Why Pure Science?

Science is in crisis. John Ioannidis was one of the first to sound a warning in his highly cited 2005 article ‘Why Most Published Research Findings Are False’, which brought to the forefront a discussion of the replication and reproduction crisis in science.  Stewart Richie, in his 2020 book Science Fictions, develops the topic further and describes the perverse incentives and other causes of the deterioration in the overall quality of scientific research in a highly accessible book.  

Problems with poor quality science are compounded when we also consider the related issue of communication of scientific results to the general public. Websites and web services such as Google, Facebook, Twitter, have taken it upon themselves to act as the Arbiters of Truth, supposedly in the interest of stopping disinformation, by banning dissemination and discussion of  legitimate scientific material. However, good science cannot function in an environment where ideas that conflict with the prevailing scientific wisdom cannot even be discussed! In the current environment it is difficult for everyone, including this retired PhD scientist, to determine which “facts” are true and therefore possibly useful, and which are propaganda.  I can only imagine the confusion of students and non-scientists seeking scientific truths on controversial topics.

I created this Pure Science Substack to document my quest to determine the truth of various (typically controversial) scientific issues as they gain my interest.   All constructive comments are welcome - I delight in learning new things, including that a previously held belief is wrong.

Why subscribe?

Subscribe to get full access to the newsletter and website. Never miss an update.

Stay up-to-date

You won’t have to worry about missing anything. Every new edition of the newsletter goes directly to your inbox.

Join the crew

Be part of a community of people who share your interests.

To find out more about the company that provides the tech for this newsletter, visit Substack.com.

Subscribe to Pure Science

Unbiased analysis of topical, controversial, and occasionally obscure science topics.

People

MS & PhD in Applied Physics from Cornell University. Retired Founder, President & CTO of a laboratory and industrial automation company.