One of the annoyances of modern life is the way in which highly technical studies in medical journals are reported in the media as though their practical relevance were immediate. Journalists who don’t grasp the nuances of the study’s conclusions and qualifications report that white wine may cause bladder cancer or too much oregano contributes to Alzheimer’s or newborns should always sleep facing down (or is it facing up?).
We can’t pin all the blame on journalists, either. As Richard Harris recently showed in his terrific book Rigor Mortis: How Sloppy Science Creates Worthless Cures, Crushes Hope, and Wastes Billions, scientists themselves often use faulty reasoning and sloppy experimentation to come up with what sound like headline-making discoveries that, on further examination, don’t mean a thing.
With all that in view, we pass along this item from NBC News:
Maybe there’s something to it. But if you’re nervous about that upcoming interview or boardroom presentation, we’d caution not to prep by ingesting cat poop. Or if it’s anxiety that’s keeping you from performing well or taking healthy risks, try a glass of wine. Not white wine, though. We hear that causes cancer.
