There are a lot of things to consider when examining rigor mortis to make any conclusive statements about a death. Apr 01, 2017 how sloppy science creates worthless cures and wastes billions. Speaking of rigor mortis, did you know that rigor mortis, the postmortem stiffening of the body, comes and goes. Richard harris is one of the nations mostcelebrated science journalists, covering science, medicine, and the environment for twentynine years for npr, and the threetime winner of the aaas. In his new book, npr reporter richard harris picks through a problem that may corrode the future fortunes of health research if it isnt fixed. Explanation about the process of rigor mortis the amateurs. How sloppy science creates worthless cures, crushes hope, and wastes billions harris, richard on. The book covers the biomedicine reproducibility crisis many studies cant be reproduced in other labs, often due to lack of rigor, hence the. How sloppy science creates worthless cures, crushes hope, and. A new book from npr s richard harris explores what to do about it.
Richard harris, rigor mortis, dave levitan, not a scientist, and meredith wadman, the vaccine race, talked about science literacy. What will the university of illinois plans for a new innovation complex in chicagos south loop mean for the state. That was a real eyeopener, says harris, whose new book rigor mortis. Apr 06, 2017 that was a real eyeopener, says harris, whose new book rigor mortis. The book covers the biomedicine reproducibility crisis many studies cant be reproduced in other labs, often due to lack of rigor, hence the book s title. Apr 05, 2017 a new book from nprs richard harris explores what to do about it.
How sloppy science creates worthless cures, crushes hope, and wastes billions explores the ways even some talented. By some estimates, half of the results from these studies. How sloppy science creates worthless cures, crushes hope, and wastes billions by richard harris. How sloppy science creates worthless cures, crushes hope, and wastes billions basic books, 2017.
I have long enjoyed his reports on npr hes been there since 1986, and this book read like a multiweek expose on the entire field of biomedical research and drug development. I quickly discovered that biomedicine was suffering from deep structural problems, which are helping to drive whats been dubbed the reproducibility crisis. Npr s longtime science correspondent reflects on some of his career highlights, and discusses his new book rigor mortis, which looks at some of the flaws in biomedical research. How sloppy science creates worthless cures, crushes hope, and wastes billions basic books.
Aug 02, 2018 npr science journalist richard harris talks about his book, rigor mortis. Npr science fridays best science books list challenges. Deggans, the author of the 2012 book racebaiter, was previously with the tampa bay times for two decades. Why bad science is plaguing health research and how to fix.
How sloppy science creates worthless cures, crushes hope, and wastes billions is npr correspondent richard harris attempt to bring awareness to the very poor science that he sees as dominating the biomedical field today. An essential book to understanding whether the new miracle cure is good science or simply too good to be true. How sloppy science creates worthless cures, crushes hope and wastes billions. This book reads like a long npr story, so it would probably make a great audiobook.
The book is a general survey of common research practices which are not being followed, or of research practices which are being followed despite proven shortcomings, by many scientists and laboratories conducting biomedical studies. How flawed science is undermining good medicine wbur news. This book pulls together in one place a lot of disparate information. Buy featured book title the death class subtitle a true story about life. It is one of the recognizable signs of death, characterized by stiffening of the limbs of the corpse caused by chemical changes in the muscles postmortem. Nprs richard harris discusses his career, new book.
Dec 16, 2009 rigor mortis is a thrash metal band that formed in 1983. I knew from the outset that i wanted to explore the various reasons behind the lack of rigor in biomedical research, starting with dubious ingredients, and including unconscious bias, poor use of statistics and the perverse incentives in biomedicine right now driven by the struggle for funding. Npr science journalist richard harris talks about his book, rigor mortis. Why bad science is plaguing health research and how to fix it. Rigor mortis effectively illustrates what can happen when a convergence of social, cultural, and scientific forces, as well as basic human motivation, conspires to create a real crisis of confidence in the research process. Hes covered a wide range of topics from medicine to the environment, and hes traveled to all seven continents. Two schoolmates harden harrison drums and casey orr bass formed the band when they met mike scaccia guitar. Why is it that so many nonfiction books these days have a short, dramatic title. Rigor mortis a noisepop group from cincinnati, oh, wussy balances femalemale vocal dynamics with raw guitar riffs and staccato drumbeat patterns.
How sloppy science creates worthless cures, crushes hope, and wastes. Rigor mortis explores the depth and scope of the problem. Harris reveals these urgent issues with vivid anecdotes, personal stories, and interviews with the nations top biomedical researchers. The process is a valuable tool to death investigations, as studying the stage of rigor mortis of the body greatly narrows down the time frame of death. An essential book to understanding whether the new miracle cure is good. Richard harris titled his book rigor mortis, referring to the stiffening of the body after death, to convey that biomedical. Jul 24, 2017 richard harris is a longtime, wellregarded science reporter for national public radio, so one has to wonder how he or the publisher came up with the title of his new book on the current state of biomedical science.
Science rigor mortis is rife with examples of things that go awry in medical studies, how they happen, and how they can be avoided and fixed. This book reads like a long npr story, so it would probably make a great audiobook, except that i wouldnt recommend listening to it in the car. It looks at causes, including the brutal competition for funding which drives scientists to do whats best for their careers rather than whats best for science. Too many scientists were chasing too little funding. Npr science correspondent richard harris unveils the. Npr correspondent, a bay area native, to speak at uc davis. Rigor mortis hardcover how sloppy science creates worthless cures, crushes hope, and wastes billions. How sloppy science creates worthless cures, crushes hope. Npr s richard harris warns of shoddy science in rigor mortis. The lack of rigor in biomedical research share with friends. How sloppy science creates worthless cures, crushes hope, and wastes billions is a brandnew book by the highly revered npr science writer richard harris. In humans, rigor mortis can occur as soon as four hours after death. Rigor mortis is written by richard harris, a threetime winner of the aaas science journalism award. How sloppy science creates worthless cures, crushes hope and wastes billions, presents the storer lecture on wednesday, oct.
The book covers the biomedicine reproducibility crisis many studies cant be reproduced in other labs, often due to lack of rigor, hence the books title. Rigor mortis effectively illustrates what can happen when a. Jul 20, 2017 richard harris is one of the nations mostcelebrated science journalists, covering science, medicine, and the environment for twentynine years for npr, and the threetime winner of the aaas. Why bad science is plaguing health research and how to. While the title suggests a macabre narrative thread, rigor mortis is actually a pun on the lack of rigor. Oct 20, 2017 npr s longtime science correspondent reflects on some of his career highlights, and discusses his new book rigor mortis, which looks at some of the flaws in biomedical research. Richard harris is a science correspondent for npr with seven videos in the cspan video library. Richard harris has served as a science journalist with national public radio npr for the past 30 years. Richard harris, npr science reporter, argues in this book that yes, diminishing returns is creating real problems for science. How effective could a new treatment for als be when it failed to cure even the mice it was initially tested on. In this process, cadaver temperature decreases gradually by convection, radiation, conduction, and fluid evaporation myburgh, 2010 until it reaches an equilibrium with the environment often after 1820 h fisher, 2004. This discussion was part of the virginia festival of the book.
Read an excerpt from rigor mortis about how poorly designed. Jun 05, 2017 i started this book bristling at the schlocky subtitle. His motley collection of anecdotes is readable, enlightening and ultimately inspiring for its profiles of the diverse obsessives striving for reform. Richard harris is a distinguished science writer who has been reporting on npr s flagship news programs for more than 30 years. Financial times rigor mortis effectively illustrates what can happen when a convergence of social, cultural, and scientific forces, as well as basic human motivation, conspires to create a real crisis of confidence in the research process. Plus, we talk to npr s richard harris about his new book, rigor mortis. How sloppy science creates worthless cures, crushes hope, and wastes billions. How sloppy science creates worthless cures, crushes hope and. Bringing rigor back to health research science friday. I wrote it in my first extended break from npr in nearly 30 years. In his new book rigor mortis, the npr science reporter richard harris dissects how the modern practice of biomedicine encourages unreliable results. It explores the scope some say half of all published findings are false.
Algor mortis is applicable largely up to 24 h after death mathur and agrawal, 2011. He explains how competition for funding and a pressure to publish breakthrough research at a rapid pace are undermining advances in treating cancer, als, and other diseases. Rigor mortis was a finalist for the 2018 national academy of scienceskeck communication award. In 2014, he turned his attention back to biomedical research and came to realize how the field was suffering. How sloppy science creates worthless cures, crushes hope, and wastes billions, in which he reports on the challenges facing the field of. In rigor mortis, awardwinning science journalist richard f.
A large crowd is expected when npr science correspondent richard harris of washington, d. Rigor mortis by richard harris sloppy science financial times. The title of this book is a morbid wordplay about the death of rigor in biomedical research. Later, bloating from bacteria associated with decomposition may cause the body to shift a bit, but sitting up. This phenomenon related to rigor mortis is known as a cadaveric spasm.
Nprs richard harris warns of shoddy science in rigor mortis. Nprs longtime science correspondent reflects on some of his career highlights, and discusses his new book rigor mortis, which looks at. Awardwinning journalist richard harris has reported on a wide range of topics in science, medicine and the environment since he joined npr in 1986. Plus, we talk to nprs richard harris about his new book, rigor mortis. An awardwinning science journalist reports that research in the biomedical sciences is too often guilty of wasting time and money and, worse than that, actually slowing scientific progress and misinforming the public. Richard harris is an npr science journalist and author of rigor mortis. Science harris makes a strong case that the biomedical research culture is seriously in need of repair. How sloppy science creates worthless cures and wastes. Pressure to publish leads to shoddy science and bad.