Most of you, the readers, have probably tuned in to the news at one point or
another to hear the anchor person begin a story with the phrase ‘‘Today scientists
reported,’’ probably followed by a description of something completely outside
of your everyday experience: colliding microscopic particles, genetic engineering,
or statements about the behavior of giant galaxies or the Big Bang. How do
scientists arrive at their conclusions on such topics? And perhaps more importantly,
why should you believe anything they say?