Alzheimer's Fraud?
Whom can we trust? Perhaps the ancients knew best.
Dear friends,
I just read this article: Beyond kingdoms and empires, by archeologist David Wengrow. It may seem cutting edge and a necessary update for the archeological profession, but if you know the work of Graham Hancock and if you read Supernatural where he spends a great deal of time pointing at one of archeologies greatest tragedies, you would know that this article is not that impressive. I mention it because it seems to me that this kind of deed or misdeed have been performed since the dawn of time in all fields - a sad reality. I did reply to the article which was a suggestion from a wonderful Substack I discovered the other day The Abbey of Misrule by Paul Kingsnorth. It was fantastic to find him here. In his previous life, Paul was a Buddhist and an environmentalist journalist. Very interesting person. It seems he has chosen to change or follow a different path and I find that courageous in many ways. So if you want to read more about a orthodox christian approach, check it out.
For those of us who have been following Graham Hancock's work, this issue has been apparent for 30 years. It is indeed sad that the field of archaeology itself has been responsible for so many stories like this. If you have read Supernatural, you know exactly what I am referring to. It is on par with this story but relates directly to archaeological misdeeds. Sadly, this kind of misconduct seems to be a common occurrence in many fields within our society. I am currently writing an article on the Alzheimer's research fraud (and I acknowledge that the allegations are not yet proven). However, if this deed was indeed performed, it is clear that the sufferers of this condition are the most affected by it. And as most of them are likely gone by now, we can only hope that those who claim to care about finding a cure, do in fact care. Ultimately, in all things, it is our own diligent practice and research that will determine any course of action. Institutions and people of reputation are proving to be less trustworthy than ever before.It is worth a click to see the picture of Lidar map of the city of Kunguints in the Ecuadorian Amazon showing ancient streets lined with houses.The reason being that as promised last week, I am reporting on another one of those stories, this time in the medical field of Alzheimers. I would like first to say that the investigation is ongoing, and the allegations are yet to be proven. This is an important point to make because the purpose of this post is to help those who may need more information on Alzheimers and how to help their loved ones as I do. And for me it has been helpful to go through everything I can find that may help. As above, in all things, it is our own diligent practice and research that will determine our individual courses of action. It is also true that the time required to perform such research is not available to everyone.
I listened to Max Lugavere on Joe Rogan and it is another conversation full of insights on Alzheimers. Yes, he is promoting Little Empty Boxes. The middle of it has a lot on fitness, which even for me who love training, was a bit too much, but they Joe was helping Max who suffers from chronic back pain and so I listened too. I used to have such troubles, but prostrations were my life saving exercise. I miss them. I haven’t been able to do that practice for almost two years (long Covid), so I do not know myself, but the previous twenty two years were pain free and comfortable in my own company.
So far what I have been able to ascertain is that a 2006 study published in the prestigious journal Nature has come under fire for potential image manipulation and Max talks about this a little with Joe. This study was highly influential in Alzheimer's research, as it provided evidence that a specific type of amyloid beta protein clump (Aβ56) was a key driver of the disease. But let’s not forget that Alzheimer's research is a vast field, and this controversy, while serious, should not overshadow other promising avenues of investigation. We will eventually get there. I plan to talk about the "Type 3 Diabetes" Hypothesis in three weeks time. Let’s continue.
An assistant professor at Vanderbilt University raised concerns about the images, suggesting they might have been altered to support the study's conclusions. Image manipulation, even subtle alterations, is a serious issue in scientific research.
While investigations are ongoing, the implications of this controversy are significant:
Wasted Research Efforts: If the allegations are true, years of research and funding may have been misdirected based on flawed data.
Impact on Alzheimer's Research: The study's influence on the amyloid hypothesis of Alzheimer's is undeniable. However, experts are divided on whether this case invalidates the entire hypothesis or just a specific aspect of it.
Erosion of Trust: This situation highlights the importance of scientific integrity and raises concerns about the reliability of research findings.
If you would like the more details Alzheimer's study controversy: What does it mean for future research? this article in Medical News Today may help. It seems to say that a PHD fact checked everything, but as mentioned above one can only trust what one investigates.
I do hope, this post encourages reflection on the responsibility of researchers and institutions, especially when dealing with issues that profoundly impact people's lives. Only we, can make them accountable.
Want to learn more? Listen to the JRE podcast episode that inspired this article:
Until next time,
Bee well,
Xanda
Unfortunately, your list of three implications -- wasted research efforts, impact on Alzheimer's research, and erosion of trust -- is valid. Of course, the issue is not the possibility (i.e., that the images MIGHT have been altered), but rather the importance of research into this dreadful disease. An old aphorism advises us not to throw the baby out with the bath water...