A replication of a 2023 neuroscience study on brain entrainment and learning found that the original effect likely doesn't exist, revealing how the study obscured key issues through statistical averaging and highlighting how AI tools are democratizing scientific scrutiny. Longer summary

Sasha Putilin received an ACX grant to replicate a 2023 study claiming that flickering lights synchronized to individual brain rhythms could boost learning speed threefold. The $32,000 replication with 12 participants (versus 80 in the original) found no such effect. Upon examining the original data more closely, Putilin discovered the apparent effect was driven entirely by a few participants with large negative learning rates (getting worse over time) who happened to all be in one experimental group. The original study had obscured this pattern by presenting averaged data rather than individual results. Putilin argues this exemplifies 'cargo-cult statistics' where researchers mechanically apply statistical rituals without critically examining underlying data. The post concludes by suggesting AI tools are democratizing meta-science, enabling anyone to audit published research that previously required expert-level effort. Shorter summary

A detailed review of a 1995 paper introducing the PDAPP mouse model for Alzheimer's disease, examining how its limitations were overlooked and shaped decades of potentially misguided Alzheimer's research. Longer summary

The post reviews a landmark 1995 paper introducing the PDAPP mouse model for Alzheimer's disease, analyzing how its technical achievements and limitations shaped three decades of Alzheimer's research. The author examines the paper's methodology, results, and claims, showing how the model's flaws - including extreme protein overexpression and lack of key disease features - were overlooked in favor of a compelling but incomplete amyloid cascade hypothesis, leading to years of failed drug development and missed opportunities to explore alternative approaches. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander explores the ethics of using Sci-Hub, introducing 'Dark Rule Utilitarianism' to argue that pirating scientific papers could be ethical despite being illegal. Longer summary

Scott Alexander discusses the ethics of using Sci-Hub, a website for pirating scientific papers. He presents arguments for and against its use, ultimately concluding that it might be ethical. He argues that while piracy can harm industries like movies, destroying the scientific journal industry through piracy could be beneficial due to its rent-seeking nature. Scott introduces the concept of 'Dark Rule Utilitarianism' to justify this stance. He then explores the broader implications of civil disobedience, using a metaphor of a magic artifact that enforces laws to different degrees across latitudes. He concludes that some level of civil disobedience can be beneficial for society, helping to dissolve inadequate equilibria. Shorter summary

A collection of interesting links from March 2014 covering science, politics, law, religion and culture, with Scott's commentary on each. Longer summary

This is a links post collecting various interesting articles and curiosities from March 2014. It covers a wide range of topics including scientific publishing scandals, police body cameras, religious interpretation, legal oddities, and cultural debates. The post maintains a light, humorous tone while sharing these varied items, often adding Scott's own commentary or observations. The links are diverse, ranging from serious studies about inequality and police behavior to humorous items like unusual legal cases and internet memes. Shorter summary