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Study "Proves" Parachutes Ineffective

posted by Fnord666 on Sunday December 23 2018, @03:55PM   Printer-friendly
from the Science-Interpretation-Guide dept.

An Anonymous Coward writes:

https://www.bmj.com/content/363/bmj.k5094

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2018/12/22/679083038/researchers-show-parachutes-dont-work-but-there-s-a-catch

A study has been done, and the surprising result is that parachutes are no more effective than a backpack in preventing injuries when jumping out of an airplane.

It's "common sense" that parachutes work, so it has been a neglected field of science. This surprising and counter-intuitive result is an excellent example of the importance of doing science.

... or maybe it's a perfect example of how top-line study headlines can be mis-representative, especially when portrayed by the mass-media, and how understanding study scope and methodology is important.

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  • (Score: 4, Funny) by Runaway1956 on Sunday December 23 2018, @08:37PM

    by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Sunday December 23 2018, @08:37PM (#777887) Journal

    In his version, the Gurkhas are told they’re to jump out at 300 feet, and the Havildar (sergeant) asks if they can jump closer to the ground, but it’s explained to him that any lower than 300ft won’t give their parachutes time to open. “Oh,” replies the Havildar, “so we get parachutes, eh?”

    That one reminds me of the joke about a Polack. He cut more wood in a day than any of his mates, until some of those mates started getting newfangled "chain saws". So, he went and bought himself a chain saw. The store salesman guaranteed that he would cut 2 to 3 times more wood in a day. Polack brought the saw back next day, and said he only cut a little more wood than cutting normally - something must be wrong with his saw. Salesman asked to see the saw, pulled the rope, and started it up. Polack steps back, and asks, "What's that noise?"

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