Big Data, Big Science, Big Problems?

As I was gearing up to hold my Journal Club presentation on the suggested Replication tracker system (posted about below), one of my colleagues brought up the issue about Big Data.  Lots of data is of course fun and exciting.  But, can cause a bit of a problem, especially if one naively believe that now one can just look at data, and need no hypotheses…(No links will be provided for that).

Erica Check Hayden at the blog “the last word on nothing” (another title I love), brings up an aspect of the problem with science reporting and big-data. I don’t think the key issue here is big-data, but more how science is quite inscrutable for those without expertise.  Even for those with expertise (I mean, how much clever stuff can I really say about semiotics, or organic chemistry or even climate science).

Bradley Voytek writes a long, excellent post on both the wonders and excitement of big data – as well as the problems.  Well worth perusing.

Finally, Some Big Science from Laurie Anderson, because, well, one needs a soundtrack