15 Studies That Prove Scientists Truly Are Mad

The idea of the mad scientist goes back to the time when we were pretty sure science was actually dark magic, so anyone who practiced it was probably a twisted husk of a person with some kind of supervillainous plan to destroy society and a few pig fetuses in the process. In reality, scientists are more likely to be average people who were really good at going to school and memorizing the difference between “poisonous” and “venomous” than evil sorcerers hellbent on taking over the world. They’re definitely less fun at parties.

But as all scientists will tell you, tendencies aren’t guarantees, and there are definitely some PhDs out there doing things a normal person could never nightmare of. From traumatizing babies for fun to building mind-control devices to literally growing brains in a Petri dish, these experiments suggest that perhaps someone should be studying the scientists. Here is just a glimpse at the hubris of Man.