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An Introduction to Thinking Harder
Tweet Share on Facebook November 1, 2007 Comment (1)Perhaps you're wondering what this blog is going to be "about." I've been wondering the same thing. Here's my current thinking:
I tell stories that fall across the spectrum of science. As I explore topics of interest—whether DNA vaccines or prehistoric humans—I'll share whatever seems noteworthy or potentially useful. When I strike a vein of rich material, I tend to dig a little deeper. So I may visit and repeatedly revisit a topic before moving on.
In other words, I plan to make this space my public workshop, where pieces will be conceived, developed, and—with your input, I hope—either refined or discarded according to their journalistic merits. Some of what you find here may eventually end up in print in U.S.News & World Report. But much of it will be for your eyes only.
If taking a tour of a workshop doesn't sound like much fun, I hope you'll at least give it a chance. Some workshops—Constantin Brancusi's studio, for example—are worth visiting.
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Medical Trials Ignore this Placebo Effect
Tweet Share on Facebook October 30, 2007 Comment (5)A thought-provoking paragraph I read last weekend makes me wonder whether medical investigators are sometimes fooling themselves when they conclude that an experimental drug works better than a placebo.
