Question: What are the limits of what science can explain in human health and how do you deal with data that contradicts your expectations?

Sally Odunga answered on 8 Jul 2025:

I believe that the limits of what science can explain about human health depend on careful research and strong evidence. Without research and evidence, we wouldn’t have anything to rely on or learn from.

As scientists, we usually start research with an idea of what we expect to find — this is called a hypothesis, or simply an assumption. We often hope that our assumption is correct. But that’s not always the case. Sometimes things turn out differently, and the data we collect may not match what we expected.

That’s okay. What matters most is that the research is done carefully and honestly. Whether or not your assumption turns out to be true, the most important thing is to report what the data shows.