Feature Science & Society

Big data studies come with replication challenges

The truth can be hard to find with millions of data points and lots of room for error

Illustration of a researcher panning for data

FOOL'S GOLD  As researchers pan for nuggets of truth in big data studies, how do they know they haven’t discovered fool’s gold?

James Provost

By Tina Hesman Saey

- More than 2 years ago

In my quest to explore the unknown frontier inside my own body, I stumbled upon one of the most intractable problems facing science.