hype

Stem cells for Diabetes: the danger of the word ‘cure’

Stem-cell-Diabetes-Hype

There has been considerable discussion about the whether the media hyped the recent Harvard stem cells for diabetes paper (see top 10 takeaways of that paper). I believe that this was greatly hyped. This Harvard publication reported production of insulin-secreting cells from human embryonic stem cells (hESC). Newspapers around the world widely exaggerated the potential impact …

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The ‘Holy Crap’ Effect: Reflecting on Big Splash Papers

Frank_Barone_Holy-Crap

I spend some hours each week reading and thinking about the recent scientific literature and I’m sure many of you do the same thing, but do we gravitate towards hyped “holy crap” papers? Every so often, a new paper erupts on the scene. It makes a big splash with a flashy entrance that captures people’s …

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NASA suffering from pareidolia & apophenia? The watery science of Mars

I worry that NASA is suffering from apophenia and pareidolia. Both acute and chronic cases. What the heck? Let me explain. Do you ever look up at the clouds and see fluffy animals? Or maybe other things that clouds look like such as a train, plane, or a dragon? Pareidolia is the tendency of people …

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Harvard Stem Cell Institute Teases Tomorrow Will Bring Biggest Announcement Ever: Predictions

The Harvard Stem Cell Institute yesterday posted on Facebook that they will make the biggest announcement in their history tomorrow. Big hat tip to Mohammed Mostajo for the heads up and pic on this one. Thanks! What’s that all about? I’ve been working on my sources! Possible predictions…. A. SCNT-production of genetically normal human embryonic stem cells …

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Seven Sins of Scientists Part 4: science hype

placebo-effect-expectations-from-hype, science hype

I’m discussing the seamier side of science in a seven part series on what I call scientific sinning, including science hype. The first three pieces in this series covered Failure to Cite, Paper or grant killing and a Need for Speed. Today we talk about how bad it can get when scientists hype their work and I’m going …

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Cloning the mammoth: more than science hype?

mammoth-219x300

Is trying to clone a woolly mammoth all just science hype? Hype is a bad thing and it hurts science in major ways. Hype channels resources away from valuable scientific pursuits and flushes them down the toilet. Hype makes people have unrealistic expectations so they end up disappointed by even very important science if it …

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