Academic research in the name of advancing science is a wonderful thing - but there’s a lot of it going around.
In the last 24 hours, reportage of studies has told us:
- American primary school children eat lots of junk food
- Alzheimers Disease is hard to diagnose
- Men who smoke contract dementia quicker
- Facebook takes a toll on the mental health of males with few “friends” and low self-esteem
- Black and white patterned rugs can make you feel sick
In the last day you might have learned that red wine may cure dementia and diabetes - although last month an analysis of 20 years worth of studies found there’s not really any health gain to be had by drinking the stuff.
In fact, one of the researchers who found red wine was good for you in the first place has been painted as gilding the lily.
It’s confusing enough to drive a man to drink.
Having worked in healthcare, I can tell you that most people would struggle to make head or tails of a scientific paper. That’s why they rely on media to tell them which end is up.
Sometimes, scientists do tell porkies. I once sat down with one of Australia’s most well-known public health advocates to nut out a PR plan. He wanted to push a conclusion from polling of Joe Public that didn’t exist.
There are some interesting dynamics at work where science and media intersect. Research is more popular than ever as grist for the media mill. The media’s voracious need for content has grown exponentially with their move online, while the attention span of consumers has shortened.
On the other hand, academic institutions are locked in a wrestling match to extract funds from (mostly) the private sector to pay the costs of doing research. Scientists need to pay their own wages. Companies providing funding almost always need commercial outcomes.
It can all become a little self-perpetuating. The vast majority of scientific research really is about incremental outcomes – and that doesn't win big capital injections or make great headlines.
A healthy dose of cynicism doesn't go astray when your read about the next cure for cancer.
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