-
Bad Science
- Quacks, Hacks, and Big Pharma Flacks
- Narrated by: Jonathan Cowley
- Length: 8 hrs and 51 mins
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy for $27.99
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
Bad Pharma
- How Drug Companies Mislead Doctors and Harm Patients
- By: Ben Goldacre
- Narrated by: Jonathan Cowley
- Length: 11 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Medicine is broken. We like to imagine that it's based on evidence and the results of fair tests. In reality, those tests are often profoundly flawed. We like to imagine that doctors are familiar with the research literature surrounding a drug, when in reality much of the research is hidden from them by drug companies. We like to imagine that doctors are impartially educated, when in reality much of their education is funded by industry.
-
-
A must read for health professionals
- By zerodynamics on 03-01-13
By: Ben Goldacre
-
Being Mortal
- Medicine and What Matters in the End
- By: Atul Gawande
- Narrated by: Robert Petkoff
- Length: 9 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Being Mortal, best-selling author Atul Gawande tackles the hardest challenge of his profession: how medicine can not only improve life but also the process of its ending. Medicine has triumphed in modern times, transforming birth, injury, and infectious disease from harrowing to manageable. But in the inevitable condition of aging and death, the goals of medicine seem too frequently to run counter to the interest of the human spirit.
-
-
Required Reading!
- By Jeffrey on 10-13-14
By: Atul Gawande
-
59 Seconds
- Think a Little, Change a Lot
- By: Richard Wiseman
- Narrated by: Jonathan Cowley
- Length: 8 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A psychologist and best-selling author gives us a myth-busting response to the self-help movement, with tips and tricks to improve your life that come straight from the scientific community. Richard Wiseman has been troubled by the realization that the self-help industry often promotes exercises that destroy motivation, damage relationships, and reduce creativity: The opposite of everything it promises. Now, in 59 Seconds, he fights back, bringing together the diverse scientific advice that can help you change your life in under a minute.
-
-
Wrong format for this book
- By Paul on 08-29-11
By: Richard Wiseman
-
Do No Harm
- Stories of Life, Death, and Brain Surgery
- By: Henry Marsh
- Narrated by: Jim Barclay
- Length: 9 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
With compassion and candor, leading neurosurgeon Henry Marsh reveals the fierce joy of operating, the profoundly moving triumphs, the harrowing disasters, the haunting regrets, and the moments of black humor that characterize a brain surgeon's life. If you believe that brain surgery is a precise and exquisite craft, practiced by calm and detached surgeons, this gripping, brutally honest account will make you think again.
-
-
Neurosurgical struggles between hope & reality
- By Bonny on 06-03-15
By: Henry Marsh
-
The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat: and Other Clinical Tales
- By: Oliver Sacks
- Narrated by: Jonathan Davis, Oliver Sacks - introduction
- Length: 9 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Oliver Sacks' The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat tells the stories of individuals afflicted with fantastic perceptual and intellectual aberrations: patients who have lost their memories and with them the greater part of their pasts; who are no longer able to recognize people and common objects; who are stricken with violent tics and grimaces or who shout involuntary obscenities; whose limbs have become alien; who have been dismissed as retarded yet are gifted with uncanny artistic or mathematical talents.
-
-
"Lest we forget how fragile we are..."
- By ESK on 02-23-13
By: Oliver Sacks
-
Of Wolves and Men
- By: Barry Lopez
- Narrated by: Matt Godfrey
- Length: 10 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Humankind's relationship with the wolf is the sum of a spectrum of responses ranging from fear to admiration and affection. Lopez's classic, careful study has won praise from a wide range of reviewers and improved the way books on wild animals are written. Of Wolves and Men explores the uneasy interaction between wolves and civilization over the centuries, and the wolf's prominence in our thoughts about wild creatures.
-
-
Very good book!
- By Anonymous User on 04-01-22
By: Barry Lopez
-
Bad Pharma
- How Drug Companies Mislead Doctors and Harm Patients
- By: Ben Goldacre
- Narrated by: Jonathan Cowley
- Length: 11 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Medicine is broken. We like to imagine that it's based on evidence and the results of fair tests. In reality, those tests are often profoundly flawed. We like to imagine that doctors are familiar with the research literature surrounding a drug, when in reality much of the research is hidden from them by drug companies. We like to imagine that doctors are impartially educated, when in reality much of their education is funded by industry.
-
-
A must read for health professionals
- By zerodynamics on 03-01-13
By: Ben Goldacre
-
Being Mortal
- Medicine and What Matters in the End
- By: Atul Gawande
- Narrated by: Robert Petkoff
- Length: 9 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Being Mortal, best-selling author Atul Gawande tackles the hardest challenge of his profession: how medicine can not only improve life but also the process of its ending. Medicine has triumphed in modern times, transforming birth, injury, and infectious disease from harrowing to manageable. But in the inevitable condition of aging and death, the goals of medicine seem too frequently to run counter to the interest of the human spirit.
-
-
Required Reading!
- By Jeffrey on 10-13-14
By: Atul Gawande
-
59 Seconds
- Think a Little, Change a Lot
- By: Richard Wiseman
- Narrated by: Jonathan Cowley
- Length: 8 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A psychologist and best-selling author gives us a myth-busting response to the self-help movement, with tips and tricks to improve your life that come straight from the scientific community. Richard Wiseman has been troubled by the realization that the self-help industry often promotes exercises that destroy motivation, damage relationships, and reduce creativity: The opposite of everything it promises. Now, in 59 Seconds, he fights back, bringing together the diverse scientific advice that can help you change your life in under a minute.
-
-
Wrong format for this book
- By Paul on 08-29-11
By: Richard Wiseman
-
Do No Harm
- Stories of Life, Death, and Brain Surgery
- By: Henry Marsh
- Narrated by: Jim Barclay
- Length: 9 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
With compassion and candor, leading neurosurgeon Henry Marsh reveals the fierce joy of operating, the profoundly moving triumphs, the harrowing disasters, the haunting regrets, and the moments of black humor that characterize a brain surgeon's life. If you believe that brain surgery is a precise and exquisite craft, practiced by calm and detached surgeons, this gripping, brutally honest account will make you think again.
-
-
Neurosurgical struggles between hope & reality
- By Bonny on 06-03-15
By: Henry Marsh
-
The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat: and Other Clinical Tales
- By: Oliver Sacks
- Narrated by: Jonathan Davis, Oliver Sacks - introduction
- Length: 9 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Oliver Sacks' The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat tells the stories of individuals afflicted with fantastic perceptual and intellectual aberrations: patients who have lost their memories and with them the greater part of their pasts; who are no longer able to recognize people and common objects; who are stricken with violent tics and grimaces or who shout involuntary obscenities; whose limbs have become alien; who have been dismissed as retarded yet are gifted with uncanny artistic or mathematical talents.
-
-
"Lest we forget how fragile we are..."
- By ESK on 02-23-13
By: Oliver Sacks
-
Of Wolves and Men
- By: Barry Lopez
- Narrated by: Matt Godfrey
- Length: 10 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Humankind's relationship with the wolf is the sum of a spectrum of responses ranging from fear to admiration and affection. Lopez's classic, careful study has won praise from a wide range of reviewers and improved the way books on wild animals are written. Of Wolves and Men explores the uneasy interaction between wolves and civilization over the centuries, and the wolf's prominence in our thoughts about wild creatures.
-
-
Very good book!
- By Anonymous User on 04-01-22
By: Barry Lopez
-
The Emperor of All Maladies
- A Biography of Cancer
- By: Siddhartha Mukherjee
- Narrated by: Fred Sanders
- Length: 22 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Emperor of All Maladies reveals the many faces of an iconic, shape-shifting disease that is the defining plague of our generation. The story of cancer is a story of human ingenuity, resilience, and perseverance but also of hubris, arrogance, paternalism, and misperception, all leveraged against a disease that, just three decades ago, was thought to be easily vanquished in an all-out "war against cancer".
-
-
Incredible
- By S.R.E. on 03-02-16
-
The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing
- By: Al Ries, Jack Trout
- Narrated by: David Drummond
- Length: 3 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As Al Ries and Jack Trout - the world-renowned marketing consultants and best-selling authors of Positioning - note, you can build an impressive airplane, but it will never leave the ground if you ignore the laws of physics, especially gravity. Why then, they ask, shouldn’t there also be laws of marketing that must be followed to launch and maintain winning brands? In The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing, Ries and Trout offer a compendium of 22 innovative rules for understanding and succeeding in the international marketplace.
-
-
Highly recommended, but could use an update.
- By T. M. Castagna on 12-01-15
By: Al Ries, and others
-
Four Thousand Weeks
- Time Management for Mortals
- By: Oliver Burkeman
- Narrated by: Oliver Burkeman
- Length: 5 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Time is our biggest worry: There is too little of it. The acclaimed Guardian writer Oliver Burkeman offers a lively, entertaining philosophical guide to time and time management, setting aside superficial efficiency solutions in favor of reckoning with and finding joy in the finitude of human life.
-
-
Make TIME for this one...
- By Ethan Babbage on 08-12-21
By: Oliver Burkeman
-
Everybody Lies
- Big Data, New Data, and What the Internet Can Tell Us About Who We Really Are
- By: Seth Stephens-Davidowitz, Steven Pinker - foreword
- Narrated by: Timothy Andrés Pabon
- Length: 7 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
By the end of on average day in the early 21st century, human beings searching the Internet will amass eight trillion gigabytes of data. This staggering amount of information - unprecedented in history - can tell us a great deal about who we are - the fears, desires, and behaviors that drive us, and the conscious and unconscious decisions we make. From the profound to the mundane, we can gain astonishing knowledge about the human psyche that less than 20 years ago seemed unfathomable.
-
-
Leave out the politics please
- By Shane Hampson on 02-20-20
By: Seth Stephens-Davidowitz, and others
-
The Icepick Surgeon
- Murder, Fraud, Sabotage, Piracy, and Other Dastardly Deeds Perpetrated in the Name of Science
- By: Sam Kean
- Narrated by: Ben Sullivan
- Length: 11 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Science is a force for good in the world—at least usually. But sometimes, when obsession gets the better of scientists, they twist a noble pursuit into something sinister. Under this spell, knowledge isn’t everything, it’s the only thing—no matter the cost. Bestselling author Sam Kean tells the true story of what happens when unfettered ambition pushes otherwise rational men and women to cross the line in the name of science, trampling ethical boundaries and often committing crimes in the process.
-
-
FANTASTIC! & What’s up with all these naysayers (negative reviewers)?!
- By H. Zophie Leslea on 08-19-21
By: Sam Kean
-
The Selfish Gene
- By: Richard Dawkins
- Narrated by: Richard Dawkins, Lalla Ward
- Length: 16 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Richard Dawkins' brilliant reformulation of the theory of natural selection has the rare distinction of having provoked as much excitement and interest outside the scientific community as within it. His theories have helped change the whole nature of the study of social biology, and have forced thousands to rethink their beliefs about life.
-
-
Interesting, but too many post-scripts
- By Hailey Spillane on 08-09-17
By: Richard Dawkins
-
Anatomy of an Epidemic
- Magic Bullets, Psychiatric Drugs, and the Astonishing Rise of Mental Illness in America
- By: Robert Whitaker
- Narrated by: Ken Kliban
- Length: 13 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this astonishing and startling book, award-winning science and history writer Robert Whitaker investigates a medical mystery: Why has the number of disabled mentally ill in the United States tripled over the past two decades? Every day, 1,100 adults and children are added to the government disability rolls because they have become newly disabled by mental illness, with this epidemic spreading most rapidly among our nations children. What is going on?
-
-
Right Questions Wrong Answer
- By Frank on 06-03-13
By: Robert Whitaker
-
Whole
- Rethinking the Science of Nutrition
- By: T. Colin Campbell PhD/PhD, Howard Jacobson
- Narrated by: Don Hagen
- Length: 11 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In The China Study, T. Colin Campbell revolutionized the way we think about our food with the evidence that a whole food, plant-based diet is the healthiest way to eat. Now, in Whole, he explains the science behind that evidence, the ways our current scientific paradigm ignores the fascinating complexity of the human body, and why, if we have such overwhelming evidence that everything we think we know about nutrition is wrong, our eating habits haven’t changed.
-
-
Not what you think it is
- By Sara on 02-26-14
By: T. Colin Campbell PhD/PhD, and others
-
The Tipping Point
- How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference
- By: Malcolm Gladwell
- Narrated by: Malcolm Gladwell
- Length: 8 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Discover Malcolm Gladwell's breakthrough debut and explore the science behind viral trends in business, marketing, and human behavior. The tipping point is that magic moment when an idea, trend, or social behavior crosses a threshold, tips, and spreads like wildfire. Just as a single sick person can start an epidemic of the flu, so too can a small but precisely targeted push cause a fashion trend, the popularity of a new product, or a drop in the crime rate.
-
-
Exciting narrative with great vingettes
- By Gary on 06-16-12
By: Malcolm Gladwell
-
Freakonomics
- Revised Edition
- By: Steven D. Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner
- Narrated by: Stephen J. Dubner
- Length: 7 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Levitt and co-author Stephen J. Dubner show that economics is, at root, the study of incentives: how people get what they want, or need, especially when other people want or need the same thing. In Freakonomics, they explore the hidden side of...well, everything. The inner working of a crack gang...the truth about real-estate agents...the secrets of the Klu Klux Klan. What unites all these stories is a belief that the modern world is even more intriguing than we think. All it takes is a new way of looking, and Freakonomics will redefine the way we view the modern world.
-
-
Good, but be careful
- By Shackleton on 07-03-08
By: Steven D. Levitt, and others
-
Trick or Treatment
- The Undeniable Facts about Alternative Medicine
- By: Edzard Ernst, Simon Singh
- Narrated by: Dennis Kleinman
- Length: 12 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Whether you are an ardent believer in alternative medicine, a skeptic, or are simply baffled by the range of services and opinions, this guide lays to rest doubts and contradictions with authority, integrity, and clarity. In this groundbreaking analysis, over 30 of the most popular treatments - acupuncture, homeopathy, aromatherapy, reflexology, chiropractic, and herbal medicines - are examined for their benefits and potential dangers. Questions answered include: What works and what doesn't? What are the secrets, and what are the lies?
-
-
very good writing, but not interesting to me
- By Eden Segal on 09-12-20
By: Edzard Ernst, and others
-
Better
- A Surgeon's Notes on Performance
- By: Atul Gawande
- Narrated by: John Bedford Lloyd
- Length: 7 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The struggle to perform well is universal: each one of us faces fatigue, limited resources, and imperfect abilities in whatever we do. But nowhere is this drive to do better more important than in medicine, where lives are on the line with every decision. In this book, Atul Gawande explores how doctors strive to close the gap between best intentions and best performance in the face of obstacles that sometimes seem insurmountable.
-
-
Fascinating and Well Read
- By L. M. Roberts on 05-23-10
By: Atul Gawande
Publisher's Summary
Author Ben Goldacre exposes the epidemic of pseudoscience and gives listeners the tools they need to distinguish good science from nonsense.
Critic Reviews
More from the same
Author
What listeners say about Bad Science
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Shawn
- 08-06-12
Learn who is scamming people, and how.
It's important to be informed that the "Detox Foot Baths" and Pads, and Ear Candles, Homeopathy and many other things in the Alternative Medicine industry are scams, but it's even better to learn *how* they are scamming people.
Maybe you wouldn't have fallen for these things yourself anyway, but this book can help you explain to others who may be more inclined to try them exactly what they do and why they don't work.
I already knew that most of these were useless or even intentional scams, but I didn't know the details of all of them, and despite having a previous interest in the subject, some of these quacks and hacks were new to me.
I found it very enjoyable to listen to, and would recommend it to anyone interested in the subject matter - as long as they're okay with a British perspective and narrator. It's always a good idea to listen to a sample before buying just in case!
11 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- aaron
- 03-09-12
The Brits Pull No Punches On Fake Medicine!!
First off, be aware that the humor in this book is VERY British. I didn't know that going in, but was pleasantly surprised. The narrarator is SPOT ON with the read. It's witty, yet scientific, and filled with interesting facts. Rather bravely, the author (Goldacre) admits numerous times when he's getting too bogged down in boring/heavy stuff, and apologizes. This is done in a way that's charming and hillarious. Entertaining all the way through. If you've ever wondered about the reality of Homeopathic remedies, natural healing, witch doctors, etc, then you will LOVE this book!
21 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Marsha L. Woerner
- 08-07-12
Enlightening!
Would you listen to Bad Science again? Why?
I will listen again, just because there was so much in it that I can't remember every detail all at once. FABULOUS information and take!
Any additional comments?
I loved this book! Of course, the fact that the author agreed with me on the pseudoscience of many alternative medicine certainly didn't hurt, but it was more than that. He came and things as a nonbeliever in everything, whether it be alternative medicine or science, whether it be medicine or placebo. Furthermore, he was able to say that “yes, some things that are not scientifically proved actually have proved helpful, MORE than doing nothing”. He did his best to explain what could be going on, and he did his best to allow for individuals' belief systems. In some cases, he said that he doesn't agree with you, but he respects your choice. I personally, furthermore, learned things about what I, personally, need to look for. It was a great book!
7 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Ken Gebert
- 12-24-12
Knowledge is Power
Goldacre really gives you pause for thought in regards to medicine and nutrition. He has no qualms about calling a quack a quack, and really makes you wonder about all the studies that have been done concerning supplements, diets, and general medical information.
6 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Francois
- 08-24-15
Important topic; poor audio delivery
Is there anything you would change about this book?
The narrator is monotonous and makes it a slog
How could the performance have been better?
A more lively and varied inflection. Every sentence follows the same predictable monotonous voice pattern. Such a shame, as Ben Goldacre himself is a wonderfully lively presenter.
5 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Pedro
- 09-04-13
Illuminating
Great discussion of how medicine finds out what is good or bad for you. And a clear presentation of how statistics can be manipulated (and how we can tell it has been manipulated).
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 02-15-13
ask: was the study double blind
What made the experience of listening to Bad Science the most enjoyable?
eye opening how irresponsible the media is when publishing a story
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
yes. andrew wakefield should be held accountable for the damage he has caused.
the rest of the mail order quacks should be publicly ridiculed for their nonsense. I'm talking about you Chopra
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Jeff Koeppen
- 11-28-17
Important Book In This Scientifically Trying Time
I'm a fan of Ben Goldacre. I've heard him interviewed on a number of podcasts and he's always interesting and makes great points. I did not fully connect with this audiobook, however. I was very familiar with most of the subject matter, as much of the material has been covered in depth on the podcast The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe. The book felt like a review and a lot of rehash.
The book attacks medical quackery, homeopathy, nutritionists, anti-vaxxers, and several other health-related, and anti-science topics. A couple chapters I found interesting were about Brain Gym and statistics manipulation. Brain Gym is a brain training company which is apparently a bigger deal in the UK (I've never even heard of it) which Goldacre claims is bad science and he takes it down in a big way. The Andrew Wakefield / MMR vaccine scare is covered in depth in this book. The author does a great job presenting his case against lousy science in a concise and sometimes funny way.
Despite my rating, I would recommend this book for anyone looking to become more proficient in seeing through anti-science claims and recognizing scams and pseudoscience. If this subject matter is new to you, you will probably find this book enlightening. It was written in 2012 and the message is as important now as it was then. Maybe more so, actually.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- wendi
- 06-26-17
Worth a rethink
I don't always agree with his viewpoint but I do respect it. So I will give his ideas a second and third consideration.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anatoli
- 02-20-17
Informative and well written
The book delivers on its promise of making a reader think more critically about scientifically sounding claims made by mass media or by companies that try to sell things. There are multiple examples of baseless claims that are wide spread and accepted like detox or homeopathy. The book enumerates quite a few of them and explains where the claims came from and why they are wrong.
Perhaps the most interesting part of the book is about how questionable conclusions can be substantiated by research/studies that on a surface seem credible. How, if you are not careful and don't know what to look for, you can easily be mislead by unethical studies. For example small details in selecting trial groups, deciding cohorts or assuming wrong control groups can completely change results of an experiment. Unfortunately some corrupt companies try to cheat using such methods.
2 people found this helpful