Usually, when researchers start a new study, every piece of the study they will be doing is laid out and double checked to ensure that everyone is safe. This was not the case for Northumbria University because they just got hit hard with a huge fine for messing up their calculations in a caffeine study.
Key Takeaways:
- Northumbria University is facing a hefty fine for botching calculations in their caffeine study by making calculations on their smartphones.
- As a result, researchers accidentally gave participants 30g of caffeine—100 times the amount they were supposed to!
- Due to the calculation error, the participants suffered life-threatening side effects and required dialysis.
“Each participant was supposed to get 0.3g of caffeine, but instead due to the miscalculation on the smartphone causing the decimal place to be moved, the individuals were given 30g of caffeine—100 times the amount they were supposed to distribute!”
