Nautilus

Why We Shouldn’t Accept Unrepeated Science—Our Author Responds to His Critics

Last month a long thread evolved on Hacker News, a popular discussion forum, in response to my Nautilus article, “We Should Not Accept Scientific Results That Have Not Been Repeated.” Much to my delight, it generated a rich conversation involving scientists and non-scientists alike. That’s fitting, since our inability to independently replicate our results, I argue, threatens to undermine trust in the scientific enterprise—something every citizen has a stake in.

Before I respond to the arguments against my position from the Hacker News community, allow me to quickly summarize my view. I think the irreproducibility crisis we are currently witnessing needs to be seen in a particular light.

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from Nautilus

Nautilus5 min read
The Bad Trip Detective
Jules Evans was 17 years old when he had his first unpleasant run-in with psychedelic drugs. Caught up in the heady rave culture that gripped ’90s London, he took some acid at a club one night and followed a herd of unknown faces to an afterparty. Th
Nautilus7 min read
Lithium, the Elemental Rebel
Inside every rechargeable battery—in electric cars and phones and robot vacuums—lurks a cosmic mystery. The lithium that we use to power much of our lives these days is so common as to seem almost prosaic. But this element turns out to be a wild card
Nautilus8 min read
The Bacteria That Revolutionized the World
There were no eyes to see it, but the sun shone more dimly in the sky, casting its languid rays on the ground below. A thick methane atmosphere enshrouded the planet. The sea gleamed a metallic green, and where barren rock touched the water, minerals

Related Books & Audiobooks