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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: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 24 2018, @02:50AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 24 2018, @02:50AM (#778004)

    I read it (I'm not the person you are responding to). I think the point is valid, research can be twisted to support whatever conclusion you want if you use the right assumption. Making broad generalizations, like "multivitamins are good" or "multivitamins are bad" or "multivitamins don't do anything" might depend on the assumptions and circumstances of their use.