Summary: Scientists can correct and retract their work for a variety of sound reasons, not just due to scientific misconduct. There is enormous stigma associated with changing published literature. This is exacerbated by whistle-blower bullying, inefficient bureaucracy, and a general lack of incentive from scientific institutions and journals. However, correction is a normal part of the scientific process rather than […]
Summary: Scientists use a formalism called the Scientific Method to gain new insights into how the world works. The Scientific Method consists of asking a question, formulating a hypothesis, testing it, and re-evaluating it based on the outcome of the test. Scientific hypotheses can never be proven, but can always be disproved. If a hypothesis has been extensively tested, it […]
As the world eagerly awaits a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, scientists study COVID-19 and the virus that causes it. Dr. Roberto Cattaneo, virologist at the Mayo Clinic, USA, took time out of his SARS-CoV-2 research to talk to us. Tell us a little about yourself. Originally from Lugano, Switzerland, I studied in Geneva and Heidelberg, before working in Zurich and at Yale. […]
Summary: Opinion/indoctrination articles are abundant on the internet and often appear as answers to scientific queries in search engines. Articles stating the author’s opinion contain multiple personal pronouns, as opposed to scientific publications whose focus is on the information. Publications aiming at indoctrination contain rhetorical questions and arguments from authority, which are considered weak forms of argumentation in science. Informative […]
The nature of scientific research – long hours in a lab and at a computer in a research centre or university, with only completed published work eventually making its way to the public – means that science often operates behind closed doors. I began to interview scientists to help bring their thoughts and methods more into the public eye. Diabetes […]