Understanding what a ‘control’ is can help you decide for yourself how insightful new studies are.
Articles on Observational study
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You may dismiss many behaviour changes as just a normal part of ageing. But it may be doggy dementia, or canine cognitive dysfunction.
How can something be bad for you one day, and good for you the next? This study highlights the problem of correlation and causation.
Images of wildfires are powerful, but can make climate catastrophe seem like something spectacular and distant. So some artists are focusing on the plants and bugs in our immediate surroundings.
Many anti-bullying programs in schools rely on witnesses to stand up to bullies. This is good in theory but an evaluation of such programs has found in some cases, interference can worsen the problem.
Lithium is present naturally in many water systems and was once considered an elixir. It has long been used to treat bipolar disorder, but researchers have also started exploring its role in dementia.
The randomised controlled trial is touted as the gold standard in medical research. But its controlled laboratory conditions are far removed from the messy realities of life.
The way sea lions swim is unique among fish and marine mammals. Their technique provides a biomechanical model to design agile underwater vehicles… but first we have to figure out how they do it.
Top contributors
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Assistant Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, George Washington University
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Health Services Researcher, The University of Melbourne
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Scientia Professor of Neuropsychiatry, Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA), School of Psychiatry, UNSW
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PhD Candidate, School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Adelaide University
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Provost Professor of Art History and English, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
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Associate Professor, School of Animal and Veterinary Science, Adelaide University
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Associate Professor, Epidemiology, Deakin University
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Karyn Healy is a Friend of The Conversation.
Honorary Principal Research Fellow in Psychology, The University of Queensland
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Assistant Research Professor of Health Policy and Administration, Penn State