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Articles on Evidence

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False beliefs about language and speech underlie legal precedents that allow jurors to be “assisted” by unreliable transcripts of forensic audio. The Everett Collection/Shutterstock

Legal precedent based on false beliefs proves hard to overturn

Not all false beliefs arise from malicious misinformation. Some legal precedents rest on the status of everyday ‘common knowledge’, since shown to be false, but embedded in our law nonetheless.
There’s been an accident - but witness accounts will stray and lose accuracy over time. from www.shutterstock.com

Why we made iWitnessed, an app to collect evidence

Memories of events are notoriously unreliable - especially after some time has passed. Experts and police have developed an app to help the general public record evidence when it’s fresh.
Evidence isn’t always as straightforward as it might first seem. Mai Lam/The Conversation NY-BD-CC

Trust Me, I’m An Expert: Brain-zapping, the curious case of the n-rays and other stories of evidence

Brain-zapping, the curious case of the n-rays and other stories of evidence The Conversation, CC BY70.4 MB (download)
You've had an x-ray before but have you had an n-ray? Of course not, because they're not real. But people used to think they were. Today, on Trust Me, I'm an Expert, we're bringing you stories on the theme of evidence.
Dr. Karen Lindfors, a professor of radiology and chief of breast imaging at the University of California, Davis Medical Center, examines the mammogram of a patient. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

Routine mammograms do save lives: The science

The majority of research suggests the benefits of mammography screening greatly outweigh the harms for women over age 40.
Dozens of studies and numerous reviews have demonstrated the safety of vaccines. (Shutterstock)

Public health at risk when opinion trumps evidence

In an era when opinion often trumps evidence in public health issues, it’s time to support and invest in evidence-based medicine to protect the public from dangerous, poorly informed beliefs.
When lawyers submit forensic evidence in court, is there legit science to back it up? AP Photo/Pat Sullivan

Now who will push ahead on validating forensic science disciplines?

Forensics has a way to go before it’s a mature, academic science. Attorney General Jeff Sessions just terminated an independent commission charged with helping it get there.
There wouldn’t be statues acclaiming Darwin and his theory if it couldn’t stand up to decades of testing. CGP Grey

Scientific theories aren’t mere conjecture – to survive they must work

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.

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