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Everyone who has seen a shampoo advert knows the “sciencey bit”, where they deviate into endorsements from researchers to reassure you that glowing hair is guaranteed. Product-makers have been invoking such stamps of scientific credibility since forever, often paying researchers to carry out studies to demonstrate their product’s value.
Too often, the findings contradict impartial research – as per recent output from the soft drink and red meat industries. And David Comerford, a behavioural economist at the University of Stirling, fears this “resmearch” now has a new enabler. Artificial intelligence makes it possible to churn out questionable studies in hours, vastly reducing the costs involved. He calls on peer-reviewed journals to introduce a series of reforms to ensure their reputations
aren’t wrecked by a corporate feeding frenzy.
Ants have a superpower – at least if they’re of the Iberian harvester variety. The queens can give birth to two different species, as is fascinatingly explained here. And is bitcoin on its way to becoming a leading global currency? This history lesson on the many failed attempts to launch new money suggests otherwise.
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Steven Vass
Senior Science and Technology Editor
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Can this be trusted?
Tilialucida
David Comerford, University of Stirling
We have to tighten up on what research policymakers rely on, and also the inner workings of peer review.
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The Iberian harvester ant is able to give birth to ants from two different species.
Wikimedia
Audrey O'Grady, University of Limerick; Nataliia Kosiuk, University of Limerick
One ant mother raises two species under the same roof.
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Bukhta Yurii/Shutterstock
Hiroki Shin, University of Birmingham
People need to understand and trust the money they use.
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World
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Amalendu Misra, Lancaster University
Jamaicans have re-elected Andrew Holness for a third consecutive term.
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Adriana Marin, Coventry University
The US’s new approach to tackling international drug cartels raises international legal issues.
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Leonie Fleischmann, City St George's, University of London
School leavers and reservists are refusing military service. But this is unlikely to stop the assault on Gaza anytime soon.
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Politics + Society
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Thomas Caygill, Nottingham Trent University
The deputy prime minister’s departure has triggered a reshuffle and leaves the government in a weak spot.
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Paul Whiteley, University of Essex
National polling masks a hidden truth: people are very undecided about how they’d vote in their own constituency.
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Arts + Culture
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Naomi Joseph, The Conversation
A woman battling society, three men who battled to be king, a couple battling each other and a battle for creative control.
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Will Shüler, Royal Holloway University of London
Born With Teeth offers a clever exploration of theatrical collaboration and queer desire.
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Mehmet Sebih Oruc, Newcastle University
Avoiding boredom means we are denying ourselves access to our whole selves.
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Business + Economy
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Ben Mayfield, Lancaster University
Rayner’s case highlights the complexities of a system every UK housebuyer is expected to get to grips with.
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Environment
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Mark Ireland, Newcastle University
After decades of drilling, what’s left is smaller, risker – and not a guaranteed political win.
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Health
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Tomas Jernberg, Karolinska Institutet
Recent headlines suggested that a common heart attack drug ‘doesn’t work’ and may be fatal for women. A cardiologist reviews the evidence.
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Heba Ghazal, Kingston University
Veterinary drug medetomidine spreads through illicit opioid supply.
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Justin Stebbing, Anglia Ruskin University
Recent headlines suggested that pregnancy-like food cravings or aversions are a telltale sign of cancer. An oncologist explains.
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Beth Nichol, Northumbria University, Newcastle
Is patient empowerment empowering everyone, or widening the health-inequality gap?
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