4 ms·

Why many studies wrongly claim it's healthy to drink a little alcohol

8 points by janandonly 2y ago

rhelz 2y ago
It is little wonder that, when COVID came, nobody believed anything the scientists were saying.
- sickofparadox 2y ago
  I feel like the industry of science journalism and its need to blow studies out of proportion are more to blame than the scientists themselves. On HN you'll often see people say "in mice" in the comments of an article that purports a major drug breakthrough. The breathless, best-case-scenario way that many outlets report on even the smallest study, while glossing over important details and failing to couch language properly lead to normal people getting mentally jerked around by an endless stream of articles about red wine, coffee, meat, and every other somewhat nuanced dietary issue. The same problem proliferates in every aspect of research reporting that requires more than an ounce of nuance to describe properly.
- IndySun 2y ago
  The El Pais (and NYT, I think) article, detailed with very snazzy graphics, on the 'science' of mask wearing during Covid convinced me to wear one - I have to say, against my better judgement. The upshot is mask wearing is not so robust, basically. We, I mean any and everyone, can be so easily fooled when wrong information comes from the right source.
k310 2y ago
I reached my article limit, so it looks like I'll have some wine with dinner, hope for the best, and clear browser cookies. After dinner.
- xolox 2y ago
  If you make a bookmarklet to look up the current page on archive.is you'll never have this problem again :-). Here's the link for this article: https://archive.is/9QF2j https://archive.is/9QF2j
  - k310 2y ago
    Thanks. I use the archive a lot, and I’ll try a bookmarklet. Just couldn’t resist the irony of a “health” article being soft-paywalled. And IIRC, some graphics don’t render in some archived pages. A lot of people are on the losing side of the digital divide, and no doubt need some information more than the tech-savvy or those who can afford the many subscriptions. Just like cable tv did, there’s no picking and choosing. Unless you go the clandestine route (this is not an endorsement) then it’s a raft of subscriptions to get what you want. I thought that micropayments would open up the web, silly me. And that those inflated monopolistic fees that ISP’s charge would buy a bunch of tokens for “premium” content. What’s more mind-boggling is paying for scientific papers that are readily available at arxiv or at university sites. Oh well, now you know why I wanted (and needed) a chuckle this morning. Have a sip with dinner, and read the article after dinner.

8 points by janandonly 2y ago

rhelz 2y ago

It is little wonder that, when COVID came, nobody believed anything the scientists were saying.

sickofparadox 2y ago
I feel like the industry of science journalism and its need to blow studies out of proportion are more to blame than the scientists themselves. On HN you'll often see people say "in mice" in the comments of an article that purports a major drug breakthrough. The breathless, best-case-scenario way that many outlets report on even the smallest study, while glossing over important details and failing to couch language properly lead to normal people getting mentally jerked around by an endless stream of articles about red wine, coffee, meat, and every other somewhat nuanced dietary issue. The same problem proliferates in every aspect of research reporting that requires more than an ounce of nuance to describe properly.
IndySun 2y ago
The El Pais (and NYT, I think) article, detailed with very snazzy graphics, on the 'science' of mask wearing during Covid convinced me to wear one - I have to say, against my better judgement. The upshot is mask wearing is not so robust, basically. We, I mean any and everyone, can be so easily fooled when wrong information comes from the right source.

k310 2y ago

I reached my article limit, so it looks like I'll have some wine with dinner, hope for the best, and clear browser cookies. After dinner.

xolox 2y ago
If you make a bookmarklet to look up the current page on archive.is you'll never have this problem again :-). Here's the link for this article: https://archive.is/9QF2j https://archive.is/9QF2j
- k310 2y ago
  Thanks. I use the archive a lot, and I’ll try a bookmarklet. Just couldn’t resist the irony of a “health” article being soft-paywalled. And IIRC, some graphics don’t render in some archived pages. A lot of people are on the losing side of the digital divide, and no doubt need some information more than the tech-savvy or those who can afford the many subscriptions. Just like cable tv did, there’s no picking and choosing. Unless you go the clandestine route (this is not an endorsement) then it’s a raft of subscriptions to get what you want. I thought that micropayments would open up the web, silly me. And that those inflated monopolistic fees that ISP’s charge would buy a bunch of tokens for “premium” content. What’s more mind-boggling is paying for scientific papers that are readily available at arxiv or at university sites. Oh well, now you know why I wanted (and needed) a chuckle this morning. Have a sip with dinner, and read the article after dinner.