How Science Works: Meta-Research, Publishing, Reproducibility, Peer Review, Funding | John Ioannidis | 212

Send us a text Short Summary: A rare, insider’s look at the messy realities of scientific research with Stanford’s Dr. John Ioannidis. The good, the bad, and the ugly about how scientific research actually works. About the guest: John Ioannidis, MD, PhD is a professor at Stanford University in medicine, epidemiology, population health, and biomedical data science, with an MD from the University of Athens and a PhD from Harvard in biostatistics. He directs the Meta-Research Innovation Center a...

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Whether food, drugs or ideas, what you consume influences who you become. Learn directly from the best scientists & thinkers alive today about how your mind-body reacts to what you feed it.

The weekly M&M podcast features conversations with the most interesting scientists, thinkers, and technology entrepreneurs alive today.


Not medical advice.

At M&M, we are interested in trying to figure out how things work, not affirming our existing beliefs. We prefer consulting primary rather than secondary sources and independent rather than institutional voices. If we encounter uncomfortable truths or the evidence suggests unfashionable ideas may be valid, so be it.


As the host, my aim is to help you better understand how the body & mind work by curating & synthesizing information in a way that yields science-based insights that you can choose to use or disregard in your own life. Taking ownership of your health starts with taking ownership of your information diet.


I am motivated to connect the dots and distill general principles from what I learn, preferring to ask questions and play devil’s advocate to debating or incessantly pushing my own viewpoint.


My beliefs:


Sometimes modern discoveries teach us we must unlearn received wisdom. Other times, modern information overload & historical chauvinism cause us to forget ancient wisdom which stills applies. The framework for learning that I embody is inspired by three Ancient Greek maxims inscribed in the Temple of Apollo at Delphi:

  • “Γνῶθι σεαυτόν” (Know thyself)
  • “Μηδὲν ἄγαν” (Nothing in excess)
  • “Ἐγγύα πάρα δ Ἄτα” (Certainty brings insanity)