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Re:Israel’s Covid-19 boosters are preventing infections, new... by haswell on Wednesday September 01, 2021 @12:51PM (#28382349)
A hypothesis still must precede a trial, and many hypotheses are formed based on an understanding of fundamental concepts/mechanisms and prior studies.

Studies are still required because a hypothesis is just that - a hypothesis - but I wouldn't completely dismiss a discussion of the mechanism, because this may still provide meaningful context and/or help form an initial understanding of risk before having real study results.

Re:Israel’s Covid-19 boosters are preventing infections, new... by whatshisface on Wednesday September 01, 2021 @01:07PM (#28382604)
There are a few hypotheses suggested by the higher-count events in VAERS, as well as the standard ones checked in postmarket studies (effects on pregnant women and children in particular). I agree that the mechanism is a good way to do hypothesis generation, but it's not a solid argument for the safety of a treatment. It is really only an antidote to specific, hallucinatory claims, like the line about it "changing your DNA."