Daniel Wirth, co-author of one of the most commonly displayed “successful” studies of the medical effects of prayer, “pled guilty in May to taking part in a conspiracy in which his friend Josepf Steven Horvath — under the false identity of John Wayne Truelove, which Wirth created — paid Wirth and others millions of dollars for alleged computer consulting for the former cable company Adelphia.” (Designer defends controversial prayer study)

Of course, the study is bullshit. And more recent, legitimate studies have shown no effect. But you all probably knew that. Anyway, here’s my favorite part of the article:

The question taps into one of the most basic tenets of scientific research: reproducibility. If other scientists can’t replicate results, a study is generally considered suspect. But Wirth rejects that idea. “I don’t think the standard of reproducibility should be the gold standard,” he said, and “intangibles” make prayer study “a tough field. Due to the nature of the phenomenon, we’re going to get varying effects… I’ve come to the realization that we’re not going to be able to show these effects all the time, and that’s okay. That still can’t negate the profound effect that love and compassion have in people’s lives.”

Who needs reproducibility when you have a researcher with such high standards of integrity?