Last Week Tonight

Even though this characteristically witty reflection by John Oliver. It actually contains some important messages. In addition to poking fun at the way in which research is often reported by the tabloid media, it does not highlight the degree to which researchers need to be careful when reporting the outcomes of their research, the need to support or recognize replication work, and why we all need to be wary of the news headlines reporting of science.

The media has brought the news that chocolate is good for pregnancy, late-night snacking is bad for the brain, and the most hilarious thing is that if the fart is smelt, it could be a big deal preventing cancer.

(the study saying that smelling the fart can prevent cancer)

John Oliver is very much right about not believing everything we hear. As the scientists give out some random studies just because they are under constant pressure to come up with something new. John specifically says how there is a lot of bullshit currently masquerading as science. If you sifted through the report of the scientific studies on the topic, you may come up with a very clear conclusion. According to the media headlines, studies have suggested that coffee can cure or act as a prevention of many diseases. And coffee now is like 'God in the Old Testament'. It will either save you or kill you depending on how much you believe in it. 

(about how vaccines cause autism)

Science is supposed to make us more informed, but just as Oliver has stated the way new studies are presented in the media is often misinformed to the general public and leads some people to distrust research. That very perception can create mishappenings. It can lead people to believe that all science on climate change is false and the vaccines are all very much capable of causing the dreadful disease, autism, both of which is the false perception based on the studies. Oliver says how science is imperfect, and it has great importance too. But at the same time, it is well deserved than to be turned out to be a morning gossip show. 

This show is definitely worth watching right through to the end because Oliver hilariously manages to breakdown so many of the issues in science about p-hacking (means collecting a lot of variables a playing with your data until you find something that counts as statistically significant but it is completely meaningless), the pressure to publish new studies, dodgy journals, and the bias to make results seem positive and worth taking down notes on them, even when they are actually not. One of the most things that Oliver emphasized was that there was no Nobel Prize or any other reward given to people or scientists who do the fact-checking or recreating an already-come-up idea all over again but in a more advanced way. 

But while a lot of problems have to do with the way science is funded and published an even bigger part has to do with how the media reports on research that is far from a conclusion, for example, there was a study found that how champagne could prevent dementia, but it probably does not. But the actual truth is that all of his hype and contradiction actually have an incredibly damaging impact on trust in science changes its mind all the time or that everything causes cancer. And this leads to people losing faith in the scientific method in general. When one of the scientists says that you got to love your life in a way that you find the study which sounds best for you and get along with it, which indeed is so not true. Many of the research studies done and explained were all experimented on lab rats and not on humans so we do not actually have assurance for any of the studies on man. And as of the counter back Oliver for such a statement is that how in science you do not get in cherry-picking the parts that justify you were going to do anyway and Oliver called it has religion. 

(It was also said that drinking a glass of red wine is equal to hitting the gym for an hour)

What exactly Oliver delivered to us is as follows; firstly, a single study means nothing at all, there is more need for research in that field so that it can be confirmed as user friendly. Secondly, not all the time the statistics are true. Thirdly, the system is not up to the support for good science, as scientists have to support their own employment. Fourthly, even prestigious schools, most often exaggerate studies to make them look or sound so posh. It's like a game of telephone, the substance gets distorted at every step, says Oliver. For instance, from the show itself, the University of Maryland greatly exaggerated findings in some chocolate milk research. Lastly, the media often blows findings out of proportion. Reporters very rarely go through a study's methodology or warning or cautions, such as a small sample size. For example, one widely reported study that, it was found driving while dehydrated is just as driving while you are drunk. But the trial involved just 12 men a tiny sample size that was rarely mentioned in the headlines.

(News headlines reporting on dehydration consequences)

(Do a keen study on science before you believe anything just like that)

We should all stop getting your science news from outlets, studies do no prove things like that or actually anything at all. So, before you actually blindly believe anything and everything, we must make sure to give a careful reading about the same and then share the correct study with people.

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Source:(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Rnq1NpHdmw&t=281s, Last Week Tonight by John Oliver)