From New Scientist: 13 things that do not make sense (via "The Daily ACK").
My favorite is "The Kuiper cliff", mostly because the name is delightfully aliterative and science-fictiony sounding. So kind of NS to post their cover story online.
Posted by eric at March 21, 2005 02:54 PM
Comments
Note to self: Find a reason to use "delightfully alliterative" in a meaningful sentence...
Posted by: Alex at March 21, 2005 04:53 PM
You know what I wonder? Those placebo effects are via injection. Acupuncture is a very real and well-documented painkiller; it causes the release of endorphins (opiods). NS didn't link to articles, and I'm too lazy to chase down the journals, but I wonder if just a needlestick would have the same effect as saline.
Posted by: d2ana at March 21, 2005 05:28 PM
I thought the deal with the placebo effect was that it was causing (was was causing the brain to create) an actual chemical reaction that could be neutralized. The acupuncture is an interesting conjecture but I have a hard time believe the injections could have the same effect. (I'm under the impression you need more than just one, and precise locations, to have an impact.)
Posted by: Eric at March 21, 2005 06:39 PM