We all know about the placebo effect, but we don’t really know how it works. It does seem, however, that there’s some mental element to the placebo effect, even to the point that recent studies show that if patients know they are getting a placebo (no double-blind there!), they still exhibit a placebo effect. A…
Read MoreSome time ago, a link to this quasi-review article crossed my desk. Briefly, it explains why, in the author’s opinion, the subject articles on genetic research in autism are somehow untrustworthy or flawed. In some ways, it’s well-written. I like the bibliography. It’s all Nature, Science, NEJM, and Nature Genetics. But to me, the real…
Read More< p class=”note”>I have been struggling with the question of whether to keep writing on science issues, particularly since it’s not my area of expertise (even though I’m very fond of thinking about these issues). I’ve decided to compromise and try to write about science and research policies and projects, which are of interest to…
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