Why "Nothing" Matters in Science

MinuteEarth

Watch the music video for "The Idea" off the album Music For Scientists: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUyT94aGmbc Null results often get a bad rap, sometimes characterized as a study "finding nothing," but there's a lot we can learn from studies whose results fail to support their hypotheses. LEARN MORE ************** To learn more about this topic, start your googling with these keywords: Null result: a result in a scientific study that doesn’t support the hypothesis Premature birth: also known as preterm birth, is a birth that occurs before the 37th week of pregnancy XENON1T: a highly sensitive experiment to search for direct interactions of dark matter particles. It’s located deep under Italy’s Gran Sasso mountain at the Gran Sasso National Laboratory. SUPPORT MINUTEEARTH ************************** If you like what we do, you can help us!: - Become our patron: https://patreon.com/MinuteEarth - Share this video with your friends and family - Leave us a comment (we read them!) CREDITS ********* Julián Gustavo Gómez (@TheJulianGomez) | Script Writer, Narrator and Director Arcadi Garcia i Rius (@garirius) | Illustration, Video Editing and Animation Aldo de Vos (Know Art) | Music MinuteEarth is produced by Neptune Studios LLC https://neptunestudios.info OUR STAFF ************ Sarah Berman • Arcadi Garcia i Rius David Goldenberg • Julián Gustavo Gómez Melissa Hayes • Alex Reich • Henry Reich Peter Reich • Ever Salazar • Kate Yoshida OUR LINKS ************ Youtube | https://youtube.com/MinuteEarth TikTok | https://tiktok.com/@minuteearth Twitter | https://twitter.com/MinuteEarth Instagram | https://instagram.com/minute_earth Facebook | https://facebook.com/Minuteearth Website | https://minuteearth.com Apple Podcasts| https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/minuteearth/id649211176 REFERENCES ************** The importance of no evidence. Nat Hum Behav 3, 197 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-019-0569-7 Jena, A. B. (2017, November 10). 'Null' research findings aren't empty of Meaning. Let's publish them. Retrieved March 19, 2021, from https://www.statnews.com/2017/11/10/null-research-findings/ Maloni, Judith A. “Lack of evidence for prescription of antepartum bed rest.” Expert review of obstetrics & gynecology vol. 6,4 (2011): 385-393. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3226811/ Matosin N, Frank E, Engel M, Lum JS, Newell KA. Negativity towards negative results: a discussion of the disconnect between scientific worth and scientific culture. Dis Model Mech. 2014 Feb;7(2):171-3. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24713271/ Miller-Halegoua, Suzanne M. “Why null results do not mean no results: negative findings have implications for policy, practice, and research.” Translational behavioral medicine vol. 7,2 (2017): 137. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5526820/ Mlinarić, Ana, Martina Horvat, and Vesna Šupak Smolčić. "Dealing with the positive publication bias: Why you should really publish your negative results." Biochemia medica 27.3 (2017): 447-452. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5696751/ W David Crews, Jr, David W Harrison, James W Wright, A double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial of the effects of dark chocolate and cocoa on variables associated with neuropsychological functioning and cardiovascular health: clinical findings from a sample of healthy, cognitively intact older adults, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Volume 87, Issue 4, April 2008, Pages 872–880, https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/87.4.872 Zhao, L. (2017, December 29). When null results produce important science. Retrieved March 19, 2021, from https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/when-null-results-produce-important-science/