Dan Sadler

Dan Sadler

Do we need to reclaim the hypothesis?

Do we need to reclaim the hypothesis?

In his recent piece, "Hypothesis Retrofitting", Dr. Frezza warns us that big data and AI are eroding the art of hypothesizing. His frustration is heard. The omics arms race is real, and its costs are too. But I think he's misidentified what's actually at risk. And that changes the prescription

Why induction is not the foundation of science

Why induction is not the foundation of science

A video recently circulated on X in which François Jacob said non-hypothesis-driven research is "very boring". 😯 François Jacob (co-discoverer of gene regulation) asked by Lucy Shapiro (Stanford): "It's always been hypothesis-driven research [..] but a new way is looking at vast amounts of data and not asking a question, just seeing

Do models need to explain?

Do models need to explain?

Models are constructs of reality. They condense knowledge in order to help us understand reality and support our ideas. One way that we can test the validity of a model is to perform an experiment. For instance, if a model accurately predicts an experiment outcome, it is verified. But if

Defending the hypothesis as a framework for scientific experimentation

Defending the hypothesis as a framework for scientific experimentation

Scientific experiments help us learn more about reality. The design and interpretation of experiments is guided by specific frameworks, each with its own underlying philosophy. But most scientists aren't taught this. It's vital we understand experimental frameworks so that we can be truly aligned with knowledge growth. Here, I'll cover