James Smoliga, DVM, PhD
@jsmoliga.bsky.social
Sports science researcher and writer, sometimes w/ a zany twist of humor. I also debunk bad science.
Used to run fast.
Honey connoisseur.
Used to run fast.
Honey connoisseur.
Pinned
When Attractive Science Falls Apart Under Scrutiny
What a Flawed Study Taught Me—and How It Shaped My Career
beyondtheabstract.substack.com
Today, I launched Beyond the Abstract—a newsletter about science, health, and academia.
It’s for anyone who cares about evidence—and how it gets used, misused, and misunderstood in research, medicine, and career decisions.
Subscribe for free!
beyondtheabstract.substack.com/p/when-attra...
It’s for anyone who cares about evidence—and how it gets used, misused, and misunderstood in research, medicine, and career decisions.
Subscribe for free!
beyondtheabstract.substack.com/p/when-attra...
This came up in my feed and immediately triggered my BS detector.
The “$2 depression test” detects BDNF in saliva, not depression in people.
Cool engineering, zero diagnostic data.
Saliva ≠ brain, correlation ≠ diagnosis, prototype ≠ clinical tool.
www.emjreviews.com/en-us/amj/in...
The “$2 depression test” detects BDNF in saliva, not depression in people.
Cool engineering, zero diagnostic data.
Saliva ≠ brain, correlation ≠ diagnosis, prototype ≠ clinical tool.
www.emjreviews.com/en-us/amj/in...
Scientists Create $2 Saliva Test for Depression
A $2 saliva test could transform early mental health diagnosis. Find out how it works and why it matters.
www.emjreviews.com
November 8, 2025 at 2:10 PM
This came up in my feed and immediately triggered my BS detector.
The “$2 depression test” detects BDNF in saliva, not depression in people.
Cool engineering, zero diagnostic data.
Saliva ≠ brain, correlation ≠ diagnosis, prototype ≠ clinical tool.
www.emjreviews.com/en-us/amj/in...
The “$2 depression test” detects BDNF in saliva, not depression in people.
Cool engineering, zero diagnostic data.
Saliva ≠ brain, correlation ≠ diagnosis, prototype ≠ clinical tool.
www.emjreviews.com/en-us/amj/in...
Is The Mattingly Curse real? @bluejays.com
Don Mattingly made the playoffs 11 times, but has 0 World Series rings.
I ran the math. There’s a 29% chance this would happen by luck alone: humanlimits.substack.com/p/the-don-ma...
In other words, he’s not cursed. He’s probability personified.
Don Mattingly made the playoffs 11 times, but has 0 World Series rings.
I ran the math. There’s a 29% chance this would happen by luck alone: humanlimits.substack.com/p/the-don-ma...
In other words, he’s not cursed. He’s probability personified.
⚾ The Don Mattingly Curse (and Why It’s Probably Just Statistical Probability)
Eleven postseasons. Zero rings. Infinite narrative potential.
humanlimits.substack.com
November 4, 2025 at 10:23 PM
Is The Mattingly Curse real? @bluejays.com
Don Mattingly made the playoffs 11 times, but has 0 World Series rings.
I ran the math. There’s a 29% chance this would happen by luck alone: humanlimits.substack.com/p/the-don-ma...
In other words, he’s not cursed. He’s probability personified.
Don Mattingly made the playoffs 11 times, but has 0 World Series rings.
I ran the math. There’s a 29% chance this would happen by luck alone: humanlimits.substack.com/p/the-don-ma...
In other words, he’s not cursed. He’s probability personified.
Check out my latest:
A sports device to ‘protect the brain’ illustrates a major problem with the FDA de novo pathway www.statnews.com/2025/11/02/q... via @statnews.com
A sports device to ‘protect the brain’ illustrates a major problem with the FDA de novo pathway www.statnews.com/2025/11/02/q... via @statnews.com
A sports device to ‘protect the brain’ illustrates a major problem with the FDA de novo pathway
“This is not just about one device. It’s about what happens when institutions grow comfortable living in their own ambiguity and hiding behind opacity.”
www.statnews.com
November 3, 2025 at 1:32 AM
Check out my latest:
A sports device to ‘protect the brain’ illustrates a major problem with the FDA de novo pathway www.statnews.com/2025/11/02/q... via @statnews.com
A sports device to ‘protect the brain’ illustrates a major problem with the FDA de novo pathway www.statnews.com/2025/11/02/q... via @statnews.com
"Patients and consumers shouldn’t need a FOIA request to understand whether “FDA authorized” reflects compelling evidence or a device permitted despite serious internal concerns, addressed only through labeling caveats."
www.statnews.com/2025/11/02/q...
www.statnews.com/2025/11/02/q...
A sports device to ‘protect the brain’ illustrates a major problem with the FDA de novo pathway
“This is not just about one device. It’s about what happens when institutions grow comfortable living in their own ambiguity and hiding behind opacity.”
www.statnews.com
November 2, 2025 at 1:31 PM
"Patients and consumers shouldn’t need a FOIA request to understand whether “FDA authorized” reflects compelling evidence or a device permitted despite serious internal concerns, addressed only through labeling caveats."
www.statnews.com/2025/11/02/q...
www.statnews.com/2025/11/02/q...
Reposted by James Smoliga, DVM, PhD
I truly feel for Sauce Gardner—not just for the concussion, but for believing the Q-Collar could actually protect his brain.
A few days ago, @washingtonpost.com featured him in their investigation questioning the evidence behind it.
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2025/...
A few days ago, @washingtonpost.com featured him in their investigation questioning the evidence behind it.
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2025/...
October 19, 2025 at 10:39 PM
I truly feel for Sauce Gardner—not just for the concussion, but for believing the Q-Collar could actually protect his brain.
A few days ago, @washingtonpost.com featured him in their investigation questioning the evidence behind it.
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2025/...
A few days ago, @washingtonpost.com featured him in their investigation questioning the evidence behind it.
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2025/...
The BMJ's EIC's thoughts on Q-collar & FDA:
"the FDA, has a duty of care to the athletes and therefore the public. It’s a duty of care that the FDA failed to provide in its approval of Q-Collar—a decision that must be revisited."
@kamranabbasi.bsky.social
@bmj.com
www.bmj.com/content/391/...
"the FDA, has a duty of care to the athletes and therefore the public. It’s a duty of care that the FDA failed to provide in its approval of Q-Collar—a decision that must be revisited."
@kamranabbasi.bsky.social
@bmj.com
www.bmj.com/content/391/...
Q-Collar: hope, hype, and another story of regulatory failure
How far will you go to promote your medical invention? This is a question for clinical innovators. How far will you go to market the invention? This is a question for corporations whose primary purpos...
www.bmj.com
October 17, 2025 at 7:53 PM
The BMJ's EIC's thoughts on Q-collar & FDA:
"the FDA, has a duty of care to the athletes and therefore the public. It’s a duty of care that the FDA failed to provide in its approval of Q-Collar—a decision that must be revisited."
@kamranabbasi.bsky.social
@bmj.com
www.bmj.com/content/391/...
"the FDA, has a duty of care to the athletes and therefore the public. It’s a duty of care that the FDA failed to provide in its approval of Q-Collar—a decision that must be revisited."
@kamranabbasi.bsky.social
@bmj.com
www.bmj.com/content/391/...
Reposted by James Smoliga, DVM, PhD
A more upsetting outcome is marketing of devices like the Q-collar, designed to protect athletes from brain injury, built on pseudoscience claiming to be inspired by bighorn sheep and woodpeckers, which untested, puts the user at risk 🧪
October 16, 2025 at 3:17 PM
A more upsetting outcome is marketing of devices like the Q-collar, designed to protect athletes from brain injury, built on pseudoscience claiming to be inspired by bighorn sheep and woodpeckers, which untested, puts the user at risk 🧪
Tua Tagovailoa says his secret to avoiding concussions is eating more carbs.
So… can bread really protect your brain?
I dug into the science (and the psychology).
Check out my brand new Human Limits newsletter, focused on sports science + medicine!
humanlimits.substack.com/p/can-carbs-...
So… can bread really protect your brain?
I dug into the science (and the psychology).
Check out my brand new Human Limits newsletter, focused on sports science + medicine!
humanlimits.substack.com/p/can-carbs-...
🧠 Can carbs really prevent concussions? Tua Tagovailoa thinks so—and the media ran with it.
Tua Tagovailoa didn’t get a concussion — so which miracle worked this time?
humanlimits.substack.com
October 6, 2025 at 3:46 PM
Tua Tagovailoa says his secret to avoiding concussions is eating more carbs.
So… can bread really protect your brain?
I dug into the science (and the psychology).
Check out my brand new Human Limits newsletter, focused on sports science + medicine!
humanlimits.substack.com/p/can-carbs-...
So… can bread really protect your brain?
I dug into the science (and the psychology).
Check out my brand new Human Limits newsletter, focused on sports science + medicine!
humanlimits.substack.com/p/can-carbs-...
It’s me, hi 👋 I’m the scientist, it’s me.
My new peer-reviewed study asks does Taylor Swift actually make Travis Kelce play better? 🏈🎤
The manuscript on Taylor Swift is published in @plosone.org
journals.plos.org/plosone/arti...
My new peer-reviewed study asks does Taylor Swift actually make Travis Kelce play better? 🏈🎤
The manuscript on Taylor Swift is published in @plosone.org
journals.plos.org/plosone/arti...
The folklore of the “Swift” effect – lessons for medical research and clinical practice
Taylor Swift’s presence at National Football League (NFL) games was reported to have a causal effect on the performance of Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs. Critical examination of the supposed...
journals.plos.org
September 23, 2025 at 4:34 PM
It’s me, hi 👋 I’m the scientist, it’s me.
My new peer-reviewed study asks does Taylor Swift actually make Travis Kelce play better? 🏈🎤
The manuscript on Taylor Swift is published in @plosone.org
journals.plos.org/plosone/arti...
My new peer-reviewed study asks does Taylor Swift actually make Travis Kelce play better? 🏈🎤
The manuscript on Taylor Swift is published in @plosone.org
journals.plos.org/plosone/arti...
At rest, your heart pumps ~5L of blood per minute.
During max exercise, cardiac output can quadruple to 20–25L >80% of that blood is redirected to skeletal muscle.
All powered by a pump the size of a red onion, squeezing into an aorta about as wide as a mini cucumber.
My Coke can visual ⬇️
During max exercise, cardiac output can quadruple to 20–25L >80% of that blood is redirected to skeletal muscle.
All powered by a pump the size of a red onion, squeezing into an aorta about as wide as a mini cucumber.
My Coke can visual ⬇️
September 16, 2025 at 3:00 PM
At rest, your heart pumps ~5L of blood per minute.
During max exercise, cardiac output can quadruple to 20–25L >80% of that blood is redirected to skeletal muscle.
All powered by a pump the size of a red onion, squeezing into an aorta about as wide as a mini cucumber.
My Coke can visual ⬇️
During max exercise, cardiac output can quadruple to 20–25L >80% of that blood is redirected to skeletal muscle.
All powered by a pump the size of a red onion, squeezing into an aorta about as wide as a mini cucumber.
My Coke can visual ⬇️
Spotted at the grocery store today: pre-decorated pumpkins.
At what point did we as a society decide getting a sharpie marker out was just… too much effort? 🎃🤔
At what point did we as a society decide getting a sharpie marker out was just… too much effort? 🎃🤔
September 9, 2025 at 10:30 PM
Spotted at the grocery store today: pre-decorated pumpkins.
At what point did we as a society decide getting a sharpie marker out was just… too much effort? 🎃🤔
At what point did we as a society decide getting a sharpie marker out was just… too much effort? 🎃🤔
🧪 “If we tell people science is the search for truth, every correction looks like a lie exposed. If we tell them it’s the search for better explanations, every correction looks like progress.”
beyondtheabstract.substack.com/p/science-is...
beyondtheabstract.substack.com/p/science-is...
Science Is Not "Truth"
Our knowledge evolves, our methods improve, and that’s what makes science worth trusting.
beyondtheabstract.substack.com
September 2, 2025 at 1:06 PM
🧪 “If we tell people science is the search for truth, every correction looks like a lie exposed. If we tell them it’s the search for better explanations, every correction looks like progress.”
beyondtheabstract.substack.com/p/science-is...
beyondtheabstract.substack.com/p/science-is...
🧠 Hot Brain Summer is here! But not in the way you think.
Heat affects health. But that doesn’t mean your neurons are about to melt.
I unpack how science, storytelling, and activism can blur together—and why that matters.
👇 Full piece (it’s nuanced): beyondtheabstract.substack.com/p/hot-brain-...
Heat affects health. But that doesn’t mean your neurons are about to melt.
I unpack how science, storytelling, and activism can blur together—and why that matters.
👇 Full piece (it’s nuanced): beyondtheabstract.substack.com/p/hot-brain-...
🧠 Hot Brain Summer: When Climate Journalism Overheats
Why separating data from narrative matters — especially when the science is real, but the story overheats.
beyondtheabstract.substack.com
August 5, 2025 at 2:23 PM
🧠 Hot Brain Summer is here! But not in the way you think.
Heat affects health. But that doesn’t mean your neurons are about to melt.
I unpack how science, storytelling, and activism can blur together—and why that matters.
👇 Full piece (it’s nuanced): beyondtheabstract.substack.com/p/hot-brain-...
Heat affects health. But that doesn’t mean your neurons are about to melt.
I unpack how science, storytelling, and activism can blur together—and why that matters.
👇 Full piece (it’s nuanced): beyondtheabstract.substack.com/p/hot-brain-...
Back in my vet school days, a professor told us dogs will get blamed for infections they didn't cause.
On that note, I decided to write about how pets are perceived as risks to joint replacement surgery patients. What's the evidence?
Plz read + share
beyondtheabstract.substack.com/p/no-dogs-al...
On that note, I decided to write about how pets are perceived as risks to joint replacement surgery patients. What's the evidence?
Plz read + share
beyondtheabstract.substack.com/p/no-dogs-al...
No Dogs Allowed? Questioning Pre-Surgery Pet Bans
How Anecdotes Turned into Medical Dogma—and Why It Matters
beyondtheabstract.substack.com
June 5, 2025 at 12:29 AM
Back in my vet school days, a professor told us dogs will get blamed for infections they didn't cause.
On that note, I decided to write about how pets are perceived as risks to joint replacement surgery patients. What's the evidence?
Plz read + share
beyondtheabstract.substack.com/p/no-dogs-al...
On that note, I decided to write about how pets are perceived as risks to joint replacement surgery patients. What's the evidence?
Plz read + share
beyondtheabstract.substack.com/p/no-dogs-al...
When does science become sleight-of-hand?
My latest Beyond the Abstract post uses magician tricks—palming, misdirection, forced choice—to unpack how flawed research fools us. And why spotting real science is harder than it looks.
beyondtheabstract.substack.com/p/research-i...
My latest Beyond the Abstract post uses magician tricks—palming, misdirection, forced choice—to unpack how flawed research fools us. And why spotting real science is harder than it looks.
beyondtheabstract.substack.com/p/research-i...
Research Illusions: The Magic Behind Poor-Quality Science
The Hidden Trap Doors and Sleight-of-Hand in Scientific Research
beyondtheabstract.substack.com
May 21, 2025 at 1:26 AM
When does science become sleight-of-hand?
My latest Beyond the Abstract post uses magician tricks—palming, misdirection, forced choice—to unpack how flawed research fools us. And why spotting real science is harder than it looks.
beyondtheabstract.substack.com/p/research-i...
My latest Beyond the Abstract post uses magician tricks—palming, misdirection, forced choice—to unpack how flawed research fools us. And why spotting real science is harder than it looks.
beyondtheabstract.substack.com/p/research-i...
Didn’t expect this: Beyond the Abstract hit #40 on Substack’s rising Science leaderboard in its first 48 hours.
Thanks to everyone who’s read, shared, or supported it—I truly appreciate it. 🙏
Give it a read—and if it resonates, consider subscribing:
beyondtheabstract.substack.com
Thanks to everyone who’s read, shared, or supported it—I truly appreciate it. 🙏
Give it a read—and if it resonates, consider subscribing:
beyondtheabstract.substack.com
May 3, 2025 at 3:46 PM
Didn’t expect this: Beyond the Abstract hit #40 on Substack’s rising Science leaderboard in its first 48 hours.
Thanks to everyone who’s read, shared, or supported it—I truly appreciate it. 🙏
Give it a read—and if it resonates, consider subscribing:
beyondtheabstract.substack.com
Thanks to everyone who’s read, shared, or supported it—I truly appreciate it. 🙏
Give it a read—and if it resonates, consider subscribing:
beyondtheabstract.substack.com
🏇 Today marks the 151st Kentucky Derby—and Bob Baffert is back after a drug-related suspension.
As a veterinarian and sports medicine researcher, I’m still not buying his claim that it was all an innocent mistake.
Here’s my hot take:
beyondtheabstract.substack.com/p/prescripti...
As a veterinarian and sports medicine researcher, I’m still not buying his claim that it was all an innocent mistake.
Here’s my hot take:
beyondtheabstract.substack.com/p/prescripti...
Prescription for Confusion
The Absurdity Behind Bob Baffert's Derby Drug Excuse
beyondtheabstract.substack.com
May 3, 2025 at 2:57 PM
🏇 Today marks the 151st Kentucky Derby—and Bob Baffert is back after a drug-related suspension.
As a veterinarian and sports medicine researcher, I’m still not buying his claim that it was all an innocent mistake.
Here’s my hot take:
beyondtheabstract.substack.com/p/prescripti...
As a veterinarian and sports medicine researcher, I’m still not buying his claim that it was all an innocent mistake.
Here’s my hot take:
beyondtheabstract.substack.com/p/prescripti...
Today, I launched Beyond the Abstract—a newsletter about science, health, and academia.
It’s for anyone who cares about evidence—and how it gets used, misused, and misunderstood in research, medicine, and career decisions.
Subscribe for free!
beyondtheabstract.substack.com/p/when-attra...
It’s for anyone who cares about evidence—and how it gets used, misused, and misunderstood in research, medicine, and career decisions.
Subscribe for free!
beyondtheabstract.substack.com/p/when-attra...
When Attractive Science Falls Apart Under Scrutiny
What a Flawed Study Taught Me—and How It Shaped My Career
beyondtheabstract.substack.com
May 1, 2025 at 11:19 PM
Today, I launched Beyond the Abstract—a newsletter about science, health, and academia.
It’s for anyone who cares about evidence—and how it gets used, misused, and misunderstood in research, medicine, and career decisions.
Subscribe for free!
beyondtheabstract.substack.com/p/when-attra...
It’s for anyone who cares about evidence—and how it gets used, misused, and misunderstood in research, medicine, and career decisions.
Subscribe for free!
beyondtheabstract.substack.com/p/when-attra...
Just published a piece in @statnews.com:
Red Dye No. 3 isn’t the real threat—it’s the sugar that delivers it.
I argue that banning synthetic dyes may feel like progress, but it risks missing the bigger public health danger.
www.statnews.com/2025/05/01/r...
Red Dye No. 3 isn’t the real threat—it’s the sugar that delivers it.
I argue that banning synthetic dyes may feel like progress, but it risks missing the bigger public health danger.
www.statnews.com/2025/05/01/r...
RFK Jr.’s synthetic dye bans miss a much bigger problem
Red dye No. 3 isn’t the real danger — it’s the sugar and refined carbohydrates that deliver it
www.statnews.com
May 1, 2025 at 1:50 PM
Just published a piece in @statnews.com:
Red Dye No. 3 isn’t the real threat—it’s the sugar that delivers it.
I argue that banning synthetic dyes may feel like progress, but it risks missing the bigger public health danger.
www.statnews.com/2025/05/01/r...
Red Dye No. 3 isn’t the real threat—it’s the sugar that delivers it.
I argue that banning synthetic dyes may feel like progress, but it risks missing the bigger public health danger.
www.statnews.com/2025/05/01/r...
We're family, even if we don't share a single chromosome...
Very sweet.
Also genetically impossible.
But sweet.
Very sweet.
Also genetically impossible.
But sweet.
April 17, 2025 at 1:26 PM
We're family, even if we don't share a single chromosome...
Very sweet.
Also genetically impossible.
But sweet.
Very sweet.
Also genetically impossible.
But sweet.
A 51km ultra marathon everyday, for 390 days in a row.
Yes, it's legit impressive, but I always struggle with the "but, why?" component.
It seems like there is this one-upmanship with more and more extreme endurance feats just for the sake of it.
newsroom.co.nz/2025/01/25/l...
Yes, it's legit impressive, but I always struggle with the "but, why?" component.
It seems like there is this one-upmanship with more and more extreme endurance feats just for the sake of it.
newsroom.co.nz/2025/01/25/l...
Legal eagle soars past non-stop ultra world record
A Northland lawyer has run an ultramarathon a day for 390 days - almost doubling the existing world record, and isn't ready to stop yet
newsroom.co.nz
January 31, 2025 at 8:35 PM
A 51km ultra marathon everyday, for 390 days in a row.
Yes, it's legit impressive, but I always struggle with the "but, why?" component.
It seems like there is this one-upmanship with more and more extreme endurance feats just for the sake of it.
newsroom.co.nz/2025/01/25/l...
Yes, it's legit impressive, but I always struggle with the "but, why?" component.
It seems like there is this one-upmanship with more and more extreme endurance feats just for the sake of it.
newsroom.co.nz/2025/01/25/l...
Glad to see that statistician Andrew Gelman likes our work debunking the Q-collar!
“This Device Is ‘Proven’ to Protect Athletes’ Brains. The Science Is Under Fire.”
statmodeling.stat.columbia.edu/2025/01/29/t...
statmodeling.stat.columbia.edu/2025/01/29/t...
“This Device Is ‘Proven’ to Protect Athletes’ Brains. The Science Is Under Fire.” | Statistical Modeling, Causal Inference, and Social Science
statmodeling.stat.columbia.edu
January 30, 2025 at 9:34 PM
Glad to see that statistician Andrew Gelman likes our work debunking the Q-collar!