A cure for HIV: how would we know?

How do we know that we know what we know?

How Science Works’ is now the focus of the national science specifications in English schools. This article is a brief introduction to the philosophy of science from the Greeks to the present day that underpins this notion. From September 2006, the emphasis for teaching science at GCSE is on ‘How Science Works’. This focus will also shape the revisions of the AS and A2 specifications from Septe...

A conceptual framework for associational effects: when do neighbors matter and how would we know?

Interactions between individual consumer and resource organisms can be modified by neighbors, e.g., when herbivory depends on the identity or diversity of neighboring plants. Effects of neighbors on consumer-resource interactions ("associational effects") occur in many systems, including plant-herbivore interactions, predator-prey interactions (mimicry), and plant-pollinator interactions. Unfor...

Do We Know What We Do not Know? A Response to Celine Bonnet

How do we know?

We know that every improvement is a change—but how do we know that a change is an improvement? Improvement experts and patients, each in their own terms, ask this question with appropriate impatience. 3 For example, how can valid conclusions be drawn when an improvement initiative employs no control population, or if the study employs predominantly qualitative measures? Indeed, some argue that ...

We all need to know about HIV cure research: a case report

A cure for HIV is not near, yet publicity surrounding the possibility of cure is high. We present the case of an individual with acute HIV who delayed antiretroviral therapy due to misinformed expectations of availability of cure treatments. Researchers and the media need to be mindful of prematurely raising hope of a cure.