Causation vs Correlation

Journalists are constantly being reminded that “correlation doesn’t imply causation;” yet, conflating the two remains one of the most common errors in news reporting on scientific and health-related studies. In theory, these are easy to distinguish—an action or...

Should You Hold Your Breath to Reduce Pain?

Original photo © Robert Ingelhart In 2009, an HIV vaccine trial made headlines (e.g., For First Time, AIDS Vaccine Shows Some Success) because the study showed some potentially promising results. When researchers gave an experimental vaccine to 8197 volunteers and a...

Should You Hold Your Breath to Reduce Pain?

Original photo © Robert Ingelhart In 2009, an HIV vaccine trial made headlines (e.g., For First Time, AIDS Vaccine Shows Some Success) because the study showed some potentially promising results. When researchers gave an experimental vaccine to 8197 volunteers and a...

The Challenge of Selection Bias

In a recent opinion piece—Generous Republican Benefits—in the New York Times, Jennifer Senior makes the point that, although Republicans tend to be against the government requiring employers to offer paid parental leave, Republican senators are not against paid...