Dan and James discuss Zombie theories, which are scientific ideas that continue to live on in the absence of evidence. Why do these ideas persist and how do we kill them for good?
Some of the topics covered:
Why do some ideas live on?
Zombie theories in heart rate variability research
Reasons why zombie theories proliferate more in the social sciences
Attractiveness and simplicity
Theories become brands
Oxytocin zombie theories
The power of shaming
Ideas are corrected more quickly in smaller fields
James' new interest in Cow ECG
People using science as a weapon to open up hip pockets
How do we kill these zombies for good?
Manual vs. automated PubMed comments
What's the impact of paper retraction on future citations?
How do you correct the scientific record?
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