[Oldmanmatt]

Scientists are cynical. Can you blame them?

Reporting on...

How do scientists perceive the current publication culture? A qualitative focus group interview study among Dutch biomedical researchers

God (doesn't exist) that makes depressing reading. And sounds just like what a prof friend was saying last year about the competitiveness and publication bias. Glad I can just explore my uninformed layman's opinions and follow my curiosity without any worries of appearing correct!

Apart from Dense...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[slackline]

God (doesn't exist) that makes depressing reading. And sounds just like what a prof friend was saying last year about the competitiveness and publication bias.

Depressing work environment too and I don't apply for grants for my own research (just help others put some statistics to make their often flacid ideas sound robust).

Since moving into medical statistics five and a half years ago I've become increasingly disillusioned with the application of the scientific method, far too many egos involved.  Hoping the position I recently applied for helping with statistics of more fundamental research across a wider range of subjects might see fruition.

[nic mullin]

Anyone else going?:

http://www.scienceweeksy.org.uk/event/164

(Link courtesy of Simon Nadin. Thanks Simon  )

First Direct Detection of Gravitational Waves with LIGO

Talk by Ed Daw, Reader in Physics, Sheffield Gravitational Wave Research Group, The University Of Sheffield

Date: Wednesday 9 March 2016

Time: 5:00pm-6:00pm

Venue: The Diamond Building, University of Sheffield, Leavygreave Road, Sheffield, S3 7RD. (Lecture Theatre 1)

...

Exactly 100 years ago, Albert Einstein predicted that waves in the fabric of spacetime propagate across the Universe at the speed of light. The LIGO experiment uses the world's largest and most sensitive laser interferometers to attempt direct detection of these oscillations, which have tiny amplitudes, less than 1/1000 the diameter of a proton!
smaller than the holds on the crux of Mutation! 

This will be well worth going to - it is a repeat of a talk given on the 16th of Feb shortly after the LIGO announcement, which was so packed that there wasn't even standing room. He's a very engaging speaker and you don't need a PhD in astrophysics to understand what he's on about.

[Obi-Wan is lost...]

 

Anyone else going?:

Am now. Cheers for the heads up.

[slackline]

Spotted him walking past the building I work in the other day whilst stood outside waiting for the Fire Alarm to be turned off on Monday, but how was Dr Daw's lecture DT90 and Obi? 



Came across this earlier...

Teaching kids philosophy makes them smarter in maths and english

Less interested in the result (replication etc etc.) but I think its good to see such studies conducted in the first place as I'm unaware of much scientific (i.e. employing randomisation, attempting to control for other sources of variation) research conducted in education.  I'm sure there is already a lot of theory and studies out there, I'm just not aware of it (also came across this article recently purportedly debunking the 'learning styles myth').

If only the idiots in power paid attention to evidence/data/analysis rather than spouting sound bytes so they appear to be doing 'something', which in this context is usually putting teachers under more pressure to test, test, test rather than spend time teaching. 

[Oldmanmatt]

If only the idiots in power paid attention to evidence/data/analysis rather than spouting sound bytes so they appear to be doing 'something', which in this context is usually putting teachers under more pressure to test, test, test rather than spend time teaching. 

Did you realise you had answered your own question, before even posing it?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[slackline]

Science is hard — really fucking hard

And related a non-academic piece on work by Ionnadis...

An unhealthy obsession with p-values is ruining science

P-values are not used today in the manner in which R.A. Fisher proposed they be used.

[DAVETHOMAS90]

Spotted him walking past the building I work in the other day whilst stood outside waiting for the Fire Alarm to be turned off on Monday, but how was Dr Daw's lecture DT90 and Obi? 

Sorry for the delay.

Great opportunity, and a real privilege that stuff like that is opened up so readily, to the curious public.

I was a bit disappointed that there wasn't more discussion about the implications of the observations, what this might mean for further research in that context.

Most of the lecture concentrated on the technology behind LIGO - noise reduction etc; all very geeky, but the principle is very simple.

I'm less interested in that, more the background theory, but it's all pretty amazing really, particularly the level of collaboration required, and investment over time.

I also think that a huge amount of courage is required, to keep the faith that such immense investment of time and money will one day bear fruit.

It'll go ... one day!

So, a big thank you to the folk at Sheffield Uni. Who's this Stuart Littlefair chap by the way? Seems to have had something to do with it.

[slackline]

Great opportunity, and a real privilege that stuff like that is opened up so readily, to the curious public.

You may be interested in Sheffield Cafe Scientific

The University of Sheffield also list their Public Lectures as does Hallam University (inaugral lecture from a Professor of Sports Psychology next week).

[slackline]

Not that politicians ever listened to evidence based research anyway but this sounds pretty bad....

Unless government officials make a major U-turn in the next few days, many British scientists will soon be blocked from speaking out on key issues affecting the UK – from climate change to embryo research and from animal experiments to flood defences.

[slackline]

Not that politicians ever listened to evidence based research anyway but this sounds pretty bad....

Unless government officials make a major U-turn in the next few days, many British scientists will soon be blocked from speaking out on key issues affecting the UK – from climate change to embryo research and from animal experiments to flood defences.

This is to be reviewed...

Government responded
It is not the Government’s intention for the Research Councils, the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) or the National Academies to be covered by the new clause on government grants.

The new clause on government grants announced on 6 February is about ensuring taxpayers’ money is properly spent on what was intended in grant agreements and not unintentionally diverted from good causes to fund political campaigning and lobbying.

The Cabinet Office has provided an update on the new clause in government grants pausing implementation, pending a review of the representations made. The Government will take a decision on the form and wording of the whole clause following this review.

Our world-class research base is a source of great pride and an engine of growth for this country. It is not the Government’s intention for the seven Research Councils (1), the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) or the National Academies to be covered by the clause.

This, along with the protection of the science budget, further demonstrates the Government’s commitment to sustaining a world-class research base and evidence-based policy making.

A link to the Cabinet Office update can be found here
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/update-on-a-new-clause-to-be-inserted-into-grant-agreements

(1) The seven Research Councils include: Arts and Humanities (AHRC), Biotechnology and Biological Sciences (BBSRC), Engineering and Physical Sciences (EPSRC), Economic and Social Research (ESRC), Medical Research (MRC), Natural Environment (NERC), and Science and Technology Facilities (STFC).

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

You'll need a VPN in the US to view this but its quite amusing whilst making serious points



If this sort of thing floats your boat these are worth reading too (not too technical)....

Failure is moving Science forward

Science isn't broken : its just really hard

[mark20]

A bit last minute but The Pint of Science talks sound interesting
https://pintofscience.co.uk/events/sheffield
In most other big cities too

[andy_e]

On a similar club, most big cities have a comedy club night called Bright Club where academics discuss their research in an amusing manner. A fun, informal way to learn about SCIENCE.

e.g. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bright_Club

[lagerstarfish]

possibly posted somewhere else?

the old BMI for comp climbers discussion

(OK it's more stats than SCIENCE - they didn't do any experiments to get new data)

[finbarrr]

http://www.akademiai.com/doi/abs/10.1556/2006.5.2016.039


spoiler alert !:


Conclusions
Rock climbing athletes appear to experience withdrawal symptoms when abstinent from their sport comparable to individuals with substance and behavioral addictions.

[rodma]

Good thing I'm not an athlete :D

Sent from my E5823 using Tapatalk

[Oldmanmatt]

Best not stop then.
I shall send this to Mrs OMM and get the GP to write me a note for work...


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[SA Chris]

http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/wilderness-resources/stories/land-gravity-forgot

Obvious place to go climbing..

[slackline]

The Strange Brain of the World’s Greatest Solo Climber

[DAVETHOMAS90]

The Strange Brain of the World’s Greatest Solo Climber

Thanks for posting the link Slackers.

Interesting, in a way, but I'd say there is a misunderstanding of the fear response in those who solo frequently. I doubt it has much to do with the threat of hitting the ground at all. The threat is indeed "the abyss", that the wall becomes the ultimate sanctuary from. I believe the perception of the threat of the abyss is something that we may have learned at a formative stage, through some sort of deprivation, perceived threat of abandonment or catastrophic loss of attachment. In that context, the extreme psychological threat is not part of the weighing up process in the usual way, and there's a hyper-polarized emphasis on the psychological reward of avoiding the loss of attachment.

Problems occur when you understand that there's a floor to hit too. I'm not saying that the risk of hitting the ground isn't a factor, just that it's overridden by higher psychological stakes.

That's a very simplified account of what I think I've come to believe is at work anyway.

[slackline]

Not a problem, not a great example of SCIENCE!!! due to the case-study nature, but there isn't a huge population to draw samples from.  Figured others might find it interesting though.

Forgot to post this to go with it...

Cluster failure: Why fMRI inferences for spatial extent have inflated false-positive rates

[slackline]

[slackline]

I'm the most sober person here! 

[DAVETHOMAS90]

I'm the most sober person here! 

Or alternatively, "I'm the best climber in the world" would be the obvious similar scenario. "King of the Crag" syndrome. 

[Fultonius]