News & explainers

How to read a study: cells, animals or people?

Posted 29 Sept 2026, 12:00 MYT

IN VITRO · MECHANISM
Level 1: cells in a dish show how something may work.
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Not all evidence is equal. Learn the three levels used on our body map, and what each one can and cannot tell you.

A headline about a “breakthrough” may describe cells in a dish. This explainer walks through the evidence ladder used on this site.

Use it alongside the body map, where every topic is split into these three levels.