Pandora’s Lab
Seven Stories of Science Gone Wrong
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Pandora’s Lab
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Narrated by:
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Greg Tremblay
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By:
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Paul A. Offit MD
About this listen
What happens when ideas presented as science lead us in the wrong direction? History is filled with brilliant ideas that gave rise to disaster, and this book explores the most fascinating - and significant - missteps.
Pandora's Lab takes us from opium's heyday as the pain reliever of choice to recognition of opioids as a major cause of death in the United States; from the rise of trans fats as the golden ingredient for tastier, cheaper food to the heart disease epidemic that followed; and from the cries to ban DDT for the sake of the environment to an epidemic-level rise in world malaria.
These are today's sins of science - as deplorable as mistaken ideas from the past such as advocating racial purity or using lobotomies as a cure for mental illness. These unwitting errors add up to seven lessons both cautionary and profound, explained by renowned author and speaker Paul A. Offit. Offit uses these lessons to investigate how we can separate good science from bad, using as case studies some of today's most controversial creations: e-cigarettes, GMOs, and drug treatments for ADHD.
For every "Aha!" moment that should have been an "Oh no", this book is an engrossing account of how science has been misused disastrously - and how we can learn to use its power for good.
©2017 Paul A. Offit (P)2017 Blackstone Audio, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
What listeners say about Pandora’s Lab
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 22-11-21
Entertaining and truly fascinating
I’ve never written a review before but I just had to for this book! It was absolutely fascinating and I couldn’t wait for my commutes back home to listen to the next chapter! Highly recommend!!!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Midnight
- 21-01-23
Very interesting read, another book to re listen to. A lot to learn about science
It was easy to listen to , A compelling read which I will need to listen to again
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- JP
- 28-05-23
The.sciebtific method must triumph
Above all there must be reproducible experimental data behind any arguement. Wishful thinking, dogma, quack science must be held up to scrutiny.
The seven stories chosen here may not be the best ones to choose but each is thought provoking. Remember, if it seems too good to be true it probably is.
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- RegencyAddict
- 12-08-24
Extremely interesting
Despite growing up in the 1980s some of the misinformation around DDT and vitamins has made it into my mind. I found this book very enlightening and was pleased to hear about so many mixed inventions. I enjoyed the balance between the good and the bad facets. However I found the concluding paragraph at the end of each chapter confusing, I thought I'd rewound by accident, until I understood the style.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 20-08-24
Highly recommend
Fascinating collection of stories of mistakes made by scientists and their impact. Great mix of history and science.
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- Cian Hickey
- 09-11-21
You will fly through it. Excellent, real science.
Evidence based stories of our scientific mis-steps, and perfectly narrated. Kept my attention throughout, and fascinating topics combined with engaging writing make this one of the best science books I've read in ages.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- Reluctant Sceptic
- 16-11-21
Interesting listen. Some concern.
Very interesting with more detail than usual supplied for the chosen stories within each chapter. The last few though felt like a personal crusade to convince us big data is always right. Yes compared to limited data from autocratic scientists but not necessarily so when research grants paid out by large corporations may well be clouding a scientist’s objectivity.
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- Mrs. C. Moran
- 28-04-22
Don’t listen at night to chapter 5
Great listen however it does get a bit dark so night time listening is not recommended
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- tracey cardew
- 10-01-23
Pandora’s Lab
Very well written and thought provoking. The author clearly and authoritatively outlines the history and consequences of these scientific ideas.
Well worth the listen
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- Satan's Daughter
- 18-11-21
Another banger from the good doctor
This is the third book by Offit that I’ve read or listened to and it’s fantastic. Cautionary tales of science going wrong by an evangelist for science education. Narration wasn’t too bad except for names were mangled but that’s par for the course with audiobooks so only the butchering of Ypres (EE-pray here) in the Haber chapter which was repeated dozens of times ground my gears. Not enough to lose a star though.
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