#Articles The Economist on the Culture of Science

[Boyd Baumgartner]

Here are a couple of good articles from the Economist on the state of the culture of science and some of its shortcomings. As Examiners, we're constantly being asked to consume, regurgitate, summarize and offer opinions on research within the discipline. Being able to effectively explain or critique is essential. Anecdotally, my neighbor is a postdoctoral research fellow for the University of Washington in the area of Alzheimer's research and he's conveyed many of these same sentiments over the past decade I've known him. As such, I read these as an an honest introspection into the scientific culture. That being said, I would be interested in peoples' opinions in a critical re-reading of The Need for a Research Culture in the Forensic Sciences and how these recommendations might be confirmed, refuted or need altering in light of the article's critiques.

Economist - Trouble at the Lab

Economist - How Science Goes Wrong

[Alan C]

"...This fits with another line of evidence suggesting that a lot of scientific research is poorly thought through, or executed, or both." Can you say 50/50 study?