Charles Piller

What they have said is that they just see the situation differently and feel very strongly concerned that, and again, I'm going to get back very briefly to this question of the administration of this whole set of issues in Washington, but they feel concerned that

What they have said is that they just see the situation differently and feel very strongly concerned that, and again, I'm going to get back very briefly to this question of the administration of this whole set of issues in Washington, but they feel concerned that

my book might encourage people who are anti-science from thinking, oh, well, because some science was improperly manipulated, all science is suspect. Let me address that directly, if I could, Dylan, just for a moment. I want to say that I believe that in every walk of life, a small percentage of people will cut corners or manipulate information or cheat or outright commit fraud.

my book might encourage people who are anti-science from thinking, oh, well, because some science was improperly manipulated, all science is suspect. Let me address that directly, if I could, Dylan, just for a moment. I want to say that I believe that in every walk of life, a small percentage of people will cut corners or manipulate information or cheat or outright commit fraud.

Why would Alzheimer's research be any different from people in finance or plumbers or even journalists who do engage in improper activities from time to time? We're all human beings. We both make mistakes and there are a few among us who are willing to do things improperly. And so that does not mean the vast majority of research in Alzheimer's research can't be trusted. Of course it can be.

Why would Alzheimer's research be any different from people in finance or plumbers or even journalists who do engage in improper activities from time to time? We're all human beings. We both make mistakes and there are a few among us who are willing to do things improperly. And so that does not mean the vast majority of research in Alzheimer's research can't be trusted. Of course it can be.

It's the honest work of people who are deeply committed to finding the truth in these matters. Do they make mistakes sometimes? Sure, of course, all of us do. But I think we should understand that even though it's only a tiny percentage of research in the field that may have been based on doctored images or on other improper scientific approaches or on outright fraud,

It's the honest work of people who are deeply committed to finding the truth in these matters. Do they make mistakes sometimes? Sure, of course, all of us do. But I think we should understand that even though it's only a tiny percentage of research in the field that may have been based on doctored images or on other improper scientific approaches or on outright fraud,

even though it's only perhaps a very small percentage of the overall body of research, even that small amount in certain locations in the thinking of the field can skew scientific thinking, can lead to dead ends, can waste important funding. that we don't have nearly enough of, that we desperately need to help patients by finding better approaches to finding a cure for the disease.

even though it's only perhaps a very small percentage of the overall body of research, even that small amount in certain locations in the thinking of the field can skew scientific thinking, can lead to dead ends, can waste important funding. that we don't have nearly enough of, that we desperately need to help patients by finding better approaches to finding a cure for the disease.

And so it's that wasted thinking, it's that wasted funding, and the tragedy of it that I think the field needs to take more seriously, even though Myself and I think everyone should understand that most scientists are honest, even if they're pursuing things that don't ultimately pan out. They're trying their best.

And so it's that wasted thinking, it's that wasted funding, and the tragedy of it that I think the field needs to take more seriously, even though Myself and I think everyone should understand that most scientists are honest, even if they're pursuing things that don't ultimately pan out. They're trying their best.

I do feel that way, Dylan. I feel optimistic for a couple reasons. Um, well, first of all, I think, uh, Over the last few years, there's been a much greater effort to detect improper research, to find doctored images in scientific research. And I have to say that it's been stimulated by something that I think many listeners would maybe even be unsurprised by, a kind of crowdsourcing.

I do feel that way, Dylan. I feel optimistic for a couple reasons. Um, well, first of all, I think, uh, Over the last few years, there's been a much greater effort to detect improper research, to find doctored images in scientific research. And I have to say that it's been stimulated by something that I think many listeners would maybe even be unsurprised by, a kind of crowdsourcing.

So you have a small army of these people who call themselves image sleuths, and they are forensic image experts who know how to use software and who have a good eye for seeing when some improper duplication of an image or change in an image may have occurred using software tools to examine it carefully. And until these folks entered the fray a few years back,

So you have a small army of these people who call themselves image sleuths, and they are forensic image experts who know how to use software and who have a good eye for seeing when some improper duplication of an image or change in an image may have occurred using software tools to examine it carefully. And until these folks entered the fray a few years back,

You had enormous amount of complacency on the part of journals and other institutions who are, again, the gatekeepers of science and should be all over this. They should be vigilant about it. But unfortunately, we're very complacent and we're not paying close attention. And so much improper science slipped through. That's harder to do now because you've got thousands of eyes on it.

You had enormous amount of complacency on the part of journals and other institutions who are, again, the gatekeepers of science and should be all over this. They should be vigilant about it. But unfortunately, we're very complacent and we're not paying close attention. And so much improper science slipped through. That's harder to do now because you've got thousands of eyes on it.

people who are posting their images, some to social media and some to a website called Pubpeer that listeners may want to look up just for fun and take a look at. It looks at scientific studies and where perhaps mistakes or improper manipulation of images might have taken place. And it doesn't necessarily conclude that bad things have happened, but it asks questions.

people who are posting their images, some to social media and some to a website called Pubpeer that listeners may want to look up just for fun and take a look at. It looks at scientific studies and where perhaps mistakes or improper manipulation of images might have taken place. And it doesn't necessarily conclude that bad things have happened, but it asks questions.