You may be even more startled to learn the scientific method is clear as an abstract concept, you know, those circle diagrams with "observation -> research -> hypothesis -> experiment -> analysis -> conclusions", but the details are always in flux and vary between countries, universities, publications and in time.

And the details are absolutely crucial for the end result. You come in here acting like a religious defender of the scientific method against the evil of rejecting science, but I'm not that guy. I'm not rejecting science, I'm just pointing out the obvious: modern science is producing literally noise, as seen in this chart, because of misaligned incentives and a broken peer review process, among others.

Do you even know what the "replication crisis" is? Hints of it in this very chart. And if you do, it's completely disingenuous to come attacking me for even mentioning we have a problem. And if you don't, you're not informed well enough to speak about the scientific method.

The "scientific method" should be applied to the "scientific method". Meaning when you see evidence that falsifies it, seek the causes and correct them, don't dig in your heels and go religious.

None of these studies are produced via the scientific method. They are looking at statistical correlation and plucking them out of thousands of complex, confounding, dynamic variables in a very chaotic environment.