Francis Collins has just taken over as the head of the NIH. There has been much (rightfully so) discussion of his evangelical christian thoughts in regards to science and what has come from his work. However, as weak as Collins' philosophical arguments are here, I want to touch an a horrifying trend I see coming down from on high (in other words from the director of NIH).
As recently noted at WEIT there seems to be the idea that "Big Science" is better than figuring shit-out-science. One of Collins big credentials was administering the NHGRI, which is a plus, no doubt. But science is more than generating data, even copious amounts of data sufficient to choke a rodent. As I noted in the WEIT comments, any primate (or well trained mammal) can generate copious data points. It is true scientists that figure out what these data points mean, if they mean anything. Thus, I leave you with a repost, while I get back to my day job of trying (desperately) to keep people gainfully employed.
Carbon Content in Dwarf Stars
1 week ago in Doc Madhattan