Scientific Conduct – PossibleThreat Articles

Tylenol in pregnancy linked to higher autism risk, Harvard scientists report

September 24, 2025 0 Comments Diseases and Conditions, Funding Policy, Healthy Aging, Personalized Medicine, Pregnancy and Childbirth, Public Health, Scientific Conduct, STEM Education

Researchers reviewing 46 studies found evidence linking prenatal acetaminophen (Tylenol) exposure with higher risks of autism and ADHD. The FDA has since urged caution, echoing scientists’ advice that the drug be used only at the lowest effective dose and shortest duration. While important for managing fever and pain in pregnancy, prolonged use may pose risks to fetal development. Experts stress careful medical oversight and further investigation.

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This surprising building material is strong, cheap, and sustainable

September 23, 2025 0 Comments Education and Employment, Environmental Policies, Environmental Science, Global Warming, Natural Disasters, Resource Shortage, Scientific Conduct, Sustainability

A team at RMIT University has created a cement-free construction material using only cardboard, soil, and water. Strong enough for low-rise buildings, it reduces emissions, costs, and waste compared to concrete. The lightweight, on-site process makes it ideal for remote areas, while its thermal properties naturally cool buildings. Researchers see it as a key step toward greener, more resilient architecture.

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Shocking study exposes widespread math research fraud

September 22, 2025 0 Comments Computer Programming, Computers and Internet, Markets and Finance, Mathematics, Political Science, Public Health, Scientific Conduct, STEM Education

A sweeping investigation has revealed widespread fraud in mathematics publishing, where commercial metrics and rankings have incentivized the mass production of meaningless or flawed papers. The study highlights shocking distortions—such as a university without a math department ranked as having the most top mathematicians—and the explosion of megajournals willing to publish anything for a fee.

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Scientists win Ig Nobel Prize for cracking the code to perfect cacio e pepe

September 22, 2025 0 Comments Educational Policy, Ethics, Popular Culture, Public Health, Religion, Scientific Conduct, Travel and Recreation, World Development

What started as a frustrating kitchen challenge turned into award-winning science: Fabrizio Olmeda and his colleagues scientifically decoded the secret of creamy cacio e pepe and earned the Ig Nobel Prize. Their research showed how starch can stabilize Pecorino into a smooth sauce, turning a culinary mystery into physics-driven perfection.

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Three-person DNA IVF stops inherited disease—eight healthy babies born in UK first

July 25, 2025 0 Comments Diet and Weight Loss, Eye Care, Fertility, Pregnancy and Childbirth, Public Health, Retail and Services, Scientific Conduct, STEM Education

In a groundbreaking UK first, eight healthy babies have been born using an IVF technique that includes DNA from three people—two parents and a female donor. The process, known as pronuclear transfer, was designed to prevent the inheritance of devastating mitochondrial diseases passed down through the mother’s DNA. The early results are highly promising: all the babies are developing normally, and the disease-causing mutations are undetectable or present at levels too low to cause harm. For families once haunted by genetic risk, this science offers more than treatment—it offers transformation.

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Women CEOs judged more harshly than men for corporate ethical failures

October 24, 2019 0 Comments Autism, Bioethics, Consumer Behavior, Consumerism, Ethics, Gender Difference, Racial Issues, Scientific Conduct

People are less likely to support an organization after an ethical failure if the business is led by a woman, according to a new study. However, organizations led by women endure less negative backlash for competence failures than those headed by men.

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Financial hardship in cancer: The role of health insurance literacy

October 17, 2019 0 Comments Diseases and Conditions, Economics, Health Policy, Personalized Medicine, Privacy Issues, Public Health, Scientific Conduct, Today's Healthcare

A new study links health insurance literacy with medical financial hardship as well as non-medical financial sacrifices among adult cancer survivors in the United States.

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Society is rejecting facts; medical researchers can help

October 16, 2019 0 Comments Depression, Educational Policy, Health Policy, K-12 Education, Medical Education and Training, Public Health Education, Schizophrenia, Scientific Conduct, STEM Education

Anecdotes, fake news and social media have created a skeptical and misinformed public who is rejecting the facts. A commentary says that medical researchers must help the public understand the rigorous process of science and help them to discern an anecdote from peer-reviewed scientific results. The best way to do this? By continuing to ensure integrity, rigor, reproducibility and replication of their science and to earn the public's trust by being morally responsible and completely free of any influences.

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Beyond the 'replication crisis,' does research face an 'inference crisis'?

October 10, 2019 0 Comments Biometric, Consumer Electronics, Dementia, Educational Policy, Engineering, Memory, Psychology, Scientific Conduct, surveillance

For the past decade, social scientists have been unpacking a 'replication crisis' that has revealed how findings of an alarming number of scientific studies are difficult or impossible to repeat. Efforts are underway to improve the reliability of findings, but cognitive psychology researchers say that not enough attention has been paid to the validity of theoretical inferences made from research findings.

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New CEOs can raise their social game to keep their jobs

October 10, 2019 0 Comments Artificial intelligence, Computers and Internet, Education and Employment, Educational Policy, Information Technology, Markets and Finance, Scientific Conduct, STEM Education

A new study shows that two key factors can make freshly appointed CEOs more vulnerable and raise the odds they'll get fired. The job security of a new CEO tends to suffer when the stock market reacts badly or when the previous CEO stays on as board chair, according to the study. But the study found that the new CEO can overcome these challenges with what researchers call ''social influence behaviors.''

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