In science, the word ‘theory’ has a very specific meaning that’s easy for nonscientists to misunderstand or misconstrue. Here’s what a theory must withstand to be accepted by the scientific community.
Academic rigour, journalistic flair
Articles on Evidence
Displaying 61 - 80 of 86 articles
Our need for unbiased, well-researched information has never been greater.
There are a few red flags to look out for when reading about new scientific discoveries that can help you spot dodgy or unreliable work.
Is forensic science an oxymoron? A new White House report suggests there are major issues with many of the forensic disciplines used to convict defendants of crimes in the U.S.
Modern science can be difficult or complex for one person to understand and verify, especially a non-scientist. So who should we believe when scientific evidence is met with denial?
There’s often limited evidence for many common types of surgery. Understanding what makes good evidence is the key to deciding what’s best for you.
Body-worn cameras may seem to be a boost for policing and criminal justice, but they raise a host of issues around admissibility, privacy and fairrness.
Pollen is all around us, is extremely durable and can provide clues about where someone’s been. A new genetic technique will make it easier to use pollen evidence in criminal investigations.
There’s a concern that images posted on social media run the risk of disrupting the accurate identification of people allegedly involved in a crime.
Forensic scientists should be encouraged to help detect patterns of behaviour in the incidents they investigate. This could lead to changes in the way some things are done and potentially save lives.
Without data, people don’t know what to believe or whom to trust. Empirical, thorough data collected by academics can help to fill important governance gaps.
When all the evidence points in one direction, people can quite happily go the other. Whether it’s Trump, Brexit or climate change.
Researchers and policymakers need to talk to each other. If they don’t, important research will merely gather dust and policies might do more harm than good.
Forensic scientists are trained to disprove claims. This sort of thinking is useful when you’re trying to make sense of “miracle cures”, “wonder drugs” and other fantastic claims.
Would you know if you were being asked a leading question?
The more knowledge we gather in our search for answers to the unknown, the more uncertainty we uncover. But that’s not a bad thing.
So much of modern life involves our digital devices – including crime. As the field of digital forensics gains prominence, practitioners need practical and ethical guidelines.
There’s a worrying lack of evidence for what works when it comes to drug treatment. And our addiction services are suffering as a result.
Beyond simply counting steps, fitness tracking technology creates personal black boxes that archive everything we do – even sleeping. So it’s not surprising to see that a Calgary law firm, representing…
Debunking myths requires an understanding of the psychological research into misinformation. But getting your refutation out in front of lots of eyeballs is a whole other matter. Here, I look at two contrasting…
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Top contributors
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Professor: Evidence-Informed Decision-Making, University of Johannesburg
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Senior researcher at the Africa Centre for Evidence, University of Johannesburg
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NHMRC Emerging Leader Research Fellow, University of Sydney
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University of Johannesburg
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Adjunct Associate Professor, University of New England
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Professor of Psychiatry, UNSW & Black Dog Institute, UNSW Sydney
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Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, UNSW Sydney
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Senior Research Fellow, Africa Centre for Evidence and Stockholm Environment Institute, University of Johannesburg
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Professor in Philosophy of Science, Durham University
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Emeritus Professor in Public Health, University of Sydney
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Professor, School of Biosciences & School of Historical and Philosophical Studies, The University of Melbourne
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Lecturer in Ecology, University of New England
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Associate Professor and Head of Decision Neuroscience Laboratory, The University of Melbourne
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Associate Professor in Astronomy, Monash University
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Senior lecturer, University of South Australia
