journals-u… http://www.nature.com/news/metascienc… Continue reading
Read: Vitamin D, Dementia, and the Missing Link
Do low levels of vitamin D increase your risk of developing dementia? From reading recent headlines, you might think it does. But what did the scientific study actually show? HealthNewsReview.org is a great resource to help separate facts from hype, and they most recently tackled the erroneous reporting that low levels of vitamin D cause dementia. Correlation, … Continue reading
Replication Is Key: Revisting the Hypnagogic Jab
You may remember a two–part article I wrote last January on the very complex issue of whether or not a particular H1N1 vaccine might have caused new cases of narcolepsy. Toward the end of the second part, I wrote the following two paragraphs: “The group which recently reported on this hypocretin-targeting white blood cell tested … Continue reading
Attend: The Amazing World of Placebos
A potentially really cool event is taking place at the Gelber Centre in Côte-des-Neiges on May 14 at 19:00. Dr. Amir Raz will be presenting the documentary Mind Over Medicine and following it up with a discussion on placebos. How strong is the placebo effect? What about the nocebo effect? Does the placebo effect really exist … Continue reading
Read: A Rough Guide to Spotting Bad Science
A great complement to the talk I gave last week, this one specifically addresses how to evaluate a scientific paper and/or its coverage in the news. You can read the whole poster here: http://www.compoundchem.com/2014/04/02/a-rough-guide-to-spotting-bad-science/ Continue reading
Melatonin: How Strong Is the Evidence for Morpheus-in-a-Bottle?
While my body embraces rest, my mind, despite its organic roots, plows on ahead. It foregoes running and projects itself at stressful speeds, branching out and accelerating, carrying my heart beat with it. The pillow is only slowly warming up. The time is 1:30 AM. I have learned to protect myself against insomnia but, once … Continue reading
From Rags to Riches: A Tale of the Little Enzyme that Could
When I worked in forensics, we had access to a boiling water tap as a way to bypass the kettle when making tea. Little did I know that our instant hot water dispenser was potentially worth 450 million dollars. The story starts with ecology. Yawn. I know. Most people dislike ecology. But trust me: this … Continue reading
Read: Deconstructing Bad Science or How I Learned to Stop Acupuncturing and Love the Placebo
As most scientists learn the hard way, not all research studies are equal. It is not always easy, however, for members of the public to discern between a well-crafted study and a flawed one, especially when reading the sensationalized Cliff Notes appearing on the news. Dr. Steven Novella, neurologist and host of the fantastic weekly … Continue reading
Cracked Science 
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