Episode description

Every year, billions of dollars are funneled into Alzheimer’s research. And yet, so far, there’s no treatment that’s been able to reverse the disease, or even meaningfully slow the cognitive decline of patients.

Part of the reason is that the disease is complex, and brain disorders are notoriously difficult to understand.

But in a new book, an investigative science reporter makes the case that there’s another reason progress toward Alzheimer’s treatments has stalled: scientific fraud.

Host Flora Lichtman talks with Charles Piller, investigative journalist at Science and author of the book Doctored: Fraud, Arrogance, and Tragedy in the Quest to Cure Alzheimer’s.

Read an excerpt of Doctored at sciencefriday.com.

Transcripts for each segment will be available after the show airs on sciencefriday.com.

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