4 ms·
> not a single big academic lab has managed to complete any sort of replication to date! They are still busy getting approvals from three layers of management
by huijzer 3y ago
> not a single big academic lab has managed to complete any sort of replication to date!
They are still busy getting approvals from three layers of management and one group of lawyers.
- DoctorOetker 3y agoCurrently out of office, will respond as soon as possible after Impostor Syndrome therapy session is over.
- toxik 3y agoDoesn’t ring true for me at all, academia is many things but if your supervisor is onboard, you can generally do anything.
- huijzer 3y agoOkay still stuck in peer review then
- brainwipe 3y agoFor journal publish, yes but not for doing the actual work. If you find something interesting, you can go fast.
- bglazer 3y agoNope you can just put a preprint out. Like it or not, academic labs are probably busy doing things like checking their data and doing multiple replicates varying conditions. You know, science.
- huijzer 3y agoYes, exactly. And getting approvals from three layers of management. You know, science. I'm pushing back against academia because I think the system is pretty much a mess. Academics believe that we got all the nice technological innovation because of academia. I think it is despite academia. Most money going there is just wasted on writing not what you think is right but what you think will be published, waiting for peer review, and other bureaucracy. The main problem is that academia works with the belief that science needs to be rigorous since bad science might damage their reputation. However, this is how governments think, but not how scientists should think! Would the world be a better place if any new website, company, or YouTuber should be reviewed by peers first? No. Just like science, these are strong link problems [1]. [1] https://www.experimental-history.com/p/science-is-a-strong-link-problem https://www.experimental-history.com/p/science-is-a-strong-l...
- bglazer 3y agoI’m in an academic lab right now. I have never once had to get approval from three levels of management to do any experiment, nor have I ever heard of anyone having to do that. I’m not even sure who would be three levels of “management” above me.
- willis936 3y agoIndeed. I've worked at two academic labs and one startup. The talent density at the startup is higher, but the academic labs were far scrappier and resourceful with limited resources. Venture capital makes people fat and lazy. They forget what it's like to operate on fumes.
- BaseballPhysics 3y agoI'm sorry but your facts don't comport with my preconceived notions so you are wrong prima facie.
- kjkjadksj 3y agoWho can do anything? Things cost money and money is usually already earmarked for other things. The labs that can engage with this have both some sort of a slush fund or another account appropriate to charge these fishing expeditions to, and also a post doc who somehow has plenty of time on their hands to drop everything they are doing and validate a dubious result.
- thepasswordis 3y agoDon’t forget the DEA. The reason the Varda team even took this long is because they couldn’t get red phosphorus.
- mikeyouse 3y agoYou just have to be registered / approved with the DEA — most labs are and can freely order phosphorus and almost other chemicals with no further burden. Seems like Varda didn’t have any prior use for restricted chemicals so they hadn’t registered yet, a not uncommon situation that will be quickly resolved for their next attempts I’m sure.
- TillE 3y agoIndeed, DEA-listed chemicals don't even require a DEA license, it's just a bit of paperwork for new buyers, so the DEA can later come and ask uncomfortable questions if they suspect your usage is not legitimate.