“The majority of papers that get published, even in serious journals, are pretty sloppy,” said John Ioannidis, professor of medicine at Stanford University, who specializes in the study of scientific studies.
This sworn enemy of bad research published a widely cited article in 2005 entitled: “Why Most Published Research Findings Are False.”
Since then, he says, only limited progress has been made.
Except in climate science. Because trillions of dollars now depend on it being unassailable.
The hard science of biological classification: from Wikipedia: “[liy of the valley] is possibly the only species in the genus Convallaria (depending on whether C. keiskei and C. transcaucasica are recognised as separate species). In the APG III system, the genus is placed in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Nolinoideae (formerly the family Ruscaceae[3]). It was formerly placed in its own family Convallariaceae, and, like many lilioid monocots, before that in the lily family Liliaceae.”
Clear?
Plant taxonomy IS difficult. For Plants, traditionally it has depended entirely upon physical characteristics (of leaves, stems, flowers, etc) and especially reproductive characteristics. This has at times led to mistaken taxonomic relationships. With the development of genetic profiling, an entire new methodology has been developed to determine evolutionary relationships. It is hardly surprising that reclassifications are the result. There are numerous people who are very good naturalists and can identify and name plants but there aren’t a lot of actual plant taxonomists in the world because it is a very specialized discipline.
This is way OT…..but you guys are the only Canadians I talk to
What is going on with this…end of the world heat wave in Quebec? From what I could find out the high was 91F…..
…it was 92F this morning where I live…people were out jogging, walking, riding bikes….working in the yard
I worked in the yard for a little over 2 hours…in sweat pants….and I didn’t even sweat
91F is not hot to us at all…….
People unprepared, and media frenzy!
I live in Western Canada and go to Phoenix…yes…Phoenix does see some ‘warmer’ temps 🙂
In Quebec, like much of Canada, it is typically -10F to -40F for about 4 months of the year. The swing to +91F is not that common so when it comes, we aren’t acclimatized to it. Add to that the fact that in Quebec they aren’t allowed to wear shorts because they will scare away the American tourists.
LOL…..Steve, I’ve seen them!
Media frenzy and not being used to the temp…..I guess
“I would rather have questions that can’t be answered than answers that can’t be questioned.”
― Richard Feynman
And “I don’t know” is the best answer when one is uncertain.
And that answer is true even more often than it is spoken.
Rule(s) of thumb : 1) the accuracy of a study is inversely correlated with the amount of mainstream media attention it receives. 2) the more closely the study supports the deeply held beliefs and bigotry of a political faction, the more likely it is bogus research.
I am very cynical and skeptical of most “studies show” from social science, humanities, economics and climate science because so much of it is infused with politics and progressive activism.
Great observation LC Bennett. These correlates really scream for publication. Don’f forget the graphs.
I think there is a strong correlation here with western mainstream media, also.
Both groups have been found repeatedly guilty of taking raw data and Intentionally manipulating it to tell a specific, misleading narrative to the public. Both ‘industries’ hypocritically hold truth as their ‘sacred mission’, yet regularly mangle and distort it for ideological or financial ends. Both have become quite brazen with the audacity of their false claims, yet can be sure of co-conspirators backing up their lies. Both groups regularly have their integrity compromised, most commonly by their leftist partisan affiliations.
I see most media and many scientific fields more as organized religions, now. The ‘Climate Crowd’ and it’s anti-science preaching has no credibility at all with me. They convince themselves, primarily with group-think and the willing consumption of hardcore leftist propaganda, that they are morally superior and thus righteous in their emotional spreading of utter bullshit and zealotry. I mean, just look at the Democrats and the current bizarre ‘moral frenzy’ they have whipped themselves into, primarily by the ‘evangelizing’ of the media. The only thing missing is worshiping a deity…. although I guess the media do seem to still bow to Obama as holier than thou.
Exactly and well said. Just follow the money and ideology.
I remember when David Suzuki talked about science: Question everything, even “settled science”.
Suzuki said in Toronto that Canada meeting the Liberal Kyoto commitments would have zero effect on global warming. When asked “then why should we cut Canada’s CO2 Emissions?” David said “it would give us the moral high ground in discussions with China”.
Notice that Suziki, Gore, Turdeau etc do not cut back THEIR CO2 emissions. Looks like the environmental elite don’t believe their own “science”
The Left in the 70s – You should always question “The Man’s” authority
The Left Now – You must always respect “The Expert’s” authority.
I wonder what changed? /s
The left became … the man
As Cartman is fond of saying … “RESPECT mayh Ah-THOR-a-tay”
The Left are just like Cartman, an ugly, fat ass, bully.
This throws suspicion on all research as being false and manipulated for monetary and or ideological purposes that we are being subjected to in an effort to bring us to heal.
Tell me what you want and I’ll manufacture the data. Why, that is very much like our ‘news’.
IMO much of scientific research is directly related to the funding source. People are shocked to find out that many of the food producers fund their own research. Such research usually shows their products to have health benefits. The dairy industry discovers that milk is good for you. Poultry farmers discover that eggs are an excellent source of protein. And on it goes. Of course, more research is needed…
Yes.
Let’s put government funded research into that mix. In fact what legitimacy does government research actually have?
The case for government funded research by in house scientists is thin gruel indeed.
In my field…one of the most heavily cited papers is a total sham
“Never forget that science cannot be considered reliable until it is called ‘engineering.'”
Vox Day
I attended an assembly of the (Canada) Oil and Gas Council last month. John Dielwart – Vice Chairman of ARC Financial and Founder of ARC Resources, was the receipient of the lifetime achievement award. In his acceptance speech he noted he had met with a top environmental advisor to California Governor Gerry Brown. John contended that the science was not settle regarding AGW. The advisor agreed. John asked why he didn’t say that publicly. He said that the potential outcomes are so horrific that they could not risk inaction due to doubt about the outcome.
He also met a leader of the Suzuki Foundation who agreed to meet him later, in John’s capacity as the President of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers. The Suzuki exec later declined. Said it wouldn’t look right to the people who fund their organization.
My rule of thumb? If the result of a “scientific study” is to confirm something any adult could have told the researcher, the study is solid.
Every serious study of cross-cultural differences in intelligence confirm what everybody knows: Africans are much less intelligent than Europeans, who themselves have slightly lower intelligence than east Asians. That result is laughably easy to replicate. The racial differences simply will not disappear no matter how many other variables researchers “controls for.” Lord knows they’ve tried. If there is a single watertight result in all of social science, that’s it.
The best our moral and intellectual superiors have come up with as a response is to dismiss the entire body of research as racist.
Just like Piltdown Man the Archoraptor the so called Missing link between Birds and Dinosour’s was proven to be a total fake Just like with the Fiji Mermaid a Monkey with a fishtail grafted on and this strange Bird called the Baldheaded Hoodwick was a Crow,Plover and Duck all put together. The Military has their rather wimsicle OOZLE FINCH with its mottos JUST DOWN GIVE A DAMN or IF IT FLIES IT DIES(Enemy Planes and Missles)and the SCREWED UP LIBERAL CHICKEN has no brain and Shows It it just WHINES
The Darwinists/Evolutionists still trying to claim all humans decended from the apes or all life came crawling out of the Ocean as some dumb fish I mean all they prove is how they can fool many with fake evidence