https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/api.php?action=feedcontributions&feedformat=atom&user=Nico202 2026-06-15T11:02:53Z User contributions MediaWiki 1.30.0 https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1574:_Trouble_for_Science&diff=101277 2015-09-07T12:49:35Z

<p>Nico202: /* Explanation */</p> <hr /> <div>{{comic<br /> | number = 1574<br /> | date = September 7, 2015<br /> | title = Trouble for Science<br /> | image = trouble_for_science.png<br /> | titletext = Careful mathematical analysis demonstrates small-scale irregularities in Gaussian distribution<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Explanation==<br /> Five newspaper headlines are shown:<br /> <br /> ;Many commercial antibody-based immunoassays are unreliable<br /> This sentence is true. See Kebaneilwe Lebani, [http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:352531 Antibody Discovery for Development of a Serotyping Dengue Virus NS1 Capture Assay], 2014. In this PhD thesis, 11 references are given.<br /> <br /> ;Problems with the p-value as an indicator of significance<br /> p-value is the probability that an event is observed just by chance. If p-value is under a treshold level (''α'', usually &lt;5%, or &lt;1% for being more conservative) one can assume that the event observed &quot;exists&quot;.<br /> The value used for ''α'' has been proposed by [http://web.lru.dk/sites/lru.dk/files/lru/docs/kap9/kapitel_9_126_On_the_origins.pdf Fisher] and is completely arbitrary.<br /> <br /> ;Overfeeding of laboratory rodents compromises animal models<br /> <br /> ;Replication study fails to reproduce many published results<br /> A [https://explorable.com/replication-study Replication Study] is a study designed to replicate the results of a previous study by using the same methods for a different set of subjects and experimenters. It aims to recreate the results to gain confidence in the results of the previous study as well as ensuring that the findings of the previous study are transferable to other similar areas of study.<br /> <br /> Randall is probably referring to this recent study: http://www.nature.com/news/over-half-of-psychology-studies-fail-reproducibility-test-1.18248<br /> <br /> ;Controlled trials show Bunsen burners make things colder<br /> This is a joke.<br /> <br /> Then why do tanks of propane freeze?http://www.propane101.com/propaneregulatorfreezing.htm. Just need to sufficiently control the study.<br /> <br /> ==Transcript==<br /> [A simple comic consisting of five newspaper headlines]<br /> <br /> Many Commercial Antibody-Based Immunoassays Are Unreliable<br /> <br /> Problems With the p-Value as an Indicator of Significance<br /> <br /> Overfeeding of Laboratory Rodents Compromises Animal Models<br /> <br /> Replication Study Fails to Reproduce Many Published Results<br /> <br /> Controlled Trials Show Bunsen Burners Make Things Colder<br /> <br /> <br /> {{comic discussion}}<br /> <br /> [[Category:Science]]<br /> [[Category:Biology]]<br /> [[Category:Chemistry]]<br /> [[Category:Math]]</div>

Nico202 https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1574:_Trouble_for_Science&diff=101275 2015-09-07T12:46:13Z

<p>Nico202: /* Explanation */</p> <hr /> <div>{{comic<br /> | number = 1574<br /> | date = September 7, 2015<br /> | title = Trouble for Science<br /> | image = trouble_for_science.png<br /> | titletext = Careful mathematical analysis demonstrates small-scale irregularities in Gaussian distribution<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Explanation==<br /> Five newspaper headlines are shown:<br /> <br /> ;Many commercial antibody-based immunoassays are unreliable<br /> This sentence is true. See Kebaneilwe Lebani, [http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:352531 Antibody Discovery for Development of a Serotyping Dengue Virus NS1 Capture Assay], 2014. In this PhD thesis, 11 references are given.<br /> <br /> ;Problems with the p-value as an indicator of significance<br /> p-value is the probability that an event is observed just by chance. If p-value is under a treshold level (''α'', usually &lt;5%, or &lt;1% for being more conservative) one can assume that the event observed &quot;exists&quot;.<br /> The value used for ''α'' has been proposed by [http://web.lru.dk/sites/lru.dk/files/lru/docs/kap9/kapitel_9_126_On_the_origins.pdf:Fisher] and is completely arbitrary.<br /> <br /> ;Overfeeding of laboratory rodents compromises animal models<br /> <br /> ;Replication study fails to reproduce many published results<br /> A [https://explorable.com/replication-study Replication Study] is a study designed to replicate the results of a previous study by using the same methods for a different set of subjects and experimenters. It aims to recreate the results to gain confidence in the results of the previous study as well as ensuring that the findings of the previous study are transferable to other similar areas of study.<br /> <br /> Randall is probably reffering to this recent study: http://www.nature.com/news/over-half-of-psychology-studies-fail-reproducibility-test-1.18248<br /> <br /> ;Controlled trials show Bunsen burners make things colder<br /> This is a joke.<br /> <br /> ==Transcript==<br /> [A simple comic consisting of five newspaper headlines]<br /> <br /> Many Commercial Antibody-Based Immunoassays Are Unreliable<br /> <br /> Problems With the p-Value as an Indicator of Significance<br /> <br /> Overfeeding of Laboratory Rodents Compromises Animal Models<br /> <br /> Replication Study Fails to Reproduce Many Published Results<br /> <br /> Controlled Trials Show Bunsen Burners Make Things Colder<br /> <br /> <br /> {{comic discussion}}<br /> <br /> [[Category:Science]]<br /> [[Category:Biology]]<br /> [[Category:Chemistry]]<br /> [[Category:Math]]</div>

Nico202