Science: A Relationship You May Not Understand
FEBRUARY 25, 2013...So, published research is likely to overrepresent the flukey 5 percent ... [statistical divergence in an experiment].... And if the flukey 5 percent are especially interesting, perhaps because of their novel and unexpected findings, then media coverage may exaggerate this overrepresentation even further. ...So, some of the time when two studies appear to be in conflict, it's because the generalizations that were drawn on the basis of one or both sets of findings were too broad, straying too far beyond the characteristics of the particular sample and the particular factors considered. Sometimes it's the "fault" of the world, for providing a statistically unrepresentative sample. Sometimes it's the fault of the scientists, for choosing a poor sample or mischaracterizing the population to which the findings apply. Sometimes it's the fault of reporters, for straying too far beyond the data. Sometimes it's the fault of the editors, who opt for the catchier — but less accurate — headline. [Editor: who, me?] And sometimes it's all of the above. And it's this combination ...[hubris-trying to make sense of EVERYTHING and modesty-trying to make sense of LIMITED observations]...that makes science such a powerful partner — one worth sticking with in sickness and in health.