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Anatomy of an Anomaly
Beyond 3I/ATLAS: Something About This Object Doesn’t Add Up
Nov 20
•
James Smoliga, DVM, PhD
7
5
3
When the Same Data Tells Different Stories
A reflection on 3I/ATLAS, uncertainty, and the science of interpretation
Nov 19
•
James Smoliga, DVM, PhD
8
9
6
When a Face “Predicts” Success: The Return of Digital Physiognomy
AI didn’t uncover a hidden truth about success—it rediscovered an old pseudoscience, dressed in machine learning.
Nov 11
•
James Smoliga, DVM, PhD
11
3
3
Nine Lessons from Six Months on Substack (and Why I’m Still Here)
The truths I’ve learned about creativity, community, and not chasing the algorithm.
Nov 4
•
James Smoliga, DVM, PhD
18
9
6
October 2025
Inspired by Nature — or Invented by Marketing?
The Disappearing Woodpecker Behind the Q-Collar
Oct 28
•
James Smoliga, DVM, PhD
8
6
6
Error, Correction, Collapse — When Does a Study Lose Our Trust?
A closer look at the Q-Collar papers—and how small data errors can reveal bigger cracks in science.
Oct 16
•
James Smoliga, DVM, PhD
10
9
3
Two Is Better Than One: Lessons from Writing About Taylor Swift
Comparing a rapid, public-facing investigation to a slow, formal peer-reviewed study.
Oct 2
•
James Smoliga, DVM, PhD
6
7
2
September 2025
This Study Looked Like a Breakthrough — Until I Zoomed In
What I found in the figures shows why healthy skepticism matters in science.
Sep 29
•
James Smoliga, DVM, PhD
20
10
4
Folklore or Causality? The Taylor Swift Effect Reconsidered
A case study in why correlation isn’t causation, and how small samples can fuel big stories.
Sep 24
•
James Smoliga, DVM, PhD
10
53
7
An Olympic-hopeful marathoner collapsed and died. Was it the COVID vaccine — or something else?
Attribution bias: our need to explain the unexplainable
Sep 19
•
James Smoliga, DVM, PhD
8
5
7
Sleep Is Not Optional: The Strange History That Proves It
From 1890s puppies to 1980s rats: how extreme experiments revealed sleep’s necessity.
Sep 12
•
James Smoliga, DVM, PhD
17
4
7
6:53
A Student Asked Me if AI Will Ruin College. Here’s What I Told Him.
History shows that every disruptive tool, from calculators to online journals, first evokes fear before becoming indispensable.
Sep 5
•
James Smoliga, DVM, PhD
9
105
4
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