Pandora's Lab: Seven Stories of Science Gone Wrong

By M.D. and Paul A. Offit

What happens when ideas presented as science lead us in the wrong direction? History is filled with brilliant ideas that gave rise to disaster, and this book explores the most fascinating-and significant-missteps: from opium's heyday as the pain reliever of choice to recognition of opioids as a major cause of death in the U.S.; from the rise of trans fats as the golden ingredient for tastier, cheaper food to the heart disease epidemic that followed; and from the cries to ban DDT for the sake of the environment to an epidemic-level rise in world malaria. These are today's sins of science-as deplorable as mistaken past ideas about advocating racial purity or using lobotomies as a cure for mental illness. These unwitting errors add up to seven lessons both cautionary and profound, narrated by renowned author and speaker Paul A. Offit. Offit uses these lessons to investigate how we can separate good science from bad, using some of today's most controversial creations-e-cigarettes, GMOs, drug treatments for ADHD-as case studies. For every "Aha!" moment that should have been an "Oh no," this book is an engrossing account of how science has been misused disastrously-and how we can learn to use its power for good.

• Language: English
• Publisher: National Geographic
• Release date: Apr 4, 2017
• ISBN: 9781426217999

Reviews for Pandora's Lab

[glennbell_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I am empressed by the intellectual crispness of this book. The author is well researched and his logic is easily understood. He is able to state opinion but has data to back his opinion. His findings are over a variety of topics and are generally balanced. I found the book interesting and educational. I strongly recommend this book.

[carmenere_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I can't say I looked forward to reading this book for book club but once I started it, I couldn't put it down. The book is separated into 7 stories of scientific revelations which sound good at the start, like margarine, but have watershed moments where things go entirely wrong. In the name of science and hoping for notoriety, some experiments became nefarious and horrific such as with Dr Josef Mengele. Some ideas sound benign, a quick fix which could help society as a whole but, yeah, lobotomies although the rage at first, wasn't all it claimed.Which brings the reader to the eighth and final chapter, how to decipher which new and exciting scientific discovery is legit. How to separate good data from bad and which ones are simply pushed by "health gurus" you have little or no scientific credentials....just a well promoted idea. The book concludes with some reasonable and sound advice....."We need to approach all scientific advances cautiously and with eyes wide open".

[lauriebrown54 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the story about unintended consequences, and unleashing discoveries on the world without enough testing beforehand. The frontal lobotomy, trans fats, eugenics, the synthesis of ammonium nitrate, megavitamins, opioids, and the banning of DDT are the seven that Offit has selected as big mistakes. Some, like lobotomies and trans fats, were a horrible idea from the start. Others, like ammonium nitrate and opioids, have been used indiscriminately and created problems. Offit gives a good history of each of these problems, from the discovery of the thing to today’s results. He gives a bibliography to back up his thesis, and the last chapter is a warning: how to learn from the past, and how to identify bad science. The book is well researched and well written, and is interesting from beginning to end. Do I agree with everything he says? Well, no. While I agree that deaths from overdoses of opioids are a bad thing, I certainly don’t want them not used any more. Too many people with chronic pain rely on them to get up and do a day’s work; for acute pain, as in post-surgery use, there is nothing else like them. A way needs to be found to keep them from being *over* used, rather than banning them. Yes, banning DDT meant that a number of mosquito borne diseases, which had become scarce in some area, came back with a vengeance, but I don’t agree with him that no damage was ever done with DDT. We need to find a better way, such as vaccines, to deal with those diseases, not bring back a substance that is still in every single person in the world. I do love his lessons on identifying bad science; if something seems to be the answer to all kinds of questions, it’s probably bogus. Nothing cures everything. Nothing cures without the possibility of side effects. As Heinlein said, there ain’t no such thing as free lunch.

[kevn57-163679 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was an excellent book and not much to argue against or surprise, who's not against poison gas, heroin or lobotomy. But for me the most surprising chapter was on Rachel Carson's Silent Spring. I don't believe going into this book that anyone could convince me, a vegetarian, organic crop lover that DDT might be a good thing, but Offit actually did and that alone makes the book worth reading.

[arubabookwoman · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Paul Offit asked numerous scientists and doctors to name what they thought were the world's worst inventions or scientific developments. He ended up with a list of 50, from which he pulled the 7 developments discussed in this book. Instead of choosing the ones that killed the most people (gun powder) or those that harmed the environment (Freon), he chose those that were the most surprising to him and whose impact was still being felt today. What he learned from this exercise is that these types of unexpected results which are harmful often result when the experts, the media, the political leaders et al fail to weigh the evidence properly.This is spoilerish, so skip if you like. The seven inventions Offit chose are:1. The discovery of "the plant of joy," opium and opioids from poppies to today's opioid crisis.2. Margarine instead of butter--transfats in margarine are more harmful than butter.3. Blood from Air--nitrogen fertilizers led to the development of an easy way to manufacture ammonia which led to poison gas in WW I which led to chemical warfare.4. The Eugenics Movement in the early 20th century.5. Lobotomies.6. Banning DDT. There was scant evidence that DDT caused the decline in bird population. DDT is the most effective mosquito control we have. Discontinuing DDT has led to many more deaths by malaria, particularly childhood, than would otherwise have occurred.7. "Nobel Prize Disease"--failure to challenge our most brilliant scientists when they refuse to admit they are wrong. He uses the example of Linus Pauling who advocated the use of megavitamins to cure cancer.This was a fairly quick read, not too technical, and I enjoyed it.Recommended3 stars