From the Editors: Computational Science and Pathological Science

Abstract

Every now and then, a peculiar kind of news story appears about some scientific topic. On first reading, it looks like "startling new results” or "the answer to everything” about some perpetually hot topic, such as the age of the universe, the origin of mankind, or the best diet for a healthy life. One characteristic all these examples share is that they fade quickly, only to be replaced by a new ultimate answer. Sometimes rather than fading, the thrilling discovery has a second life in checkout line tabloids. A few of these items are hoaxes, some are merely consequences of over-enthusiasm about preliminary results, but many are honest mistakes carried to the point of pathology.