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Our first job as scientists is to make sure we're not fooling ourselves. I wouldn't just use any old scale to take a measurement. I want a calibrated scale, adjusted to meet a specific standard of accuracy. Such standards and calibrations ensure we can all get "the same" result doing "the same" thing, even if we use different equipment from different vendors. The concerns about code are exactly the same. It's even scarier to me because I realize that unlike a scale, most scientists have no idea how to calibrate their code to ensure accurate, reproducible results. Of course with the scales, the calibration is done by a specialized professional who's been trained to calibrate scales. Not sure how we solve this issue with the code.


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