It’s my lucky week, with another exhibit from my favourite nerdy subgenre, the in-depth profile of stuff our modern world runs on. Another invisible one, a scientific method. Randomised controlled trials help us establish cause and effect. They let us figure out whether a drug or a treatment works – and how well. Discovering what works can save lives. But just as important is determining what doesn’t work – the piece highlights how we’ve gotten better at the latter.

From Weekly Filet #544, in September 2025.