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"Whom ever pays the piper calls the tune. Very few scientific studies are continously funded by the private sector if they fail to produce marketable results. This is why most "real" science is funded by charitable foundations or the government."
True for universities where grants are the lifeblood. The money directs the research topic.
Pharma for instance dances to the tinkling of coins as well but their direction comes from pursuing large 'markets'.
Large pharma gets much of their successful products from license and acquisition... they buy it.
Pharma occassionally ends up with 'orphan drugs' which work well in a small segement of the population but have no commercial value.
Real science occurs where practicioners follow the scientific method.
The direction of the research follows the money, which makes sense as you would like to do the most for the population with the largest need.
As much as we would like to believe that progress in science is planned and calculated most significant discoveries are serendipitious.
Again, fraud is intolerabe to a company's existence but when it occurs in a university setting it falls on the shoulder of the offender rather than the institution.
This starts in high school Science classes, especially at the higher levels like AP or IB. Kids are so afraid that they'll get a bad grade if their result doesn't match their hypothesis that they'll manipulate process and results. I don't teach science per se but I do have my Psych kids design and implement very simple experiments, usually dealing with conditioning and memory, and I have to pound into them that the experiment isn't a failure if the results don't prove the hypothesis. In many cases the results disprove it which is just as successful but some of them have problems wrapping their heads around that idea.
I suppose that's because there is no reward attached. Who remembers any scientist that couldn't prove something? Who gives them grant money down the road? Who invites them to speak to groups? Who writes books about the experiments that didn't prove their hypothesis? Who gives them a raise? There has got to be a lot of pressure on them to "find something." I suspect the more people that become vested in your findings both monetarily and recognition-wise, the harder it must be to back down. Do they showcase/award school science fair projects where the kid's results didn't square with their hypothesis?
I suppose that's because there is no reward attached. Who remembers any scientist that couldn't prove something? Who gives them grant money down the road? Who invites them to speak to groups? Who writes books about the experiments that didn't prove their hypothesis? Who gives them a raise? There has got to be a lot of pressure on them to "find something." I suspect the more people that become vested in your findings both monetarily and recognition-wise, the harder it must be to back down. Do they showcase/award school science fair projects where the kid's results didn't square with their hypothesis?
Good post and I agree. It's painful to work on something so hard for so long only to yeild cr*p for data. But, it does not excuse fudging- big ethical no no.
Having read and studied a bit on physical anthropology/genetic studies of human populations, alot of those studies often have to be taken with a big grain of salt, as the sample sizes that are undertaken are often too small to make any meaningful conclusions. And some areas of the world, such as Southeast Asia, parts of Africa, etc., are grossly understudied and misrepresented as to be almost criminal.
Most science is quite solid, just look around your house, car etc. and you will see it everywhere.
Where it gets bad is when someone is pushing an agenda and does "bad science" and then the press runs with it despite the outcry of the bulk of the scientific community.
The worst abuses are biased polls and again, political topics.
Lastly, just because someone faked some results somewhere it doesn't invalidate the entire field unless someone wants to be academically dishonest.
Most scientists are liberals with some sort of agenda. Of course, they make up things to further their agenda. It's best to be a patriotic America and not take scientists seriously.
Most scientists are liberals with some sort of agenda. Of course, they make up things to further their agenda. It's best to be a patriotic America and not take scientists seriously.
Yes, and you would know this because you are either a scientist, work in the sciences, have some kind of an education?
Yes, and you would know this because you are either a scientist, work in the sciences, have some kind of an education?
Amazing how much science is out there....cell phones, carbon fibre, air bags, chemotheraphy, meteorology, geology (oil\gas exploration) and someone is wililng to label it all biased because they have a politically driven beef about climate change. Really bolsters thier credibility.
Don't feed the political troll, hopefully they will return to the cess pool forum that is political.
Amazing how much science is out there....cell phones, carbon fibre, air bags, chemotheraphy, meteorology, geology (oil\gas exploration) and someone is wililng to label it all biased because they have a politically driven beef about climate change. Really bolsters thier credibility.
Don't feed the political troll, hopefully they will return to the cess pool forum that is political.
I really don't understand the need to generalize. Most scientists? It's annoying, and yes, trollish. What's contrary here is that I only know two liberal scientists. Everybody else I know is conservative and this is in MA of all places.
Yes, and you would know this because you are either a scientist, work in the sciences, have some kind of an education?
I believe he is being sarcastic.
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