Science in the Hands of Scientists - The Meandering Path Toward Truth

Explore the complex interplay between scientific ideals and human factors in this thought-provoking panel discussion from the World Science Festival. Delve into the challenges faced by scientists in maintaining objectivity amidst external pressures, preconceptions, and biases. Examine how current research structures, funding mechanisms, and publication practices influence scientific exploration. Gain insights into the reproducibility crisis affecting certain research areas and its implications for scientific progress. Join experts as they dissect topics ranging from confirmation bias and grant writing to the role of journalism in science communication. Discover how the scientific method navigates the meandering path toward truth, balancing rigorous methodology with the inherent human element of its practitioners.

- Participant Introduction
- How do students learn to be scientists?
- Confirmation bias
- What is the job market like for new scientists?
- Confirmation bias and metricization in journalism
- Federal funding decline and impact on labs
- Role of publishing's effect on science
- The process of grant writing in science
- The influence of grants on conducted science
- Scientists lobbying Congress for funding
- How research funding in the US is different from the rest of the world
- What is Retraction Watch and scientific retraction?
- Falsification
- Structure of scientific paper
- Replicating other scientists work
- Importance of citation
- Are journalists the problem with science?
- What do scientists think about journalists
- Is scientific truth relative?
- Is there a way to incentivize the reproduction of scientific work?
- How important is the discussion section on a paper?