Despite the verities of science, we feel compelled to tell stories that venture beyond the facts.

Stories are the primary way through which we make sense of our world. We explain ideas by telling stories.

When the brain pieces separate bits of an image together to form a coherent picture, it is known as pattern recognition. Once we recognize a pattern, it can spark a degree of pleasure, often described as that "a-ha" moment.

Science is about making up stories called hypotheses and testing them, then coming up with better stories. Once a story is complete, science goes to a lab to test it. While a story is useful, it can also be a problem if we run with an incomplete story. Our brains' reward for possible patter...

• Ensure that any science you trust has passed through the peer-review process. And even then it might not be accurate. 
• Search for information on the limits of the data in science reports. Were assumptions made? Be concerned if the discussion of them is missing.