In a double-blind study, neither the participants nor the researchers know who receives which treatment. Blinding helps to prevent false conclusions. They may be free of bias, but double-blind experiments pose some serious technical challenges (see above). (37 words)
Maddie Dai
Maddie Dai is one of my favorite New Yorker cartoonists (Instagram: @maddiedai). When this science-themed cartoon appeared in the December 18th, 2023 issue of the magazine, I reached out to Maddie and she said I could share it here.
While putting together this post, I remembered a cartoon I drew in 2018. It also deals with the aftermath of an unexpected result in the lab.
Here are more of Maddie’s wonderful cartoons from The New Yorker. No one is better than Maddie at showing wide-eyed (and sometimes misguided) enthusiasm. See more of her work and order signed prints from her website.