'Duh' science: Why researchers spend so much time proving the obvious

From the LA Times:
Accounts of "duh" research abound. There are studies showing that driving ability worsens in people with early Alzheimer's disease, that women who get epidurals experience less pain during childbirth than women who don't, that young men who are obese have lower odds of getting married than thinner peers, that making exercise more fun might improve fitness among teens.... Kyle Stanford, a professor of the philosophy of science at UC Irvine, thinks the professionalization of science has led researchers - who must win grants to pay their bills - to ask timid questions. Research that hews to established theories is more likely to be funded, even if it contributes little to knowledge.

For the full story, please visit http://www.latimes.com/health/la-sci-duh-20110529,0,725109.story

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