There's a famous quote out there somewhere about how a person can very easily believe a lie if his/her income depends on that lie. We've seen that demonstrated most recently in the promotion of the man-made global warming theory. Junk science shows up everywhere. There's the anti-vaccination hysteria which took years to dispel. And just a couple of short decades ago the TV show 60 Minutes promoted a trumped up charge against Alar that had mothers of young children convinced they were feeding the little tykes poison apples.
These days we are hearing how cell phones cause brain cancer. Do they? We really don't know, but WHO says, "radiofrequency electromagnetic fields as possibly carcinogenic to humans," right up there with "lead, chloroform and coffee." (Coffee???)
So it's nice to see an article come along like this one from ScientificAmerican.com An Epidemic of False Claims -- Competition and conflicts of interest distort too many medical findings. Quote:
Much research is conducted for reasons other than the pursuit of truth. Conflicts of interest abound, and they influence outcomes. In health care, research is often performed at the behest of companies that have a large financial stake in the results. Even for academics, success often hinges on publishing positive findings. The oligopoly of high-impact journals also has a distorting effect on funding, academic careers and market shares. Industry tailors research agendas to suit its needs, which also shapes academic priorities, journal revenue and even public funding.
It takes someone willing to face the truth even if their income depends on a lie. And in the meantime rational people maintain a healthy amount of skepticism.
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