From the podcast that explores the hidden side of everything, hear authors like you’ve never heard them before. Stephen Dubner and a stable of Freakonomics friends talk with the writers of mind-bending books, and we hear the best excerpts as well. You’ll learn about skill versus chance, the American discomfort with death, the secret life of dogs, and much more.
32. Why Has There Been So Little Progress on Alzheimer’s Disease?
April 17, 2026
01:01:18
11.32 MB ( 47.52 MB less)
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One possibility: a leading hypothesis pursued by researchers (and funders) was built on science that now appears to be fraudulent. Stephen Dubner speaks with the scientist and the journalist who blew the whistle.
- SOURCES:
- Charles Piller, investigative journalist for Science, author of Doctored.
- Matthew Schrag, associate professor of neurology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
- RESOURCES:
- Doctored: Fraud, Arrogance, and Tragedy in the Quest to Cure Alzheimer's, by Charles Piller (2025).
- "The brain makes a lot of waste. Now scientists think they know where it goes," by Jon Hamilton (NPR, 2024).
- "The history of Alzheimer’s disease," by Lisa Kiani and Richard Hodson (Nature, 2024).
- EXTRAS:
- "Can Marty Makary Fix the F.D.A.?" by Freakonomics Radio (2026).
- "Are You Ready for the Elder Swell?" by Freakonomics Radio (2025).
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