I recently found this article in a local newspaper.
The article describes how medical scientists have discovered that Curcumin, one of the key ingredients in Turmeric and curry, has been linked to the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease. This is of course really good news, but it’s how they reached this conclusion that really cracks me up, and perfectly captures the big, deep, cavernous ass that science frequently goes up. The tests were conducted on fruit flies suffering from a nervous disorder very similar to Alzheimer’s. Firstly I’m amazed that someone has discovered mentally disturbed flies. Secondly, I have to question that what works for flies will also work for humans. And finally, if anyone wanted to check whether curry prevents a condition like Alzheimer’s, you’d think the best way to check it would simply be to measure its incidence amongst real living Indians, like the ones who eat curry in India. But hey, I’m no scientist.