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Who's the Scientist Now, Bitch?

edited December 2010 in Flamewars
http://fliptomato.wordpress.com/2007/03/19/medical-researcher-discovers-integration-gets-75-citations/

TL:DR; Medical researcher didn't know calculus. Discovered integration on their own. Wrote a paper. Was cited many times by others who also did not know calculus. These are the people that are conducting real medical research. High school calculus students are more scientists than these people.
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Comments

  • Herp derp derp derp.
    Oh come on. Random Comments thread. Seriously.
  • Oh come on. Random Comments thread. Seriously.
    That's where the whole "scientist" shit got started.
  • This is the danger of narrow focus without some classical education covering adjoining and even likely unrelated fields. Crossover experts (with more than one expertise) are often more valuable than even brilliant single-field researchers from a practical perspective.

    However, statistics and maths are pretty integral to biology (I did more math in AP Biology than I did in my math classes in high school). As a result, this scares me.
  • Oh come on. Random Comments thread. Seriously.
    That's where the whole "scientist" shit got started.
    I don't think the random comments thread is the place for anything to get started. If you start something in there, bust it out.
  • edited December 2010
    TL:DR; Medical researcher didn't know calculus. Discovered integration on their own. Wrote a paper. Was cited many times by others who also did not know calculus. These are the people that are conducting real medical research. High school calculus students are more scientists than these people.
    Just a heads-up, it was caught and commented on by at least 4 authors.

    The 75 people who cited his study were probably just lazy. However, just citing an article doesn't tell you much; you need to look at how the citation was used.

    But yeah, that guy was a dumbass.
    However, statistics and maths are pretty integral to biology (I did more math in AP Biology than I did in my math classes in high school). As a result, this scares me.
    Depends on the field. Population statistics are far more useful to most applied research than any other math.
    Post edited by TheWhaleShark on
  • Also, the paper is from 1994. Sixteen years is a long time for something like this to get 75 citations. If it had 75 in a single year, I'd worry a lot more.
  • http://fliptomato.wordpress.com/2007/03/19/medical-researcher-discovers-integration-gets-75-citations/

    TL:DR; Medical researcher didn't know calculus. Discovered integration on their own. Wrote a paper. Was cited many times by others who also did not know calculus. These are the people that are conducting real medical research. High school calculus students are more scientists than these people.
    Well, as a Biology student who hopes to go into practical medicine (read: actual doctor) I really must facepalm at this asshole and all the assholes that cited him. I fail to grasp calculus, fail to see it's application to my chosen profession, and I still wonder how the fuck he got his degree.
  • That paper is from 16 years ago, by the way.
    Crossover experts (with more than one expertise) are often more valuable than even brilliant single-field researchers from a practical perspective.
    Well, this is why we collaborate. "I need to find the area under a curve. I know, I'll ask my mathematician friend." This guy didn't do that and got caught as a result.
  • edited December 2010
    Also, the paper is from 1994. Sixteen years is a long time for something like this to get 75 citations. If it had 75 in a single year, I'd worry a lot more.
    That paper is from 16 years ago, by the way.
    Then why is it still being cited?
    Post edited by Andrew on
  • I can safely say I would never have seen this if it were in the random comments thread, b/c that one is just too damn long and I don't have time to keep up with every single thread.

    To the topic at hand: facepalm.
  • IDEA: Write new papers about very old and widely known things with new names. For example, write a paper about the ideal gas law, but call it Rubin's law. Any scientists that fall in the trap, and don't realize it's the ideal gas law, they get the chair. The COMFY CHAIR.
  • THE BIG COMFY CHAIR

    image
  • I can safely say I would never have seen this if it were in the random comments thread
    I ignore all long and non-focused threads.
  • I can safely say I would never have seen this if it were in the random comments thread
    I ignore all long and non-focused threads.
  • I can safely say I would never have seen this if it were in the random comments thread
    I ignore all long and non-focused threads.
    I am of the same mindset but I do kinda enjoy the boo-yah/fail of your boo-yah ones even though they are long and unfocused. For a long time I avoided them but then I started to, and since it's all mostly personal stuff it helped a ton in learning who everyone is on these forums. I did let the "fail of your day" one get away from me, though, and who wants to go trudge through 400 posts of bad news. Probably just skip 'em all one day and start fresh.
  • Those threads are just a local twitter of sorts; a quick serotonin rush for the novelty-addicted.
  • I did let the "fail of your day" one get away from me, though, and who wants to go trudge through 400 posts of bad news. Probably just skip 'em all one day and start fresh
    It's cool. It's mostly all George Patches and his poo poo anyways.
    For a long time I avoided them but then I started to, and since it's all mostly personal stuff it helped a ton in learning who everyone is on these forums
    This is why I generally tend to read most of these. I actually have a decent knowledge of most of the active users on this forum, even though I have only met a handful of them.
  • edited December 2010
    Those threads are just a local twitter of sorts; a quick serotonin rush for the novelty-addicted.
    I would note that Rym and Scott have both posted in the random thread more than most people here ;-p
    Post edited by Apreche on
  • I would note that Rym and Scott have both posted in the random thread more than most people here ;-p
    Yeah. But I skip most of the posts.
  • I would note that Rym and Scott have both posted in the random thread more than most people here ;-p
    Yeah. But I skip most of the posts.
    I read it at the beginning, and again for a short period, but now I'm done with it.
  • edited December 2010
    Just saying. I'm not saying your mom is a whore, she just has sex for money.

    //Note, There are times when being engaged to someone who is using Your Mom has a handle on this forum makes these kind of jokes dangerous.
    Post edited by Cremlian on
  • Um... since when is knowing calculus a pre-requisite for employing the scientific method? High school calc students do nothing in their calc class that involves science. Calc is a tool to be employed in science, but is not necessary for many, many things. So, Scott, your basic premise does not logically follow from the facts you presented.

    Who's the logistician now, bitch?
  • edited December 2010
    Um... since when is knowing calculus a pre-requisite for employing the scientific method? High school calc students do nothing in their calc class that involves science. Calc is a tool to be employed in science, but is not necessary for many, many things. So, Scott, your basic premise does not logically follow from the facts you presented.

    Who's the logistician now, bitch?
    I think he was merely showing that a person who is apparently a scientist "discovering" an application of calculus that is already known, and other so-called scientists citing him as the discoverer of said method do not deserve to hold those degrees they had to have earned.
    Post edited by Jack Draigo on
  • Um... since when is knowing calculus a pre-requisite for employing the scientific method? High school calc students do nothing in their calc class that involves science. Calc is a tool to be employed in science, but is not necessary for many, many things. So, Scott, your basic premise does not logically follow from the facts you presented.

    Who's the logistician now, bitch?
    Someone who is doing medical research should know how to find the area under a curve by integration. It's as simple as that.
  • Any scientist should at least know what calculus is, even if they can't apply or understand it much beyond that.
  • Man, I used to know all this calculus stuff.
  • Man, I used to know all this calculus stuff.
    Man, I attended calculus parties.

    /not joking.
  • must.... not make.... bad math jokes....

    I can't hold back!

    over heard at calculus party: "Hey baby, I wish I was your integral because then I'd be the area under all your curves"
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