On The Same Page discussion

The poll winner for the second quarter NF read is Pandora's Lab: Seven Stories of Science Gone Wrong.

Dates -- April 1, 2023-June 30, 2023.

***Note -- if you are an Audible Plus member, the audio of this book is currently free.***

What happens when ideas presented as science lead us in the wrong direction?

History is filled with brilliant ideas that gave rise to disaster, and this book explores the most fascinating—and significant—missteps: from opium's heyday as the pain reliever of choice to recognition of opioids as a major cause of death in the U.S.; from the rise of trans fats as the golden ingredient for tastier, cheaper food to the heart disease epidemic that followed; and from the cries to ban DDT for the sake of the environment to an epidemic-level rise in world malaria.

These are today's sins of science—as deplorable as mistaken past ideas about advocating racial purity or using lobotomies as a cure for mental illness. These unwitting errors add up to seven lessons both cautionary and profound, narrated by renowned author and speaker Paul A. Offit. Offit uses these lessons to investigate how we can separate good science from bad, using some of today's most controversial creations—e-cigarettes, GMOs, drug treatments for ADHD—as case studies. For every "Aha!" moment that should have been an "Oh no," this book is an engrossing account of how science has been misused disastrously—and how we can learn to use its power for good.

I just downloaded it from Audible! This looks like it’s right up my alley!

Mine too! I’m looking forward to it.

I finished the audio version, and it was really interesting. I thought his choices of the top 7 were good ones, although if I sat and thought about it for awhile, I'm sure there are many more examples of this. Some of this was downright scary; it makes me think harder about following some current medical guidelines without looking into the facts. I remember eating nothing but margarine when I was a kid, and my mom telling me how much healthier that was than butter. More recently, I have read conflicting things about statins. I looked into it a bit more and made the decision to go off of them after I experienced side effects.

Agreed, Jami -- I just finished this and it was fascinating. But it also makes me question things that at this point are considered to be X and wonder which ones will turn out later to have been Y all along.

Jennifer wrote: "Agreed, Jami -- I just finished this and it was fascinating. But it also makes me question things that at this point are considered to be X and wonder which ones will turn out later to have been Y ..."

I guess it goes to show that you need to do your own research, educate yourself and make decisions based on what you think is best for you.

Thanks for the Audible being free right currently. Now to just start listening to it!

I think you'll like it, Jackie -- it's fascinating and well written.

I finished this a bit ago - I agree it was worth reading. It was interesting and pretty well written. So true on doing your own research, but so weird how much the science and communication could be affected by the times and sometimes even just faith in a certain person. All of that would interfere with researching and drawing your own conclusions also. This book just reinforced my feelings regarding the importance of always being open to learning. Overall, I am glad I read it.