The following is an edited excerpt.
In the latest issue of Journal of Organic Production Systems, a long-term toxicology study by the Australian scientist Judy Carman purports to show that genetically modified (GM) feed grains cause severe stomach inflammation in pigs. With help from outlets like Reuters Health, the study’s claims have been disseminated widely and have become fodder for anti-GM activists looking to scare the broader public.
A number of critics found have taken issue with the paper’s use of statistics. Several people have charged the authors with ”statistical fishing,” and I plan to write about that charge in the very near future. For now, I want to focus on another criticism which has arisen: that the claimed relationship between inflammation and GM-feed was based on an ill-chosen statistical test.
Read the complete post here: New study shows how not to use statistics