The Economist goes in hard on science, with plenty of compelling insights:
- VC’s believe half of published scientific research cannot be replicated, though the figures cited from Amgen and Bayer are even more dismal
- between 2000 and 2010, 80,000 patients took part in clinical trials based on research later retracted
- 1 in 3 researchers know of a colleague who has fudged results
- Negative results now account for 14% of papers, down from 30% in 1990
The false trails laid down by shoddy research are an unforgivable barrier to understanding.