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Pandora's Lab: Seven Stories of Science Gone Wrong by Paul A. Offit - 4* - My Review

This book relates seven primary examples of where scientific discoveries were either deliberately or accidentally misinterpreted, leading to disasters. The title is a bit of a misnomer. It is not so much “science gone wrong” as people misunderstanding science or using it in inappropriate ways.

The author combines scientific information and history, providing examples of where science was used as a justification for doing some horrible things (e.g., eugenics, used in Hitler’s genocidal policies) or instances of acting on anecdotal evidence rather than going through the scientific process (e.g., lobotomies, which were never tested for safety). Often times, the people “leading the charge” were out to enhance their own image or were completely unqualified.

The final chapter cites important lessons we can learn from our historic mistakes. There are relevant lessons for today’s world, especially as we continue to battle the pandemic, and this chapter alone is worth reading. Those interested in the intersection of history and science will find this book engrossing.

“Science stands on two pillars: one more reliable than the other. The first pillar is peer review; before a paper is published, experts in the field review it. The process, unfortunately, is flawed. Not all experts are equal and sometimes bad data slip through. The second pillar saves the day: reproducibility…. Truths emerge when studies performed by different scientists working in different environments using different methods find similar results. Ignoring these truths can have disastrous consequences.”

Joy D wrote: "Pandora's Lab: Seven Stories of Science Gone Wrong by Paul A. Offit - 4* - My Review

This book relates seven primary examples of where scientific discoveries were e..."

This sounds really good, Joy. And as you said, very relevant right now. I have seen the title before and thought it would be about "happy little accidents" that turned out well. Your review actually makes it sound even more intriguing. Eugenics is such a sad subjects. I know it is often mentioned in relation to the Nazis, but, embarrassingly enough, it was largely driven by -- and introduced to the Nazis by -- some very prominent Americans, including Charles Lindbergh. Another book that you might enjoy is Imbeciles: The Supreme Court, American Eugenics, and the Sterilization of Carrie Buck.

Yes, it is topics such as opium, DDT, margarine, excess vitamin C, nitrogen extraction, lobotomies, e-cigarettes, and eugenics, where misunderstanding of science led to some very bad outcomes. As with every book on science it leads me to more questions and deeper reading on certain topics.