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1,964 facts in Science. Click any fact to see its full page.
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Complexity theory and chaos theory have challenged reductionism — showing that the whole can be more than the sum of its parts.
Naturalism holds that all phenomena have natural explanations — the supernatural is not invoked in science.
Scientism — the belief that science is the only valid way of knowing — is itself a philosophical claim, not a scientific one.
Emergence describes phenomena that arise in complex systems that cannot be predicted from their components alone.
The philosophy of measurement asks what it means to quantify something — measurement creates as much as it discovers.
The Duhem-Quine thesis holds that any theory can be defended by adjusting auxiliary assumptions — no single experiment can decisively refute a theory.
Scientific consensus is not equivalent to truth — but it represents the best current synthesis of evidence.
Inductive reasoning — drawing general conclusions from specific observations — is the foundation of empirical science.
Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are the gold standard for establishing causation — observational studies show correlation.
Science is a social enterprise — scientists' careers, funding, and reputations shape what research is produced.
Effect sizes matter more than p-values — a statistically significant result can have negligible practical importance.
Meta-analyses — pooling results from multiple studies — produce more reliable conclusions than any single study.
The law of large numbers ensures that as sample sizes grow, results approach the true population parameter.
Pre-registration — publicly stating hypotheses before collecting data — reduces selective reporting in research.
Science funding influences what questions get asked — industry-funded studies are more likely to produce results favorable to industry.
Publication bias — only positive results being published — skews our understanding of scientific evidence.
Peer review is not foolproof — high-profile fraudulent papers have been published in top journals.
P-hacking — manipulating analysis until results are statistically significant — is a major problem in research integrity.
Bayesian reasoning updates probability estimates as new evidence is incorporated — increasingly central to modern science.
The underdetermination thesis holds that multiple theories can explain the same data — experiment alone cannot resolve theory choice.
Science is not just a body of knowledge but a method — skepticism, replication, and revision are its core features.
Confirmation bias causes scientists, like everyone, to seek evidence supporting existing beliefs — peer review mitigates this.
The demarcation problem — distinguishing science from pseudoscience — has no universally agreed solution.
Occam's Razor — the principle of parsimony — states that among competing explanations, the simplest one should be preferred.
Thomas Kuhn described scientific progress as occurring through 'paradigm shifts' — not gradual accumulation.
Karl Popper argued that science is defined by falsifiability — a claim that cannot in principle be disproved is not scientific.
Volcanic ash can remain in the stratosphere for years — reducing global temperatures by 0.5–1°C.
The olfactory bulb in the brain processes smell — it connects directly to the limbic system, bypassing the thalamus.
Sneezes travel at up to 160 km/h and can release 40,000 droplets.
Negative externalities — costs imposed on third parties — are why markets sometimes overproduce pollution and underproduce public goods.
The stock market is not the economy — GDP measures economic output while stock prices reflect expectations of future profits.
The concept of 'human capital' — treating education and skills as economic assets — revolutionized labor economics.
The Gini coefficient measures income inequality from 0 (perfect equality) to 1 (one person has everything).
Behavioral finance shows that market participants are not fully rational — they exhibit systematic biases that affect prices.
Shadow banking — financial activity outside regulated banking — was a major driver of the 2008 financial crisis.
Modern monetary theory (MMT) argues that governments that issue their own currency can never 'run out of money.'
The Laffer curve illustrates that tax rates above a certain point actually reduce revenue — by discouraging activity.
The economic concept of 'deadweight loss' describes value destroyed by inefficient markets, taxes, or regulations.
You cannot catch a cold from being cold — colds are caused by viruses, not temperature.
The tongue does not have distinct zones for different tastes — the 'tongue map' is a mistranslation of a German study.
Shaving does not make hair grow back thicker — it just feels stubbly as the blunt ends grow out.
Humans did not evolve from chimpanzees — we share a common ancestor with them.
Cracking knuckles does not cause arthritis — it releases gas bubbles trapped in the synovial fluid.
Chewing gum does not take 7 years to digest if swallowed — it passes through within a few days.
Humans do not have only five senses — we have over 20, including proprioception, thermoception, and interoception.
Eating before swimming does not cause cramps — there's no medical evidence to support the 30-minute rule.
The idea that humans only use 10% of their brains is completely false — brain imaging shows all regions are active.
The virome — all viruses in and on the body — is as important to health as the bacterial microbiome, but far less studied.
Tardigrades can enter a state called cryptobiosis — essentially suspended animation — surviving radiation, vacuum, and extreme temperatures.
The microbiome of athletes differs significantly from sedentary people — they have higher levels of beneficial bacteria.