“Sometimes studies are cited that deal with a completely different topic,” Jonathan Focke adds. He considers this to be the most serious form of deception. Somewhat less brazen, but usually equally questionable, is when results from laboratory tests using cell cultures are cited as “clear evidence”. “Such studies do not involve any substance that has been tested on humans, but rather on cells in a Petri dish,” Maximilian Doeckel explains. The problem with this is that the results from cell or animal experiments cannot be directly transferred to humans.
If you want to expose such dubious use of studies yourself, Doeckel advises reading at least the abstract (the short summary of the study) as a first step. “Then you’ll have a rough idea of whether the study is at least about what the person claimed, and whether the result is reasonably consistent with that,” Doeckel says.
Taking a closer look at the scientific methods helps to assess the scientific quality and significance of studies. However, this takes time and requires some prior knowledge. In any case, “Science Cop” Maximilian Doeckel recommends a healthy dose of scepticism: “If something sounds too good to be true, it often is.”
Link to the full podcast episode:
Link to the full podcast episode:
https://podcast.bfr.bund.de/9-wissenschaftlichen-unsinn-erkennen-quarks-science-cops-zu-gast-009
Quotes and original sound bites from the podcast episode may be used freely provided the source is cited.
About “Risiko – Der BfR-Podcast” (‘Risk – The BfR Podcast’):
Daily newspapers, news portals and social media posts constantly warn of new health hazards: plasticisers in suncreams, microplastics in the body or pollutants in food. What is actually behind these alleged dangers? How great is the risk for me personally? In our German-language podcast “Risiko”, we get to the bottom of such topics in a calm, scientifically sound and easy to understand way. “Risiko” episodes are released about once a month. In relaxed conversations with experts, we discuss real and perceived health risks posed by food, chemicals or consumer products.
About the BfR
The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) is a scientifically independent institution within the portfolio of the German Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Regional Identity (BMLEH). It protects people's health preventively in the fields of public health and veterinary public health. The BfR provides advice to the Federal Government as well as the Federal States (‘Laender’) on questions related to food, feed, chemical and product safety. The BfR conducts its own research on topics closely related to its assessment tasks.