Charles Piller, an Investigative Correspondent for Science Magazine, is the author of the 2025 book Doctored: Fraud, Arrogance, and Tragedy in the Quest to Cure Alzheimer's. He has received more than 40 honors or awards from American Association for the Advancement of Science/Kavli Foundation, National Institute of Health Care Management, Society of Professional Journalists, National Academies/Eric and Wendy Schmidt, Los Angeles Press Club, American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, Gerald Loeb Foundation and UCLA, Western Publications Association, First Amendment Coalition, California State University, Computer Press Association, American Society of Business Press Editors, California Newspaper Publishers Association, National Council on Crime and Delinquency, and other organizations. His work has been nominated for the Pulitzer Prize nine times by STAT, the Los Angeles Times and The Sacramento Bee.
CONTACT RANDY:
Feedback: metasciencematters@gmail.com
EPISODE LINK:
Blots on a field?
https://www.science.org/content/article/potential-fabrication-research-images-threatens-key-theory-alzheimers-disease
Picture imperfect
https://www.science.org/content/article/research-misconduct-finding-neuroscientist-eliezer-masliah-papers-under-suspicion
Doctored: Fraud, Arrogance, and Tragedy in the Quest to Cure Alzheimer's
https://www.amazon.com/Doctored-Fraud-Arrogance-Tragedy-Alzheimers/dp/1668031248
OUTLINE:
0:00 - Introduction
6:05 - How Charles became a science journalist
7:58 - Charles' 2022 piece, "Blots on a field?"
14:39 - Responses from scientists to this piece
22:22 - Charles' 2024 piece, "Picture imperfect"
30:29 - How Charles began working on his book "Doctored: Fraud, Arrogance, and Tragedy in the Quest to Cure Alzheimer's"
33:15 - Charles' experience working with scientific sleuths
36:45 - The incentive for positive data in science
46:09 - Charles' NYT op-ed about how to combat fraud in Alzheimer's research; attacks from the Trump administration on science
53:22 - Charles' thoughts on registered reports and other ways to improve scientific incentives
58:34 - Upcoming work
59:22 - Advice for listeners
1:02:20 - Outro
