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the error bar

the error bar

By Dr Nick Holmes

fact-checking brain science news and asking brain scientists about mistakes and controversies
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SEX, CRIME & DRUGS: THE SIN EPISODE

the error barApr 08, 2021

00:00
09:52
YOUR SAMPLE IS SMALL

YOUR SAMPLE IS SMALL

my name's nick holmes and THIS is the error bar: a podcast about brain science & statistics that's nothing like any other podcast about brain science & statistics.


this month's episode reveals the final truth about why men's and women's brains are so very similar or different, and I alog (it's like a blog, but its auditory) about why the problem of sample size in a research study is never really actually a problem at all. at least on its own. it's contextual. right?

Mar 11, 202414:19
DON'T LOOK BACK

DON'T LOOK BACK

my name's nick holmes and THIS is the error bar, where no drinks are served, which has only one song on the jukebox & one programme on the telly: the news. this episode covers mortality rates associated with obsessive compulsive disorder and two newspaper stories about love - just in time for valentine's day. i also waffle on about the pros and cons of looking back over 'the literature' - should we study the literature in the library, or study nature in the lab? keywords: history research meta analysis review. details, sources and full transcript at the error bar [https://theerrorbar.com?e=36]. image credit: Sergey Yeliseev, https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3300/3300705817_81944d9608.jpg, image re-sized to fit
Feb 09, 202416:21
SEASON THREE PREVIEW

SEASON THREE PREVIEW

my name's nick holmes and THIS is the error bar, a podcast by a middle age man who likes statistics, FOR middle aged men who like statistics.

keywords: podcast return season three brains stats.

details, sources and full transcript at the error bar [https://theerrorbar.com?e=35]

Dec 01, 202306:27
BIAS, FATIGUE, FRAUD? TAKE A HIKE

BIAS, FATIGUE, FRAUD? TAKE A HIKE

how learning to play the piano improves perception, why the brain needs a break, image manipulation & the wonder of winter walking.

keywords: bias perception break stress fraud walk.

details, sources and full transcript at the error bar [https://theerrorbar.com?e=34].

image credit: Wallpapers Box, http://wallsbox.blogspot.com/2009/12/winter-wonderland-hd-desktop-wallpapers.html, image re-sized to fit

Dec 11, 202213:24
EYES WIDE SHUT
Nov 07, 202208:51
EMOTIONAL FISH FOOD
Oct 21, 202209:41
THE SHAVING FOAM FIRE HOSE OF BRAIN NEWS
Oct 10, 202211:45
CLIMBING MOUNT THETA

CLIMBING MOUNT THETA

how to massively improve your memory in old age after just a few hours, why scientists won't change their mind, & how the brain is not made of light bulbs...

keywords: memory stimulation electromagnetic light.

details, sources and full transcript at the error bar [https://theerrorbar.com?e=30]

Sep 23, 202212:22
HOLDING PATTERN

HOLDING PATTERN

bringing you the brain science news before it happens. or sometimes a long, long time afterwards. & sometimes it's not really news at all. more opinion really...

keywords: job news revamp advert.

details, sources and full transcript at the error bar [https://theerrorbar.com?e=29].

image credit: www.americanflyers.net, https://aviation.stackexchange.com/questions/14111/what-are-the-meanings-of-these-terms-related-to-instrument-flight, image re-sized to fit

Sep 09, 202207:05
BIG, WRONG AND BORING
May 23, 202209:52
IS IT BIG ENOUGH?
Mar 26, 202210:19
FINDING THE CLITORIS
Mar 13, 202208:03
FLATTENING THE CURVE

FLATTENING THE CURVE

how your brain is just as good at age 60 as age 30, the neural correlates of near death experience & the most interesting questions in the whole of science.

keywords: mental speed reaction time.

details, sources and full transcript at the error bar [https://theerrorbar.com?e=25].

image credit: Dr. Marco Cardinale, http://lh5.ggpht.com/_hbZ_aIisSu8/SSLwsD9eR6I/AAAAAAAAARM/NDFPb262YUk/w1200-h630-p-nu/Squat%20Jump%20Bosco_thumb%5B1%5D.jpg, image edited & re-sized

Feb 25, 202208:27
THE FACETIME ILLUSION
Feb 11, 202207:43
2021: A YEAR IN ERROR
Jan 06, 202212:22
POO, VOMIT, WIND
Dec 09, 202110:16
TIME FOR A HUG
Nov 25, 202108:06
TOOLS IN THE BRAIN: THE FIRST 25 YEARS
Nov 12, 202141:60
DARWINIAN OVULATION

DARWINIAN OVULATION

how women are more creative when ovulating, how to treat autism, and the error bar receives a rebuttal.

keywords: ovulation Darwin autism therapy balls.

details, sources and full transcript at the error bar [https://theerrorbar.com?e=19].

image credit: Croglog Media, https://joshuaonline.blogspot.com/2018/08/psas-dont-break-eggs.html, image re-sized to fit

Oct 28, 202109:54
SONGS AND GONGS
Oct 14, 202109:59
HAVANA SYNDROME
Sep 30, 202109:43
DO CHICKENS SEE GREEN STARS? NERDY BONUS
Sep 16, 202159:60
A JOURNAL FOR TRIAL AND ERROR

A JOURNAL FOR TRIAL AND ERROR

the error bar talks to Valentine Delrue & Sean Devine, editors at The Journal of Trial and Error (JOTE; https://www.jtrialerror.com/), a journal which gives scientists a platform to talk about error, failure & rejected grant applications.

this is the first in a two-part discussion about new journals.

keywords: trial error journal failure rejection.

details, sources and full transcript at the error bar [https://theerrorbar.com?e=16]

image credit: Henry Oldenburg, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=36495651, image re-sized to fit

Sep 02, 202121:58
RABBIT HOLES AND P-VALUES
Aug 19, 202110:39
SILLY SEASON
Jul 14, 202108:46
LOSING CONFIDENCE
Jul 01, 202109:45
THE ECHOLOCATION CHAMBER

THE ECHOLOCATION CHAMBER

can humans learn to echolocate? the hostile media effect, the spread of fake news on twitter, & whether brain chemicals predict mathematics education.

keywords: echolocation fakenews bias MRS GABA.

details, sources and full transcript at the error bar [https://theerrorbar.com?e=12]

Jun 17, 202109:59
HAND, FOOT, MOUTH, BALLS
Jun 03, 202109:40
THE RUBBER HAND DELUSION: NERDY BONUS

THE RUBBER HAND DELUSION: NERDY BONUS

Episode #10 was edited-down from around 2 hours of raw conversation with Dr Peter Lush from the University of Sussex UK, and Dr Regine Zopf from Macquarie University in Sydney Australia. Listen to the longer, Director's Cut of the discussions here - much more nerdy science information about the Rubber Hand Illusion, just for you - our faithful regular customers ;-) Sorry - there's no transcript for this version - my carpal tunnels won't live to see episode #11. Enjoy!

May 28, 202101:26:59
THE RUBBER HAND DELUSION
May 20, 202139:60
MISINFORMATION SUPERHIGHWAY
May 06, 202110:15
BRAIN GROOVOLUTION
Apr 22, 202109:59
SEX, CRIME & DRUGS: THE SIN EPISODE
Apr 08, 202109:52
THE ERROR BAR: A TRAILER

THE ERROR BAR: A TRAILER

welcome to the error bar, where neuroscience meets uncertainty.

the error bar is a podcast about brain science news, error, confusion, uncertainty, and controversy. it comes out at UK time Thursday evenings every 2 weeks. it’s aimed at scientists, students, journalists, and the general public.

my name’s Dr Nick Holmes, I’m a brain scientist and lecturer at the University of Nottingham in the UK, working in the psychology department, studying touch and movement in adults and children.

there are two kinds of episode in the podcast – news and discussion.

[BONG]

that’s Big Ben – London’s bell. he introduces every news story.

the news episodes are 10 minute briefings on the most interesting brain science news stories in the previous two weeks. I scan the main UK newspapers, and some from the English-speaking world; I check medical databases for articles, and pick out stories of interest from my regular reading. the news episodes focus on freely-available articles that are likely of wider interest. each story is briefly summarised, reviewed, and fact-checked. I also cover neuroscience obituaries.

[BONG]

the discussion episodes are 30 minutes long. they focus on a single claim, topic, or controversy. I aim to interview two guests, one on each side of an argument or approach. and I’ll give my own view at the end.

so why should you listen to the error bar podcast?

it’s as short as I can make it – averaging only 1 minute per day.

it takes a critical and occasionally-expert view of brain science news that you probably won’t find in the media.

and I try to be entertaining.

you can follow on twitter @BarError, listen at theerrorbar.com, or subscribe with your favourite podcast app.

the error bar is open, so pull up a chair and listen to our stories.

Apr 08, 202101:60
OF CUTTLEFISH AND MEN
Mar 25, 202110:09
DO CHICKENS SEE GREEN STARS?
Mar 11, 202131:39
EXTREME DREAM ARGUMENTS
Feb 25, 202115:35
THE BRAIN: A L❤VE STORY
Feb 11, 202116:52
ELECTROCOMPULSIVE THERAPY
Jan 28, 202110:06
GREEN PATHS TO BRAIN HEALTH
Jan 14, 202117:57
CANNABIS BURGERS FOR DEMENITA

CANNABIS BURGERS FOR DEMENITA

[this is a pilot episode, recorded in April 2020, under Covid-19 lockdown and before purchasing a decent microphone.]

why cannabis doesn't make you inject cocaine, how burgers don't give you dementia, & whether going into space expands your mind, or your  brain

keywords: cannabis cocaine burgers dementia space

full details, sources, and transcript at the error bar (https://theerrorbar.com?e=0)

Jan 01, 202109:48