Funny story: There is a right and a wrong way of making conclusions

In the world of science, debates often arise, and one such debate had been raging for quite some time. Academics from all over the world were arguing about how cockroaches hear. Some believed they had tiny ears on their heads, others insisted they used their antennae, and some even thought they didn’t hear at all but rather sensed vibrations. The more they debated, the more confused everyone became. No matter how much research they did, they simply could not come to an agreement. Amidst all this chaos, there was one scientist who had grown frustrated with the endless discussions. He saw his colleagues jumping to conclusions without proper evidence, and that simply wouldn’t do. He was determined to prove, once and for all, that a cockroach hears with its legs. And so, with unwavering resolve, he decided to conduct a live experiment right in front of his fellow academics.

Gathering everyone around, he carefully placed a cockroach on a table. He stood back, took a deep breath, and clapped his hands loudly. At once, the cockroach scurried away, startled by the sound. The scientist turned to his colleagues with a confident look, as if to say, “Observe closely.” Next, he gently took the cockroach and removed one of its legs. He placed it back on the table and clapped his hands again. Despite its missing limb, the cockroach still ran away, though a bit less smoothly than before. The scientist nodded to himself and continued. He removed a second leg and clapped his hands loudly once more. Though clumsier this time, the cockroach still managed to move. The scientist remained patient, knowing he was about to reach an undeniable conclusion. With careful precision, he removed a third leg and clapped his hands again. The cockroach struggled but still managed to inch away. It was clearly having difficulty, but it could still react. Finally, the scientist removed the fourth and last leg. Now, the cockroach had no means to move. He clapped his hands one last time and waited. The cockroach did not budge. It remained in the same spot, motionless. The scientist turned to his colleagues with triumph in his eyes.

“Now,” he declared, “as you can see, the cockroach is no longer able to move. This means it can no longer hear! And that, my dear colleagues, is the proper way to conduct an experiment and reach conclusions based on scientific facts.” The room fell silent. Some scientists nodded, others scratched their heads, and a few murmured among themselves. Then, slowly, a hand rose from the back of the room. One of the academics hesitated before speaking. “But… isn’t it possible that the cockroach isn’t deaf… but simply can’t move because it has no legs?” The scientist froze. Realization dawned upon him as laughter rippled through the crowd. He had indeed conducted an experiment, but he had made a mistake in his conclusion. Just because the cockroach stopped moving didn’t mean it had lost its hearing—it simply had no legs left to run! This experiment, though flawed, became a famous example of why the scientific method is so important. Real scientists do not just conduct tests—they also think critically and analyze all possibilities before making a conclusion. It was a valuable lesson for everyone in the room that day and a reminder for future scientists to always question their own results before declaring them as facts.