[snowwrestler]

It is a mistake of reasoning to take a meta-analysis of medical research and expand its conclusions to the rest of science.

Medical research has a number of peculiarities among the sciences, including the complexity of its subject (perhaps the highest of any discipline), the emotional reaction to the subject, the speed at which people try to turn scientific findings into products or advice, and the concommittal eagerness to trust epidemiological results without a known physical mechanism.

It's also a huge mistake to get your science news and opinion from The Economist--a magazine with a great reputation that has nothing to do with its coverage of science